Sheet Metal Stamping info & ??'s

[dutch]

Saw a post that had someone's sheet metal stamp(s) mentioned and the question was what does this mean?
The answer was "the week it was produced" or something to that effect - followed by a mention of the Alphs character designating the stamping plant..
I can't find the thread now but it got me wondering where should I look for fenders, quarters, doors trunk lid etc. stamps (assume they all have a specific location for each type of piece) and exactly how should they relate to the build date of anyone's car.
I had notes of some I found on my Z 2/8 rear fenders inside the trunk near the seam - one was 'H' 08 and the other was harder to figure out but appeared to be an 'N' 7 - do these seem logical for a Norwood 02D build car and where would I look for other such stamps on trunk lids, front fenders, etc. etc.?
I may get a chance since the weather is extremely mild and snow-free here for this time of year (50's) vs normally -10 to -20 degrees with 12 to 24" of the white stuff and I may try and take a look at it in storage if I can follow some direction from you guys..  Thanks - Randy

[KurtS]

http://www.camaros.org/numbers.shtml#sheet

[dutch]

Thanks Kurt.. as much as I thought I had at other times gone through the first gen. menus and read pretty much all there was to read, I realize now obviously that I missed that portion when it came to sheet metal info..
Randy

[ko-lek-tor]

H is the Hamilton, Ohio plant. It was about 20 miles N.W. of Norwood.

[dutch]

I checked again and I'm seeing clearly an 'H'  08 on the left quarter to trunk top seam and what is harder to distinguish.. an 'H' or 'N'  7 on the other right side (most likely an H - same spot) does this sound (if the right side one is in fact an H alpha character) like a legit stamp or can the configuration or order change somewhat like what I'm seeing.
And if they are both 'H' as in Hamilton stampings could they in fact be 7th and 8th month products to be assembled on a car up to 5 months or more later? 
I assume they built up  fair inventory of known parts like this, assured that they wouldn't be revised - but would or could that much of an inventory exist considering the only differences between the '67 & '68 quarters would have been the side marker holes?

[MyRed67]

H is the Hamilton, Ohio plant. It was about 20 miles N.W. of Norwood.

H is the Hamilton, Ohio plant. It was about 20 miles N.W. of Norwood.

Thanks Bentley!  My Grandpa used to say if you learn something new today, the day wasn't wasted.   I found several H's on my car when looking at date codes.  Didn't know that was what they meant.

[ZLP955]

Here's a thread I started a couple of years ago to try and determine the stamping plant locations:
http://www.camaros.org/forum/index.php?topic=12764

[dutch]

So somewhat back to my question - do the stamps mean much when it comes to the actual date codes or were such large inventories of this stuff available that they tended to stretch on for months of production unlike engines, transmissions, and rear ends etc.? 
Does it make any sense that I see what I consider Hamilton 07 ad 08 month date stamps on metal on my late '67 year build car - considering the mechanical casting and stamping stuff all aligns well with the build date timeframe?
Randy

[ZLP955]

The sheetmetal stamps were for week number, not month. 07 and 08 would be February. What is your car's build date?

[dutch]

02D...      

[dutch]

Guess - the phrase 'Hot Off The Press' may then apply here somewhat eh?

[ZLP955]

That lines up perfectly, I was confused when you said 'late 67 year build' above. My car is 04A and most panels are stamped '12', the original flat hood is '13'.

[dutch]

I was told since the drivetrain is cast in late Dec '67 and stamped shortly afterwards - that it was considered a very early build car - by at least '68 Z 2/8 standards,  as apparently not many were produced until well into the calendar '68 calendar year.. and other things like 302 fender emblems and '266 distributor for example batch dated for a '67 car..
   

[KurtS]

my late '67 year build car

it was considered a very early build car - by at least '68 Z 2/8 standards,   

Huh? How can it be a 'late 67' when it was built in 68??? http://www.camaros.org/geninfo.shtml#ModelYear
February is about midway between August and July.........

Model does not affect body parts, btw.

[dutch]

my late '67 year build car

it was considered a very early build car - by at least '68 Z 2/8 standards,   

Huh? How can it be a 'late 67' when it was built in 68??? http://www.camaros.org/geninfo.shtml#ModelYear
February is about midway between August and July.........

Model does not affect body parts, btw.

What was meant - is that it is a late in the calendar year (1967) built car (1968 model).. which it may be then apparently referred to, or considered to be, an early build vehicle for the 1968 model year.
What is being muddled I guess is the fact that I am talking calendar year dating (Jan - thru Dec) and you are talking about model year dating (Aug - thru July) - and I know that you know that I know that you know - that, I think..
If I recall some years back in 2007, I believe it was yourself Kurt or possibly Jerry, who actually responded to me in a post that I had put up - commenting that.. " it is or could be considered (using the commenter's phrase) an early build car" in describing it. adding something to the effect "that few '68 Z 2/8's were in fact produced until after the turn of the year into '68".. 
At that time I was in fact about trying to find if a '266 distributor in this car was original and legit, knowing it was a part number usually only associated with a 1967 Z model.
I was asking for guidance as to whether it and the date stamp on it could be good and if it all actually made any sense.. to which I was told..  "that since there were probably more distributors made than cars produced in '67, GM mandated that the left over's in the parts bins be carried on into the early '68 models" until depleted and then the '467's were used going forward - and the batch stamp on it bore that out and made perfect sense..
So if I came across as trying to be confusing it was unintended.. maybe I'm only being that to myself!..      Randy