From a previous recent post in the Decoding section, VIN #124379N578059; BDY # on the Cowl Tag 231468 is currently being discussed. This is an 01B Norwood built RS.
The VIN on my 01C '69RS is: 124379N581767; and the BDY # on the Cowl Tag is: 220831
Body number 231468 was actually assembled (based on VIN #"s) 3,708 units (VIN 's) ahead of body number 220831 (my car), although the factory acceptance of the order for my car (when the BDY number was assigned) preceeded BDY 231468by 10,637 orders! So for whatever the reason,
the factory accepted the order for my car 10,637 orders ahead of the order for BDY 231468, but my car was assembled approximately 4 days later! Norwood ran a steady rate of 912 cars per day. As close as I have been able to figure it, I believe my car was assembled on or about 17 January 1969. (See the following previous discussion:
http://www.camaros.org/forum/index.php?topic=1556.0)[/i]
Where this is of great interest to me is that although I do not have any formal documentation to prove what engine was originally in my car, there is anecdotal evidence to support the 327 badges on the front fenders. Problem is that as of late 2005, no 327 equipped '69 Camaro built after the last week of Dec 1968 is shown in the CRG database. It is well known that no orders for a 327 equipped Camaro were accepted after midnight 1 Jan 1969 but I have always wondered if my car was actually ordered before 1 Jan 1969 and build during the 3rd week of 1969 with a 327 engine in it from the factory. The difference in these two BDY numbers is very interesting to me for that reason. I know (based on these two BDY numbers and CRG decoding information) that the order for my car preceeded BDY 231468 by 10,637 and that based on VIN #'s (and the information referenced in the link above) that BDY 231468 went through assembly at Norwood somewhere around Monday 13 January 1969. I wonder how many orders / day on average the factory accepted? If BDY 231468 was assembled at Norwood on or about Monday, 13 January, then there were only 7 working days prior where the factory could have accepted new orders (assuming that the factory only accepted orders for new cars Mon - Fri) . For my car to have been ordered after 1 Jan with a 307 instead of a 327 would have meant that Norwood would have accepted on average 1520 orders/day over the first 7 working days of January 1969. Is this reasonable? I would expect them to be receiving somewhere around 1000 orders/day to justify a production line of 912 cars/day. Factory receiving 1520 orders/day seems high to me when compared against what Norwood was actually producing. If the factory was receiving, on average, 1520 orders/day and only producing 912 cars/day, the backlog would get out of control very quickly.
I would be very interested in any thoughts or comments from someone who is more familiar with Norwood production schedules than I am. Are my assumptions above flawed? If the above is plausible, would it have been at all
possible for a 1969 Camaro to have been ordered prior to 1 Jan 1969, with a base 327 V8, and assembled during the 3rd week of Jan 1969 with a factory installed 327? Not asking what is in the CRG database - just asking based on the above - could it have been
possible?
