I'll start with the Alamo Beige April Hardtop first. Black Wheels. Originally sold to a Dealer in the Omaha, Neb. Zone, 054 not identified at the Ultimate GTO site, any idea who the Dealer was?
I assume you can figure some of the info out. I'll hit the interesting codes. This GTO is pretty lightly optioned.
Trim Code C, Lemans Bucket Seat Interior, Saddle Color.
306 is base GTO trans 3 spd Manual box with Floor Shifter. The Trans Code RG confirms as the Manifest Code for the 3 spd box. Also, the Ident-O-Plate imprint (from the original factory warranty plate that was put in the Warranty Booklet that shipped in the glove box) shows the Engine Code as 78X. A Wide Ratio Muncie 4 spd car would be shown as 78XW (or 78X9 if equipped with 3.90 axle ratio). The Group 2 Code L on the Data Plate indicates that Fisher Body cut the Floor Pan to accommodate the Manual Trans Floor Shifter, same hole for the 3 spd & 4 spd floor shifter, same code (this code not used at the Pontiac Plant because the floor pan cutouts were made on the Final Assembly side of the operation there).
31D is base GTO 4 bbl 389. The Engine Code 78 confirms as the Manifest Code for a 4 bbl 389 (Manual Trans in this case) as well as the aforementioned Ident-O-Plate imprint.
321 identifies the Safe-T-Track limited slip differential. No code in Box 33 indicates the car was equipped with the standard release axle ratio preference for this combination (in other words, the Dealer Order did not specify a special order axle ratio). The Rear Axle Code 3K confirms as the Manifest Code for the Safe-T-Track with 3.23 standard release axle ratio. The earlier KC cars used a slightly different Axle Coding as you can see on the January car (K1 is the early year code for the 3.23 Safe-T-Track).
350/367 is the Tire Option, 07 identifies the 7.50x14 Red Lines that were used on some '64 GTOs. The 7.50x14 White Walls were a no cost substitute and a lot of '64 GTOs left the factories with White Walls. The Tire Manifest Code for the Red Lines is FR.
392 is believed to identify the Sales Code 452 Tachometer. I have not determined this with a high degree of certainty. Does this car have a factory Tach?
461 is Sales Code 532 Tinted Glass - Windshield Only. This is confirmed by the Group 1 Code W identified on the Data Plate.
482 is Sales Code 521 Custom Wheel Discs (the "spinner" style discs).
50A you correctly surmised is the Sales Code 524 Custom Sports Steering Wheel. You are also correct, the Deluxe Steering Wheel was standard content on the Lemans & Tempest Custom so never would be listed as an option for them.
517 is the Sales Code 414 Seat Belt Deletion option. Early year, the Front Seat Belts (2 outboard front seat positions only) were strictly an extra cost option (Sales Code 411) and were almost never ordered. More commonly, the Sales Code 624 Custom Seat Belts w/ Retractors were ordered. After Dec., GM announced that they were making the 2 Front Seat Belt sets standard content in all GM passenger cars. The optional Sales Code 411 went away, the car Base Prices were raised $11, the Sales Code 624 option was reduced in price to account for the inclusion of the base belts, and a new option was offered, the Seat Belt Deletion at an option credit of $11 for those that stubbornly refused to pay for an option they didn't want. Your car was so ordered. The Group 5 Code O on the Data Plate identifies the deletion, the Fisher Trim Code used at KC to indicate that the now standard Front Pair Seat Belts should be omitted on this Body Assembly.
That's it, all the other Manifest Codes are routine codes for the base content equipment in a GTO. The Spring Codes SR/PN were common to all GTOs unless you had A/C, specific Front Springs were used with A/C applications. Shock Code WY is standard too, optional HD Shocks were available but not ordered for this car.
The Ident-O-Plate imprint is especially useful if you want to check for an original Block.
The first no. is the Motor Unit No. Unfortunately, it isn't legible on your PHS. For a mid April build it should be real close 397628 and probably has a Block cast date around C204. If it is the original Block, I'd be curious to know the actual MUN and cast date.
Following the MUN is "78X" already mentioned, then 2237 RR 216 2721. The Body No. 2721 means yours was the 2,721st Lemans Hardtop Body Assembly produced by Fisher Body-Kansas City. The availability of the Lemans Hardtop Body Style was announced shortly after the '64 Models went on sale and it quickly became very popular vs. the Style 2227 Lemans 2 dr. Sports Coupe.
The 2nd Line reads 824M16029 D16 Q (Q is my way of writing the old Pontiac Indian Head Symbol that it really is). D16 is the code for April 16 to match the "Broadcast Date" indicated on the Form. It is not real clear what date this corresponds to, possibly the date that the Body Assembly production began in the Fisher Body side of the operation. Final Assembly may have occurred a few days later, no way to really know.
The Starlight Black GTO is very similar to the 1st one, I won't repeat where they are identical. Sold to a Dealer in the same Omaha Zone, 027 Dealer Code also not identified.
Trim Code E, Lemans Bucket Seat Interior, Black Color.
This car did not get a Wheel Disc option, it was equipped with the standard content Hub Caps (so-called "dog dish" or "poverty caps"). Consequently, it would have been coded for a "coordinating" wheel color, the 3rd letter in the Paint Color code. All cars with full wheel disc option got Black Wheels, code A. Since your car is Starlight Black, the "coordinating" wheel color is also Black, code A.
303 is the 4 spd Manual box with Floor Shifter. The Trans Code RB was the early year code for the 4 spd (exc. with 3.90 Axle), later gave way to the Code WY, not sure exactly why, possibly when the new '65 Trans p/n came into use. Ordinarily the Ident-O-Plate would have shown the Engine Code as 78XW. Yours omits the Primary & Secondary Trans Codes. The Block itself certainly was stamped 78X at the Engine Assembly in Pontiac, most likely KC added the W at Final Assembly like they were supposed to when the car was equipped with the 4 Speed and 3.23 axle ratio. The guy who produced the Ident-O-Plate simply failed to add these codes, I have seen similar omissions on other KC & Baltimore Ident-O-Plate imprints. The Data Plate should show the Group 2, Code L same as the other one.
350/366 shows that this car was built with the 7.50x14 White Wall Tire GTO over-ride option. Tire Code FY was used for this tire on early GTOs, later on Tire Code FZ was used. I don't know the reason for this change. There is the remote possibility that the FY code indicated the White Walls mounted on 5" wide wheels as this was an optional tire for other A bodies and the FY code appears on non-GTO builds. The GTO was supposed to get 6" wide wheels, possibly this was corrected with the introduction of the Code FZ later on. If you have the original wheels, I would be curious to know what they measure.
44C is Sales Code 392 for the Pushbutton Tune AM Radio with Front Fender Mounted Manual Antenna.
452 is Sales Code 421 for the Windshield Washer with Dual Speed Wipers.
477 was used to identify a few different options as best I have been able to decipher. I am interested in learning which of these were found in this car. Instrument Panel Pad (Sales Code 424), Electric Clock (Sales Code 604), and Glove Box Lamp (Sales Code 482). None of these are certain, very difficult to break the codes in this Box.
56Q is another code that I haven't broken (have seen it once before). To the best of my knowledge, many of the Lamp Options were coded by letter code in Box 56 and the various combinations of Lamp Options were given letter codes as well. Some of the Lamp Options that may have been coded in Box 56 include the Luggage Lamp (Sales Code 481), Ash Tray & Lighter Lamp (Sales Code 492), Courtesy Lamp (Sales Code 491), Parking Brake Lamp (Sales Code 494), and Underhood Lamp (Sales Code 404). The combination of Luggage Lamp & Underhood Lamp was apparently coded as 56P. I'm curious to learn which of these Lamp options are on this car.
62A is Sales Code 601 for the Floor Console. Should be Group 2, Code G on the Data Plate.
The Radiator Code 57 identified the standard 2" Core Rad but with the Oil Cooler for Auto Trans applications. The Code 50 was same 2" Core Rad but without the Oil Cooler so used for Man Trans Aps only. The Auto Trans Rad was used for many Man Trans Aps, the cooler fittings simply plugged.
Spring Codes ZZ/ZH were simply early year Spring Codes. I don't believe they were different in any respect to the SR/PN Springs, just a different Manifest coding used early year.
Ident-O-Plate coding is similar to the other one, MUN looks like it might be 169763 or thereabouts which would have had a Block cast date around L53 (Dec. 5, '63). Again, I'd be very interested to learn the actual MUN and Block cast date if it still has the original Block.
The reason PHS thought this car was built with the Verbra-Phonic Rear Seat Speaker option was because of the KC Code 477. In Pontiac-speak, this would have meant a combination of Sales Code 471 (Back-up Lamps), Sales Code 472 (Dual Horns), and Sales Code 474 (Verbra-Phonic Rear Seat Speaker). Your car did get Dual Horns but not as an option, they were standard content in the Tempest Custom & Lemans.
And your car did not get the Verbra-Phonic Rear Seat Speaker or the Back-up Lamps (consequently, there is no Group 2, Code P on your Data Plate, right?).
They would have also told you that code 452 meant this car had a Tach instead of the Washer & 2 spd Wipers that code 452 really identifies on a '64 KC document.
I would like to know what Accessory codes are on the Data Plate for the Black GTO. I'm guessing 2LG 5N but wondering if any others show up.
If I missed anything or you want more detail, let me know. I have submittted a pretty thorough decode document to POCI and was told they would plan to publish it by June.
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