jensenracing77

This was started on costpenn's W-30 thread and didn't want to hijack his thread.

I understand that there is no factory documentation to what this Z is for but just wanted to see if a couple people could post the interior and exterior color of there Z code cars. My dad and I were talking to a guy that was working for Oldsmobile. This was in the late 80's. We ask him what that Z was for. He had told us that it should be found on cars that had an interior color that was special ordered that would not typically go with the exterior color. The reason we asked him is because we had a car with the Z. When he told us that we assumed it was true because our car with the Z was sebring yellow with light blue stripes and blue interior. I talked to my dad today to see if we could remember who it was that told us that. I thought it was a Don Yeager but he didn't think that was the guy and can't remember.

For several years i thought this was true because of how this all took place but now I don't tend to believe much till it can be proven for sure. Just to see, it may be interesting if some of you with a Z could post your color combos.

GAOldsman

Interesting. Is there a pic of the cowl tag available to view?

jensenracing77

I don't have a picture of the cowl from the car we had. Ours had the - - code for the paint and i can't remember the code for blue buckets but that waas the interior code.

wmachine

There is a least one previous thread on CO about this.

Allan R

Interior trim blue code colors for the 70 442s were:
903 (3277 model)
943 (3677/3687 A52 equipped)
933 (3677/3687 A51 equipped)

EDIT: Image and question removed. Kurt - thanks I wasn't sure what that Z was being referred to. Do you know what thread that discussion was on?

Allan R

Just noticed - all those Ztrim tags are from Lansing. At first I had thought it might be related to Freemont.....

GAOldsman

Okay thanks for the reference pics.

The first one is a Sherwood Green Cutlass with green interior so that matches the factory recommended combo

The second one is a Matador Red 442 with black interior and that matches the factory recommended combo

And the third one is a Copper Cutlass with a brown vinyl top and gold interior that is not a factory recommended combo

Things that make you go hmmmmm

GAOldsman

Okay looking at the old thread from 2009, 344870M posted his broadcast card and it has the Z in the SPCL box for the trim.



Which should be special order or something different than the norm.

https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...code-help.html

72xw30

Just moved my post over here from that thread too........

Very interesting about the "Z" on the cowl tag so I checked my W cars........

Oct 69 built W30 - has the "Z"
Jan 70 built W31 - has the "Z"
Jun 70 built W30 - NO "Z"

The "Z" cars above were both delivered in Canada and both cars are column shift. Nothing else is the same between the two cars.

Out of the "Z" cars I have, both do not have deluxe belts and 1 has interior lighting (Y60option) and the other doesn't.

The Z cars I have....the W30 is Burnished Gold with White buckets and the W31 is Twilight Blue with a Blue bench (both column shift). I have the Canadian docs for these cars.

The car that does NOT have the Z is Azure Blue with Blue buckets and was NOT delivered to Canada.

Z maybe means.....delete something???

Happy Holidays!

Sam

oldspackrat

This is from a '70 Cutlass convertible. Maybe it can add to the info. pool?

halfmoontrail

No Headrests?

See: http://www.camaros.org/numbers.shtml#CowlTag
Field e - interior trim code
The first three digits of the trim ("TR") code are a unique (for each year) interior color and type code that indicate the color and standard or custom interior.
1967 tags also have a hyphenated suffix that indicate seat and headrest type:
Z - standard A50 Strato Bucket seats (no headrest)
Some sort of trim molding?
See: http://chevellestuff.net/tech/articl...gs/tt_1968.htm
On at least all 13227, 13427, and 13480 series trim tags to date, a 1-character ("Z") or 2-character ("XZ") code follows the trim number. The apparently has something to do with some sort exterior trim moldings but just what isn't known at this time.



My 70 W30 does not have a "Z", I'll check the other '70's I have when it stops raining.

Steve

72xw30

Both my "Z" cars have headrests; one has buckets the other has a bench.

Cheers,
Sam

wmachine

No, Steve, nothing to do with headrests. Headrests were standard equipment starting in mid-'69. The above Chebby "Z" reference was for 1968.
And note the all of the "additional" letters were to the right of the trim number, not to the left like the Z always is. Olds also used additional codes for the seat types in earlier years.

Keep the ideas coming!

jensenracing77

I am just glad to see what I was told has a definite answer. It has been stuck in my head for years. Does anyone know who this Don Yeager is? That is a name that has been stuck in my head for years also. I know he had something to do with Oldsmobile.

wmachine

So you want to find him and tell him that it took you a while, but you finally figured out he was fibbing to you?

His explanation doesn't even make sense. The interior and exterior color codes are on the tag. You need a third one to tell you they don't go together?

But let's run his answer up the flagpole while we're at it. Maybe the answer is close to what he was saying. The stripe color is not on the tag, so does it somehow have to do with the stripes?

72xw30

In relation to the stripes on my "Z" cars.....

The 70W30 with the "Z" has black stripes with Burnished Gold exterior and Pearl bucket interior.

The 70W31 with the "Z" has blue stripes with Twilight Blue exterior and Blue bench interior.(post car)

Sam

costpenn

Might be cool if we could get everyone who has a Z code to uniformly answer the following questions, for each car that they have, so as to look for a pattern. Besides the standard basic info, these are things I think that might cause some kind of interior trim equipment difference:

1) Year & Build Date
2) Assy Plant
3) Body Style (Hardtop/Post/ Conv)
4) Exterior Upper Color - (code)
5) Exterior Lower Color - (code)
6) Interior Color - (code)
7) Bench or Bucket?
8) Tinted Windows?
9) Seat Belt Standard Or Deluxe?
10) Transmission
11) Radio - AM or FM or Delete
12) Rear Speaker?
13) A/C, Heater or Delete?
14) Carpeting, or Base Mat?
15) Floor Mats?
16) Console?
17) Package Tray Material?
18) B85 Molding?


I'll put all the answers on a spreadsheet to help with the analysis if anyone wants to go to this trouble.

jensenracing77

My dad said he didn't think that was the guy that told us that. I know we were talking to him around that same area of time. It was real easy for me to believe it at the time because the person that told us had no clue what options our car had when he said it. (And I was in my mid teens and just getting excited about Oldsmobiles)

1970cs

I could be all wet here but it was mentioned that Z was on Canadian export, could this be for KM speedo and info that goes in the glove box labeled Candian export group 96Z49?

Pat

72xw30

Out of the 4 Canadian W documented cars I have only the 72 has the Z49 (mandatory Canadian base equip.modifications) option listed on the paperwork.

However, all 4 cars do have the Y68 (convenience group) listed on the documents.

Have a great night.
Cheers,

Sam

jensenracing77

The one we had was sold new in greencastle Indiana.

72xw30

Out of the 4 Canadian documented W cars I have ONLY the 72 has the Z49 listed on the Canadian paperwork.

The cars that have the "Z" on the cowl tag do NOT have the Z49 listed on the Canadian documents. All 4 cars have the MPH speedo.

Sam

Allan R

Pat, IIRC Canada didn't implement the km/hr speedo until around 1976 so it's not that. The info in the glove box (owners manual, warranty card, protecto plate etc was part of the Z49 Mandatory Canadian Base Equipment Modifications). Even my 72 Cutlass S came with the Z49 package, but doesn't have Z trim codes. My Dad bought a 76 Malibu Classic that year and it was the first time we'd seen the 'dual' range speedos. BTW up here the km/hr is the larger of the numbers whereas in the US it's the smaller (blue) ones.

wmachine

This goes to show that it has nothing to do with W-cars. Might be on Delta 88s too, for all I know. Have not looked at too many Delta tags.

costpenn

It has to have something to do with something interior trim related. This has probably been discussed before, but is there a column shift connection?

WTony

Could it have something to do with the type of seat belts? Deluxe or standard? Since the 3 digit code is for the seats?

wmachine

Apparently a 1971 Lansing Cutlass Convertible with the Z.
https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...tml#post635916

wmachine

Though I think it *probably* is interior, I won't rule out that it is not. I'd say body related for sure. The Z is next to trim which points to the interior. But being on the left side of the trim number still leaves some wiggle room there. But I'd sure concentrate on the interior.

Summarizing, we now have this code showing up in non-W cars and also a '71.

Rocket North

My 70 W30 Canadian imported car has the TR Z930 identification(ie: black buckets, etc).

In my 40+ years of having/restoring Olds A bodies, I have seen cars with/without the Z but never thought much about it.

After speaking with Sam(72XW30) & thinking about the "Z" and that it precludes the interior trim number, I think it could possibly be the ID for
the plastic chrome bead that surrounds the dashpad. I have seen cars with/without this bead.

Anyone have a car without the Z and no dashpad bead?

Just my 2 cents.
Derek(Dick)

costpenn

Does anyone know if there is a "default" interior color for every exterior color? In other words, there are recommended interior colors based on exterior color, but is one always the standard unless another recommended color is chosen? Might the Z indicate another recommended color?

cutlassbeebe

Hi I have a z code 71 cutlass convertible. 1. 71 second week of may
2. Lansing
3. Conv
4 pnt code is 68 e
6. Tr z989
7.bench w armrest
8. No tinted windows
9.standard seat belts
10. 350 th
11. Dont know what radio it came with
12. N/a. Because its a conv.
13. Has a heater
14. Brown carpet
15. ?
16. No
17. No
18. No
I bought the car Last year in buffalo new york which is very close to the Canadian border. The only options it has is power steering and power drum brakes.

cutlassbeebe

My car has the chrome dash bead

Rocket North

Cutlassbeebe;

That's great - another Z with the chrome bead?
Maybe that's it.

Now do we have one with no Z or chrome bead?

This is fun for the "old grey matter", lols.

cutlassbeebe

What do u think is the percentage of cars with the chrome bead versus no chrome bead is? It seems to me that most came with the chrome bead.

ELY442

Z code is actually a vibrating driver side seat

Rocket North

I don't know the percentages & think we will never know how many the factory did.

We need to know about non Z code cars with no bead.

Also, believe there were two types of beads. Old type was glued in & newer type had plastic pins. As the original beads are 40+ years old, most have yellowed, broke, shrunk & a lot have fallen off. There maybe Z codes out there with no bead, but if there is glue residue or pin holes this indicates that there originally was a bead.

For info, these beads are repoped with pins.

cutlassbeebe

I think we will never know unless some documents appear from somewhere or a old retired fisher body employee gets into the discussion.

tomsw31

My Canadian documented 1970 W30 and W31 cars both have the the Z code. Focusing on the interior:the W31 does not have the chrome dash bead, has standard seat belts, black bucket and 4 speed console interior (common on -- Ralley Red cars), no sound insulation, standard AM radio, no rear defogger, no ralley pac, deluxe steering wheel. The W30 has the chrome dash bead, standard bucket seats auto console (gold interior common on bamboo cars) AM/Fm 8 track, rear defogger, no ralley pac, deluxe steering wheel, Heater , no AC same as all W31's. So what is common to both, deluxe wheel, no ralley pac, buckets and console, heater no AC. We know that buckets and console, heater no AC, were common on many Z coded and non Z coded cars. I know of serveral Ralley 350 Z coded cars, with Rally steering wheels and U21 gauges.
I have to come back to the observation that so many of these Lansing built Z coded cars were sold new in Canada. On the west coast of Canada in 1970, most non W Cutlass/ 442 sold new here were Freemont cars ( the other Z code .

Rocket North

Tom
On your Z Code W31 could the bead have fallen off or been removed?
Is there glue residue or pin holes on the dashpad where the bead is attached?

Thanks
Derek(Dick)

jensenracing77

My 70 W-30 does/did have the bead and no Z