Reading Vehicle ID Numbers

[Larry]

Well, I've got some good news... and some bad news (actually not "bad", but certainly different).
I was stumped with your numbers in reference to a 1949 Pontiac. It didn't match anything I had. Then I looked at 1950, and bingo, the numbers fel into place.
If your soon-to-buy Pontiac is a 1950, then as you suspect, the "C" is for Southgate, CA as manufacture plant, the "8" is for 8-cylinder engine, but the "T" is for 1950 ("R" was for 1949), and the "H" is for Hydramatic (there was no "H" for 1949 listings).
I'm confused on the body number you show. Check the "Pontiac Style Numbers" we show to the left under "Pontiac Information" for the body numbers you should have.
Check in the "Technical Article Archive" to se if paint codes are shown for your year ('49 or '50).
Let us know how this works out for you.

[peterwillcock]

Thanks for the info. The body style number shoes 2569D which tells me it's a 4 door sedan deluxe (which i guess i could've known from looking at the car!); it's the "Body Number" shown on the engine tag that is intruiging me. Like I said, it shows BC-180, Trim 70 and Paint 10.

Also, am I correct in assuming the 1404 after the "C8TH" on the Body Tag is the production number?

I was also trying to find info on the total production numbers for that year of that style; 1950 Chieftain 4 Door Deluxe.

Sorry for the endless questions, I'm just very excited at this first investment and want to find out as much as I can about it.

Thanks again

Peter

[50scars]

C is Southgate Cal. 8 is 8 cylinder, T is 1950, H is hydramatic transmission.

[50scars]

They didn't count body styles, just engine and transmission combinations.

[Larry]

Unfortunately Pontiac didn't keep records of model production numbers very well. The best we can say is that there were 330,887 27-Models made (that being 8-cylinder Chieftains and Streamliners). From that we know that 67,699 had standard transmissions and 263,188 had Hydramatics. As additional information, production started November 10, 1949 and ended November 17, 1950.

The production number is quite a surprise. If the 1,404 is correct, then you have quite an early production car.
The C8TH production series is as follows: C8TH1,001--29,630. That is how many 8-cylinder, Hydramatic Pontiacs were built at the California plant. Seeing as they all started at "1,000", the total from that plant would have been 28,630. That means that yours would be the 404th built at the CA plant that year, quite a low number for sure.

The "engine tag" has me bewildered. Perhaps a 1950 Shop Manual or Owners Manual would show what those numbers are in reference to. The "trim" and "paint" were always coded in some way, but that "body" number...??

Keep us posted as you learn more and share photos if you buy this car.

[50scars]

Trim 70 is the gray stripped cloth interior, which is the non-deluxe interior--71 is the deluxe dark gray body cloth, and dark and light gray side panels.

10 is for solid color Birkshire green, sort of a dark green metalic.

The body number on that tag is an internal thing used by Fisher Body to bill PMD for the body. They were actually seperate corporations. I have never seen or heard of any records being released about that number.

[Larry]

"50scars" is a wealth of good information on these cars (our PontiacRegistry.com 1949-'52 Technical Advisor). Keep his number handy as you proceed on this new adventure.