I searched and didn't find anything like so I thought I would post. I just bought an 1990 Camaro RS and was looking around under the dash on the passenger side. I saw an piece of paper sticking part way out just below the heater box. When i pulled the carpet back I found an large piece of paper attached to the carpet. It was attached with two pieces of plastic string like what is used to attach price tags to clothes. I cut both pieces and pulled the paper out and found what appears to be some sort of shipping doc for Collins & Aikman.

At the top it says Collins & Aikman Clinton Plant Skid Sequencing for Van Nuys. It has an skid number as well as 40 or so Sequence numbers. This would be the sequence number located on the metal plate on top of the radiator support. My Sequence number is listed and shows black carpet which matches what the car has. The doc also shows the part numbers as well as color and qty that were on the skid. I am assuming this paper should have been removed before installing. Thought it was an interesting find.

 

That's an interesting find. Thanks for sharing!

 

Wow, that is cool

 

Interesting indeed... Very cool.

I was not computing at first, this was for a skid of carpeting...

I wonder if they had this paper and the trash can was full, so they just left it in the car...

John

 

That's a neat little piece of history.

 

I wonder if these skids were shipped to Van Nuys to be installed. Its seems to suggest that each carpet was already destined to an certain car (sequence number) so they would only ship an Qty that would match cars being produced. I wonder what they would have done if they found an bad piece of carpet during assembly.

Its hard to believe the carpet would have been installed with the paper attached but things get missed I guess. My sequence number isn't the first one so I am wondering if the skid wasn't in sequence order. If it was in sequence order, the paper would have been under several carpets and might have been hidden.

I like the connection it makes between the sequence number on the radiator support and the production process. Kind of makes more sense of why that number is on the car and the part it played.

 

Sure. Collins and Aikman was the supplier, and they stacked the parts in sequence order, for shipment to the plant on a skid / pallet. Some parts manufacturers ship to a "sequencer", and all they do is put the needed parts in the needed order in the shipping container/pallet, then send it on to the plant. In this case, C&A did their own sequencing. This is "just in time" deliver. No huge inventory of thousands of carpets at the plant.

[QUOTE=TF34MECHH;6240436Its seems to suggest that each carpet was already destined to an certain car (sequence number) so they would only ship an Qty that would match cars being produced. I wonder what they would have done if they found an bad piece of carpet during assembly.[/QUOTE]

Most of the time, they would install the "bad" item (any item) and ship the unit down the line. At the end of the line, there's a group known appropriately as End of Line Repair. Here the offending part would be diagnosed (if required), and a replacement part ordered. Not unlike a dealer.

It seems likely the "preferred" method would be to remove this sheet before installing the carpet. But in this case, it was not. Other types of paperwork are found where they shouldn't be. I would think this is another example of that.

 

Thanks DynoDave for clarifying and providing the additional information. I appreciate it.

 

Learn something every day. So, the number stamped on the radiator support is the "sequence number" assigned to my car when it was built. Thanks for pointing that out.

 

From what I can tell, I believe the number started at 000001 every year...

 

And then sad news. Collins-Aikman closed on Oct 12, 2007

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collins_%26_Aikman

http://www.fundinguniverse.com/compa...ation-history/

 

So, my '91 TA was built sometime in 1990 and it has the "sequence number" 11 7031. Does that mean it was number 7,031 Firebird/Camaro built in 1990 at the Van Nuys plant? I have never gotten the exact build date but a label under the hood says it was used for testing in Sept 1990 so its exact build date must be prior to that. It was later sent to ASC for convertible conversion which was completed in March of 1991. Anybody know how I can determine the true "build date" and am I interpreting the "Sequence Number" correctly? Thanks.

 

I see a clear plastic T tag sticking throught mine as well. I am going to check my GTA.

 

Nice extra documentation bonus. That printout reminds me of my younger days. Sales reports chugged out on same type of paper, about 18 inches wide with holed, perforated outer edges that pulled it through the printer. I used to get them in the mail about 3 weeks after the end of the month lol.