trucker442

Ok guys i'm going out on a limb here. I have heard of people finding multiple peices of vin documentation in one car. Just thought i would post my vin # just in case someone may have a paper with my vin# 344870m290946 thanks. Any help would be awesome...

Allan R

Cool!
Here's what it means:

3 - Oldsmobile Division
44 - 442
87 - 2 door fastback (hardtop coupe)
0 - 1970 model year
M - produced at Lansing (as all 442s were)
290946 - production sequence number at Lansing

At a guess I would think that your car was prolly built sometime in May or June of 70 with a sequence number like that.

What's the info on your cowl tag? Can you post a pic of it?

rcorrigan5

I'll start this off with what I think you are seeking.

First, your car was built in Lansing so you probably won't find anything that looks like a build sheet. The build sheet has your VIN on it and essentially lists all the options that were on your car from the assembly plant.

Second, you might find what is called a "Broadcast Card" or "Broadcast Sheet". I'm not exactly sure what all was on this document (others will chime in on this) but it's possible you might find one behind a seat, door or side panel, under the rear seat, under the carpet or even behind the dash. This will give some detail of what was on your car from the assembly plant.

Third, there is the trim tag. It's located on the driver side of your cowl, just under the hood. There you will find info on interior color and front seat type, lower and upper body colors, and when and where your car was built.

Fourth, your engine block will have what is called a "VIN derivative" stamped into a raised pad on the forward left side, immediately below the letter ("E" if it's a 4-4-2, "F" if it's a W30) that is cast into the cylinder head. It's called the VIN derivative because it's not a complete VIN. For your car, the VIN derivative should be "30M290946". This pad is hard to read if you have power steering because a power steering bracket goes right over the top of the raised pad. If it's clean enough, you might be able to see it with a mirror and a flashlight. If it's covered with dirty oil, however, you will probably have to remove the bracket and clean the raised pad so you can see what it says.

Fifth, that same VIN derivative is stamped into your transmission. If you have the THM 400 tranny (automatic), the VIN derivative is stamped horizontally into the left side of the transmission housing, on a vertical surface just above the pan, between two ribs. If you have a manual transmission, the VIN derivative will be stamped vertically into the mid-left side of the housing.

Here's a breakdown of your VIN:

3 = GM division = Oldsmobile

44 = model series = 442

87 = body type = holiday coupe

0 = model year = 1970

M = assembly plant = Lansing MI

290946 = plant sequential number

The Lansing plant was known for its high level of quality control. Accordingly, things like build sheets (that are found on cars built at the Linden NJ, Framingham MA, and Fremont CA plants) aren't found on Lansing cars because they weren't supposed to be left there.

I have a pamphlet called "4-4-2 By The Numbers" that I got from Supercars Unlimited (www.supercarsunlimited.com; check out their on-line catalog). It's not that expensive and it provides a world of info on 4-4-2s from 1965 through 1972. As well, a 1970 Cutlass/4-4-2 assembly manual and a 1970 Olds chassis service manual will both also provide all kinds of helpful detail about your car.

If you post a picture or tell us what is on your trim tag, we'll be able to tell you a little more about what your car came with from the factory.

That's my best shot!

Randy C.

Allan R

Randy - that's your BEST shot??? Man I'd hate to see when you're just slacking... Nice write up BTW.

1969w3155

Not true, as they were built at other plants as well. (The W cars were Lansing only production).

Allan R

Sorry, Thanks Dan. As you can see that was a late night post.....