<VV> Missing FC's HELP!!!!!

Fri Mar 3 05:56:31 EST 2017

Rick, Matt, Rod and all...
Thanks for bringing up this important and long overdue issue. Your sharp eye, Rick, couldn't have had better timing for taming those pesky FC numbers. Mike McGowan and I've been planning an article for the Communique this year on just this subject. It's one of four pieces I'm determined to do before year's end or whenever Mike and Harry retire. Which is when I'll bow out, thank you.

The FC production numbers by year and model -- as published in The Corvair Decade and everywhere else Corvair FC numbers have ever been printed -- go back to the early 1970s when all we had were car numbers. The FC figures were a huge gap in our knowledge. I'm the guilty party who requested them, plus the 62-63 Spyder RPO and 65-66 L87 turbo numbers, from Chevrolet. They've been reprinted a jillion times at least. We had no reason to question 'em, nor did anyone else.

In 1988 I came across the month-ending serial numbers for each plant. They were a revelation, but like you I caught the 1963 FC inconsistencies and wrote a memo to file that flagged them as a possible "breakthrough" in numbers research. But at the time there was nothing else to check the plant totals against, much less cross check the original numbers supplied by Chevy.

Eventually holy grail docs appeared, confirming that the Flint and St Louis totals were correct and just how faulty some of the original Chevy-supplied figures were. In my article I'll show how that was done and how the process also corrected the '63 model production numbers.

Your observation about the 13 FC anomaly in '61 is well taken and right on. But there's major goof besides that one. It'll surprise and probably dismay you, in that it's taken me so damn long to write about it. But maybe you'll all forgive this numbers weary old fart with failing eyesight and way too much historical trivia to ever have time to explore.

So....help has arrived. I'll fix it. But everyone has to get on board and spread the new figures. Rick, your questioning the old figures now should help validate the new numbers. I've been worried that some folks might not easily embrace the corrections. We'll need to spread the word so that whenever anyone edits or reprints what they've previously published (with the old numbers) they can fix it. It should be "official" CORSA policy, pointed out on the web site, but I know that's expecting too much.

Here's to all of us who care about numerical accuracy. And truth in general. Somebody's gotta get it right, 'eh? :-)

Dave Newell
History Editor, CORSA Communique    

--------------------------------------------
On Thu, 3/2/17, Rod Murray <rmurray at pittsburghpenguins.com> wrote:

 Subject: RE: <VV> Missing FC's     HELP!!!!!
 To: "ral1963 at comcast.net" <ral1963 at comcast.net>, "spilatrs at marietta.edu" <spilatrs at marietta.edu>, "chevrobilia at yahoo.com" <chevrobilia at yahoo.com>
 Cc: "Matt Nall" <patiomatt at aol.com>
 Date: Thursday, March 2, 2017, 9:41 AM

 Hey rick,

 Seems like Steve Spilatro and dave newell might be good
 sources to check in with.

 Good luck w/ the project...count me amongst those that
 appreciate thorough fact-finding and numerical accuracy.

 - rod

 Rod Murray
 Senior Director, Production and Game Presentation
 Pittsburgh Penguins
 rmurray at pittsburghpenguins.com
 Office: 412-255-1906 | Fax: 412-255-1980 | Mobile:
 412-719-3449
 PPG Paints Arena | 1001 Fifth Avenue | Pittsburgh, PA |
 15219
 -----Original Message-----
 From: VirtualVairs [mailto:virtualvairs-bounces at corvair.org]
 On Behalf Of Matt Nall via VirtualVairs
 Sent: Thursday, March 02, 2017 11:07 AM
 To: virtualvairs at corvair.org
 Subject: <VV> Missing FC's HELP!!!!!

 Rick Loving / Vair Historian  needs some help!!

 His email is

 Does anyone know the "oldest" published model numbers for
 Corvair Forward Control trucks (and where those totals came
 from?)?

 When you look at all the historical numbers for 1963 FC
 production there is a 3,141 variance between what has been
 reported historically...and I want to fix it!!!

 ...according to the Corvair Decade (not sure where Tony
 pulled them) and repeated across dozens of publications and
 websites...here is what FC Model breakdown for 1963 has been
 reported.

 1963 Corvan = 11,161 Units
 1963 Greenbriar = 13,761 Units
 1963 Rampside = 2,046 Units
 ___________________________
 1963 Total Model Breakdown = 26,968

 Here is the issue,
 According to GM documents, 1963 plant production at St Louis
 and Flint for Corvair FC's was as follows..

 1963 Flint = 15,211 (Last VIN built)
 1963 St Louis = 14,898 (Last VIN built)
 _______________________________________
 1963 Total VIN Production = 30,109

 So we have 3,141 Corvair FC's NOT accounted for in the Model
 breakdown?

 Since FC's don't really have a "Body number" listed on the
 Fisher Tag like cars...can anyone think of a way to
 accurately "correct" the production by model information?

 Was the original "model" numbers derived from a % built?

 Summary...

 1961 Model breakdown matches VIN totals exactly at 47,557
 1962 Model breakdown matches VIN totals close at 47,557
 model vs 14,570 by VIN (13 more reported by Model)

 1962 Model breakdown is off by 3,141...and needs to be
 revised...

 1964 Model breakdown matches VIN totals exactly at 15,199
 1965 Model breakdown matches VIN totals exactly at 1,528

 Thoughts?

 ral1963 at comcast.net

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