oldspackrat

Just bought this a few days ago, a '72 U code supreme with several nice options. Overall the car is pretty untouched, except for a amateur primer job. It does have some rust, but not terrible. AC, buckets, console, rally pack, cruise, rear defog, power windows, AM-FM stereo, 8 track, disc brakes, & sport wheel. No posi or rear sway bar though. The guy I bought it from & I got it running, albeit a bit rough, but it has sat for several years. Would love to drive it as, or keep it for a full restoration, but who knows......

Asking for help decoding the tag I found under the rear seat.
Thanks.

GAOldsman

Scott I have to run to town for a bit, and if no one has chimed in by the time I get back I'll see if I can help out with this rare bird

WTony

A lot of nice parts there! Too nice to cannibalize though!

Allan R

Hi Scott! Nice looking car (well it will be soon enough)

First of all this is one of the broadcast cards for your car. It is not the build sheet. Broadcast cards were left in the car by workers at the Fisher Body Works when the basic car was welded together and the Fisher options installed. This would happen BEFORE it got to the Assembly plant. The assembly plant would use a full size (8 1/2X 11) sheet that had over 100 boxes on it detailing what the assembly line was responsible for. Where was your car produced? Judging from the body number and production date, I'm guessing Lansing.

Your decode is like this:

SEQ - Sequence for assembly at Fisher
MO - Straight forward
DAY - Straight forward

Style 34257 - Cutlass Supreme coupe
A01 - Tinted glass all windows
Body - 273263 Fisher assigned number for the body (unique on every car) This will also appear on the cowl tag.
973 - Trim code - Blue Strato Bucket seats
24/24 - Upper/lower paint code 'Nordic Blue'
A51 - Strato bucket seats
A31 - Power windows
AK1 - Deluxe Seat belts
C60 - Air conditioning
C49 - Rear Defog (yours is the more elusive electric defog on glass)
U57 - Stereo Tape Player
U58 - Stereophonic AM/FM radio

Nicely equipped car!

1969w3155

I bet that it was one sweet car when new.

Allan R

Ditto!

There would be other items shown on the build sheet that weren't on the broadcast card. At a glance that would include: Sport mirrors, console, rallye pac, SSIII wheels, sport steering wheel, cruise control, fan shroud, HD cooling - note 4 core rad, 63 amp alt, and that all important 455 L75 engine. Very few 72 Cutlass models had a 455.

GAOldsman

Allan you are a pro brother

That car is very similar to mine as far as interior This is 1 of about 3,100, out of 105,000 + Cutlass Supreme hardtop coupes built with a 455 in '72. So that's less than 3% of the Cutlass Supreme production as a whole, with way less than that survived. This one should be saved.

Scott you say you found he broadcast card under the seat? Which one?

oldspackrat

The rear seat.

GAOldsman

Darn, I've looked there. Next is front seats and carpet *If* there is one in my car that is.

vette442

Your two-page window sticker and original owner history trump a broadcast card any day....

vette442

What a great color combination and set of options..... Neat car.
Terry

GAOldsman

Yeah your right Terry, but you know "That one more piece of documentation" would be a way cool addition to my binder I love the (code 973 or 33 on other documentation) blue interior and the Nordic Blue combo!

Congrats on the score(s) Scott!

GAOldsman

More than likely a customer ordered car with all these options. Such as the big block, HD cooling, floor shift & console, 8-track, A/C, the $233 Stereophonic AM/FM radio and paint with no vinyl top. Also the rear speaker was included with U57 and/or U58.

oldspackrat

I had a question about the paint code. It shows 24 24 but there are remnants of vinyl top material sticking out the side of the windshield trim? I don't think a previous owner added the vinyl top, but I guess it is possible. I thought a vinyl top or convertible top was indicated by a letter right?

Allan R

Scott, yes both vinyl and vert top were indicated by letters. Judging from the condition of the roof and paint there I seriously doubt it ever had a vinyl top. Plus there would have to be extra trim added to the sail panel and deck extension.

Are you sure that's not just some dried out butyl material from a windshield change? If the trim clip is loose there (or missing when you get to closer inspection) the PO might have tried jamming some material in there to tighten the fit? Bad solution though as it would tend to retain moisture and cause rust.

orange442

Yes, it would have a letter if it was originally ordered with one. I have a 70 442 that had most of what looked to be the original vinyl top and trim but is coded on the cowl tag to be one solid color. I have worked in an assembly plant and there were always order changes at different times during a given build. I think if the order change for a vinyl top came in after the cowl tag was installed, then it would not show up on the cowl tag because they would not have even thought about it. I believe this is what happened with my car and probably yours as well. Also, I am sure they were also dealer installed to look like a factory install using all correct parts.

1969w3155

But, as Allan pointed out, there is no trim to indicate a vinyl top, unless that trim at the rear was removed, then there might be areas in the body where the clips may have been attached.

orange442

when I bought my W-31 I was given a broadcast card and an 'Oldsmobile Production Code "B" 1970 Model' sheet which is basically a build sheet. I was told one came from one of the seats(bench) and one out of the headliner but not sure which piece came from which location. I figured this is a good as it will get with the POP as well as some other glove box paperwork and manuals. It had carpet but was 3 piece so not correct or original so one day I pulled the front seat and pulled the carpet and there was the original rubber floor mat! That was a cool find but then when I lifted the rubber floor mat there sat another broadcast card right next to the seatbelt retractor, again with W-31 in box 3 and it had "Rubber" hand written right across it! I thought it was great to find another piece of original documentation for the car regardless of what I already had! I also found a broadcast card in this same location on a 1969 Cutlass also built in Lansing. I hope to find more paperwork when I start disassembly for resto.

Allan R

Interesting thought Dan. But I doubt that the dealer would have welded the clip posts onto the car. More likely they would measure and drill/rivet the plastic trim clips in place. That would leave some holes. I'm still more inclined to think this car never had vinyl because the roof is in better shape and you can see more blue paint with no glue remaining.

Scot brings up an interesting observation about this being a customer ordered car. Any chance we can get a clear picture of the cowl tag?

72 w29 all green

... and don't be shocked if your car has 2.73 gears too. Aside from that, this sure is a heavily-optioned car and i think warrants a restoration.

Also i saw several posts mention heavy-duty cooling and 63 amp alternator. If we're talking about the Y72 heavy duty cooling and generator package, then i'm thinking this car did NOT have it. One clue: the washer jug is mounted on the passenger side along with the factory hose clips on the inner fender well and firewall. In '72, 455 A-body cars with Y72 option had washer jug mounted on driver's side; if no Y72 then jug went on passenger side.

mmurphy77

My car also has the C49 Electric rear glass defogger and according to my assembly manual this option REQUIRED the 63 Amp alternator. I guess it's possible to have the HD charging and not the HD cooling which would explain the location of the washer jar on the passenger side (???).

Allan R

Well if you look at the rad top plate, that's definitely for a 4 row core radiator. Far as I know that would be part of HD cooling.

redoldsman

Another possibility on the vinyl top is that it was dealer installed. Back in the day vinyl tops and pin stripping was very popular dealer add on's. Just a thought.

72 w29 all green

Heavy duty radiator is also part of C60 = A/C.

DarrylJ

My 71 Supreme is the same color combo! Now I just have to get it painted.

sammy

VC Scott!.....

Ted

oldspackrat

Here is a close up of the cowl tag. There has been a slight change of plans, I was only a couple hours from picking up the car & the owner got cold feet & doesn't want to sell now. He was looking at a convertible & the owner flaked out or something & he doesn't want to be without a car. So I have located a '71 Supreme convertible that I may buy & trade to him for this car.
From the short visit I had with the car, it looks to be factory installed vinyl top & I don't remember if it had the trim clips on the quarter panel or not. Some of the trim had been removed & was laying in the trunk. If/when I get it, I'll get more pix & info.

http://i856.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps19c99ae0.jpg

Allan R

Nothing on the cowl tag suggests it was a customer ordered or special order car. Maybe the dealer just submitted a request for inventory to include some U code high option cars for their demographics.

Make sure he's willing to trade the 71 vert before you buy it. Look forward to the additional pics.

GAOldsman

Allan the cowl tag is exactly like mine except for the paint code dashes of course. The Lansing plant didn't include the extra digits like Linden, Arlington & Fremont.

oldspackrat

After a slight detour, I do finally have possession of the car. When I was about to go pick it up several days ago, the owner called & said he got cold feet & didn't want to sell now. He was trying to buy another cutlass, a convertible & that owner disappeared. The coupe owner didn't want to be without a car. I made a couple calls & found another convertible that he was interested in & therefore he would sell the coupe to me. Yeah!

Once I got it home, I crawled all over it & took some pix. I found 3 broadcast cards, one in the bottom of the back seat, one on the passenger side under the carpet, & one in the back of the drivers bucket seat.












Looking at the car a little further, I found that the lower heat vent is the non console version, not the console version?? This car has the console & 8 track. Maybe a mix up at the factory?


Looking at the odometer, it shows 44,xxx miles. A quick glance at the brake pedal tells me that could be possible it has not turned over. Once I looked at the engine, I discovered that the plug wires are the original date coded ones! I don't believe original plug wires could/would last that long, so I have to conclude that the odometer is correct, agree? Also the heater hoses are original.










A few other things I noticed & am curious about, the rocker panel moldings are gone & of course I've sold all my nice ones. . But I see some extra small holes near the attaching clips? I've seen these on another '72 & wondered about them. Can anyone offer info?
Also, it looks to have had a vinyl top but the studs for the trim pieces are gone/removed? With the codes on the cowl tag, it indicates it was not supposed to have a vinyl top, but from the evidence I see, it did.










I see an extra relay? on the firewall & some extra wiring. Is this for the electric rear defog option? I've never seen a complete set up & that is my guess as to what it is? It looks like it is attached to the high speed blower relay near the brake booster & also to the voltage regulator.

GAOldsman

Awesome I am drooling over the broadcast cards I believe you are right about the extra relay being for the electric rear defogger.

sammy

Drool......

Allan R

It is the RDOG relay. It also has a jumper to the AC high speed relay. The harness runs back through the firewall grommet to the dash switch, and from the dash switch it's a purple wire that runs with the main wiring harness to the back of the car. In the trunk you will see 2 thick wire protectors that link up to the braided contact wires for the glass. The one on the drivers side is the purple power feed, the other (passenger side) is the ground.

This option required a minimum of 55 amp alternator, but with all the other options and AC on your car, a 63 amp alt would be mandatory.

That pic of the lower dash vent does NOT look factory. To me it appears as if someone cut into the lower plenum and added that for extra lower cooling. The factory would not install a change like this - in fact they would not have time to do a custom mod on the assembly line.

That's the first broadcast card I've seen that is stamped 'BUCKET'. I'm saving that for my personal pics file. Thanks, eh?

Date coded Packard wires are available for around 100.00/set. Check the resistance on those and see if they're still good!

You're right that it looks like someone added a vinyl roof, but the broadcast card or cowl tag won't lie about it's heritage. Someone, somewhere modified the car to vinyl. Possibly they drilled the holes for the clips and another owner may have removed the vinyl and welded them back up?? IDK, your guess is better than ours since you know more about the car...

Those holes by the rocker molding are a mystery. In 72 either there was a rocker molding or nothing so there should be only the holes for the rocker disc. Is this on both sides or just one?

oldspackrat

Allan,
Thanks for the info. on the rear defog. I suspected you would know! No charge for the "bucket" picture.

I checked this car & two other '72s & they all have two extra small holes real close to the two front holes on the rocker on both sides of the car. Including these 3 cars, I know of at least one other '72 that has these holes, so I'd think maybe they all have them?? Anyone else with '72's want to chime in?

ResizedImage_1375815280491_zps2bfcdb74.jpg

ResizedImage_1375815295097_zps907162c2.jpg

jensenracing77

Great find!

BackInTheGame

I'm not sure about this specific application, but when I worked in a body shop I saw clips with holes nearby similar to these. The holes were used as anchor points for "spring" clips that kept tension on the molding in order to anchor it to the body better. The "spring" would anchor in the hole, then be placed against/around the circular clip for added tension. The other end of the "spring" would go into a slot or hole in the back side of the molding.

DennisG.

Am I the only one who wants to see more pics of this car ? 72 Supremes are my 2nd favorite after my 73. I've had quite a few and would love to see this one get restored.

sammy

X2...MORE PICS Scott......please

oldspackrat

More pix for those interested. It looks like both doors are pretty rough. I have been saving one set of nice doors, maybe this car is why. The fenders are pretty nice as is the hood. Trunk lid is junk & it will need some quarter & trunk work for certain. I have several parts cars & I'm sure I can cut some patches for some areas, but not all. I also have some other options I'd like the car to have such as power trunk, courtesy light package, posi, & maybe a power seat. Also, it needs boxed rear control arms & a anti sway bar. Weird it wasn't ordered with the FE2 handling option right???

I don't really have room for another nice car, but we'll see what happens.
I'll get more pix later.