so I have car 309 trans tag oh69 1259 have read that if you take 1000 off the number that is the build number? dont see avlot of rhyme or reason on the registry

 

If you mean Demmer #309, that number was assigned as part of a batch after a certain number of reply cards were mailed back so their owners could get the dash plaque. Has nothing to do with assembly line build number.

Also, they didn't go straight from the line into Demmer's facility--they were parked in adjacent lot the lot and driven in randomly. It wasn't a sequential process.

 

309 is the registry number, cant remember the web page . I just was wondering how that all plays in.

 

The transmissions were unique to the Hurst/Olds and the tranny numbers started at 1001. The number would get you close to the assembly line number. But even those weren't necessarily have to be sequential. It was very plausible to have 1002 go ahead of 1001. What really mattered was the VIN. That was the sequential Oldsmobile number, even though there was no official numbering. It's not like they allotted a certain block of VINs to the H/O. VIN 386 could be an H/O, and 387 right behind it could have been a Cutlass S. 25 VINs later, another H/O could likely have been built, and so forth.

To make it more chaotic, in the Demmer facility, they parked them anywhere and everywhere, and when they got keys to a car that fit, they pulled that one in next and processed that. The assigned number was a sequential number of the page on the processing pad and had absolutely NOTHING to do with VIN or transmission number sequencing. That was about as close to an actual conversion number as one was going to get though, from Hurst. That is where your "309" number likely comes in unless you're talking about the actual Hurst registration number- see below.

And making it even MORE confusing-- lost yet?-- the dash plaques when "registering" your car with Hurst was sequential, but only in the order that the registrations were received. Again, having nothing to do with the VIN sequence, tranny sequence, or Demmer sequence.

You have to remember, back then it was about selling LOTS of cars, and numbering them for posterity wasn't a priority.

 

So its not just me

 

Well put by 69HO43.....

I'll also add, which you've probably figured out, not all cars got dash plaques because if you didn't send your Hurst registration reply in, you didn't get one. I've seen numbers well into the 400's on dash plaques, so at least half the owners sent them in, maybe more.

 

mine does not have the dash plaque

 

mine was not sent for either I Have the card that was never sent. The more I look at the registy the more I see all car's numbers are all over the board . I have to email rob and give him my tag info .

 

While each model of transmission started its serial numbers at 1001, I have heard of transmissions with 3-digit serial numbers. I don't know if they forgot to stamp one digit or what.

The same thing happened with transmissions back at Olds final assembly. Sure, in a broad sense a low serial number trans was likely to be used before a high serial number trans. But there was no attempt to use them in sequence. I've gathered a small amount of data on W-30 trans serial numbers, and they're all over the map as compared to car build dates.

 

Never saw a 69 H/O with a 3 digit trans code. I have heard of 69 H/Os with carb numbers of 29251 without the "70" in front of them.

I do have a pencil rubbing of the original OH-69-1922 trans tag somewhere with an old pic of it. Kind of a rustbucket, but it seemed to be all there. Lives somewhere in Washington state. Go figure they must have had more than 904/912 (depending on who you believe) planned.