GM built cars at the Fremont CA plant from 1963 to 1980. In that time many cars
from Olds, Buick, Chevorlet and Pontiac rolled off the assembly line. While GM had
home plants for all their makes, Oldsmobiles being in Lansing, Fremont built them
all under one roof. They did things very differently there. One huge mystery is the
Fremont cowl tag. The tags are very different from the other GM assembly plants.
from Olds, Buick, Chevorlet and Pontiac rolled off the assembly line. While GM had
home plants for all their makes, Oldsmobiles being in Lansing, Fremont built them
all under one roof. They did things very differently there. One huge mystery is the
Fremont cowl tag. The tags are very different from the other GM assembly plants.
Lansing MI built 442
Fremont CA built 442
The next Fremont only code is the wheel color code. Cars that used steel wheels
and poverty caps got a third letter in the paint code. The plant used enamel paint
instead of laquer to paint the wheels according to this code. Fremont used the third
letter system until July 1965.
The last different feature was a hand stamped code that was hammered into the
upper right corner of the tag. This number is found in the ZONE box on the
buildsheet. Its not known what this ZONE was. Its not the dealer zone because my
car has 11 stamped on it, which was Wisconsin.
and poverty caps got a third letter in the paint code. The plant used enamel paint
instead of laquer to paint the wheels according to this code. Fremont used the third
letter system until July 1965.
The last different feature was a hand stamped code that was hammered into the
upper right corner of the tag. This number is found in the ZONE box on the
buildsheet. Its not known what this ZONE was. Its not the dealer zone because my
car has 11 stamped on it, which was Wisconsin.
All 4 makes of cars had these ACC numbers. The number represents the total
number of cars, by make, produced at Fisher body. The tag below is from a 65
Chevelle. The ACC numbers increased as the year passed. So the later the car the
higher the number, for the most part. Sometimes cars were dated to be built but didnt
get built until a later date.
Once the ACC numbers reached 6 places they reset to zeros. Chevrolet will have a
rolled over ACC number of around 8,000. Pontiacs will have a ACC number that top
out around 68,000, and Oldsmobiles will be around 38,000. However I have an 8C
plate that reads 65,122. Somehow I dont think Olds made 30,000 cars in a month and
a half.
Fremont tags were not painted. They were covered with a like sized piece of
cardboard, which can been seen on the Fremont Plant Tour page. So that means
they were attached before the car was painted.
number of cars, by make, produced at Fisher body. The tag below is from a 65
Chevelle. The ACC numbers increased as the year passed. So the later the car the
higher the number, for the most part. Sometimes cars were dated to be built but didnt
get built until a later date.
Once the ACC numbers reached 6 places they reset to zeros. Chevrolet will have a
rolled over ACC number of around 8,000. Pontiacs will have a ACC number that top
out around 68,000, and Oldsmobiles will be around 38,000. However I have an 8C
plate that reads 65,122. Somehow I dont think Olds made 30,000 cars in a month and
a half.
Fremont tags were not painted. They were covered with a like sized piece of
cardboard, which can been seen on the Fremont Plant Tour page. So that means
they were attached before the car was painted.
The second place that the Fremont tags are different from the Lansing tags are the
interior trim codes, TR on the tag. The first 3 numbers are the same, they are the
Fisher trim code for the interior. This code was specific to the model of car. The next
number, on this tag 10, is Oldsmobiles dealer sales code for the interior. Its not
known why Fremont stamped both codes on their tags. Below is a chart from a
Oldsmobile dealer order sheet showing the interior trim codes for each color, on each
body style the 442 was offered on.
interior trim codes, TR on the tag. The first 3 numbers are the same, they are the
Fisher trim code for the interior. This code was specific to the model of car. The next
number, on this tag 10, is Oldsmobiles dealer sales code for the interior. Its not
known why Fremont stamped both codes on their tags. Below is a chart from a
Oldsmobile dealer order sheet showing the interior trim codes for each color, on each
body style the 442 was offered on.
Fremont didnt go to the Lansing shaped tag until 1966. You can see that Lansing
used the code system. This info was used by Fisher Body. Fisher body only
stamped codes on the tag that deviated from the base no option model car. Since the
442 got holes in the quarter panel for the scoops, the code 4V was stamped on the
tag to show that process had been done.
Fremont assembly used a tracking system based on broadcast cards and build
sheets. One of the big mysteries is what the ACC. ##### means on the cowl tags. The
example above has ACC. 23667 stamped on it. This code has nothing to do with
options. Page down to read about what this number represents.
The Lansing build 442 in the above tag was the 24,820 Cutlass hardtop coupe built in
Lansing for the model year 1965. The above Fremont 442 was the 4,268 Cutlass
hardtop coupe made in Fremont for the year 1965. This number represents the body
style produced, not the 442 produced.
The data tag and build sheet below are from a 1965 442. The car was built at the
Fremont CA plant. The ACC code is 20936. This code shows up in the Manifest Seq.
Number box in the upper right hand corner of the buildsheet.
used the code system. This info was used by Fisher Body. Fisher body only
stamped codes on the tag that deviated from the base no option model car. Since the
442 got holes in the quarter panel for the scoops, the code 4V was stamped on the
tag to show that process had been done.
Fremont assembly used a tracking system based on broadcast cards and build
sheets. One of the big mysteries is what the ACC. ##### means on the cowl tags. The
example above has ACC. 23667 stamped on it. This code has nothing to do with
options. Page down to read about what this number represents.
The Lansing build 442 in the above tag was the 24,820 Cutlass hardtop coupe built in
Lansing for the model year 1965. The above Fremont 442 was the 4,268 Cutlass
hardtop coupe made in Fremont for the year 1965. This number represents the body
style produced, not the 442 produced.
The data tag and build sheet below are from a 1965 442. The car was built at the
Fremont CA plant. The ACC code is 20936. This code shows up in the Manifest Seq.
Number box in the upper right hand corner of the buildsheet.
Below is an example of the very hard to find Fremont buildsheet
Fremont Assembly Plant, Fremont CA