Topic: Convertible Top Marking

[trucktricksdon]

Just thought I'd share this photo of a marking I found while removing the convertible top on my 66 Dearborn car.

[rodster]

Cool! 

[CharlesTurner]

Did you find '620' anywhere else on the car?  Like the front of the lower front cross-member?

[trucktricksdon]

I did not, but it was incredibly rusty. I have some pictures of the crossmember prior to sandblasting, so maybe I'll revisit them. What would the 620 marking  mean?

[Skyway65]

Charles-- Here is a similar shot for my Jan '65 Dearborn car.  The "1911 " does not appear anywhere else on the car. At least not that I've seen. 

[CharlesTurner]

I'm guessing the first 3 numbers are a rotation number and the last is a line number.

[CharlesTurner]

Look on the lower front cross-member, there is a 3 digit rotation number usually found on Dearborn (and Metuchen) cars there:

[Skyway65]

ROT is "808." So when a top was assigned to a certain car the number must have been somewhere besides the top pad. 

[Ivygreen65]

I thought the convertible top would have been installed onto the chassis as a complete assembly on the line.  Do we know if the top assembly was constructed at the assembly plant or by a subcontractor off site and then shipped to the assembly plant?

If completed convertible top assemblies were sitting on the line awaiting installation, the pads would not have been visible and a rotation number wouldn't be applicable.  Not trying to refute or be argumentative, because I don't know the specifics of the process.  I'm just curious as to what the top installation process was. 

[J_Speegle]

ROT is "808." So when a top was assigned to a certain car the number must have been somewhere besides the top pad. 

Think Charles was just checking a possibility. Apparently the number is for something else - possibly from where they assembled or made the top rather than the assembly line

Since my understanding was that the tops were installed during the "half way" point of the assembly process (in the time the body was between the body and trim and the final assembly lines) there might not have a second rotation number assigned at that point. Just a thought

[trucktricksdon]

I looked over the pictures that I took prior to sandblasting and there are not any numbers on the front crossmember that I can see. Attached are the best pics I have, if anyone sees something that i do not, please speak up. Lots of overspray from a bogus paint job years ago, but the area where the numbers should be looks void of any writing.

[Oz390]

Believe the frame and tops were assembled in Utica and shipped complete the to the factory for installation.