Though it's a purely journalistic exercise--and a dangerous one as there seems to be so much fuel vapor coming out of her tailpipe that trying to blow out a candle would likely blow up the neighborhood--I was wondering if there was a way to find my '89 Custom Cruiser's actual birthday.

Her registration is of no help because it's based on the title-holder's b-day, not the car's. VIN searches are by year which, naturally, I already know.

I found on the front door's "MFD BY" sticker the date "9/88". Is that as close as I can get? Ideally there's a massive tome somewhere (Arlington, TX, perhaps?) that says that VIN XXX hit post-inspection (end of the line) on X day.

[OK, "IDEALLY" it'd be online, but this is 1980s GM, so it could be in Sanskrit on papyrus if it exists at all...]

I'm not the only one who wants to know their car's birthday, am I? Really. None of you ever gave your car a "Happy Birthday" wax, oil change or the like? Well, you should.

Just remember this rule: Cake, no. Carnauba, yes. Boy, if you think it's hard getting wax out of your car's nooks and crannies just imagine what it'd be like with FROSTING instead...

 

In all my years of playing with old cars or even cars in general, I have never given it a pet name, and outside of differences within a build year when it comes to parts, never really considered the actual day it was born.

 

I suppose the birthday should be the day the completed car rolled off the production line, probably impossible to determine by now.

The various components were all made in batches at various dates, the only certainty there is they all predate the car coming off the line.

What about dealer installed options?, if you want the date the car from when it was finally ready for sale you might be able to trace that part of its history more easily.

But unlike a human baby, or a puppy or let's throw in a killer whale calf or a wildebeeste, the car didn't grow organically within the factory.
We all love our cars but they are man made assemblies of parts, maybe giving your car a birthday is a bit too anthropomorphic.
I have never owned a brand new car so I guess all my cars count as adopted.

Roger.

 

There is probably a website for Olds historical records where you pay $50 or so and they send you the original invoice for the car which should tell you the date. You can narrow it down to a week by looking at an alpha numeric code on the cowl tag, this will get you close. In my '70 El Camino it said on the build sheet, "sched no 11-25" I believe; November 25, 1969. The engine code on the block was from a week before the car was assembled. The door sticker was predated to the next month. My Caprice coupe came with some paperwork and I ordered the invoice as well putting it at September 18, 1986. It is interesting to know the exact day, I agree, just sort of fun to imagine it rolling off the line that very day.
My poor El Camino was so rusty and beat I often felt bad for it so I always did something when the day would roll around. Not only that but the car actually sat on the lot for six months after it was built I found. One time my family surprised me putting streamers up in the garage and sign for it lol. When my Caprice turned 20 in washable paint it was written on the back window "Happy 20th Caprice 1986-2006". Silly but fun things you can do if you're into your car too much!

 

Good one. I learned a new word today. I gotta use it at least 5 times today so it will stick. lol

Anywho..... I agree with you on this.