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Champion Body Number Plate?

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  • Champion Body Number Plate?

    Here's the number plate on my neighbor's 1950 Champion he just bought. I know the 9G means 1950 Champion, the F stands for 2 door sedan, the 1 stands for the lowest trim level, but the bottom body number, I'm wondering if that means that is the number for that body style, or is it the running number of all 1950 Champions? Thanks, Tom

  • #2
    It is just the serial (sequential) number of the body tub, not the car. They were used occasionally to identify at what point during production a running change to the body structure was made -- otherwise it has almost no significance.
    Skip Lackie

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    • #3
      i'm fairly sure the body number would be in order as they left the body plant. doesn't mean that it got hooked up to the chassis in any order.

      if not correct, others with more knowledge - please educate us!
      Kerry. SDC Member #A012596W. ENCSDC member.

      '51 Champion Business Coupe - (Tom's Car). Purchased 11/2012.

      '40 Champion. sold 10/11. '63 Avanti R-1384. sold 12/10.

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      • #4
        To answer your exact question; yes, it IS the Body line Sequence NUMBER of only "F1" 2 Door Sedan Bodies, I believe it's a "Custom Trim Level".
        StudeRich
        Second Generation Stude Driver,
        Proud '54 Starliner Owner
        SDC Member Since 1967

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        • #5
          Originally posted by Corvanti View Post
          i'm fairly sure the body number would be in order as they left the body plant. doesn't mean that it got hooked up to the chassis in any order.

          if not correct, others with more knowledge - please educate us!
          I wasn't there, but it's my understanding that the plant usually built a run (of a dozen or hundreds) of the same body style, and that those bodies were then stored to be drawn upon as needed. So some of the early body numbers would end up in the back of the warehouse -- allowing higher numbers to be used first.

          Chassis/vehicle serial numbers came down the line in order -- body numbers did not.
          Last edited by Skip Lackie; 06-22-2015, 02:01 PM. Reason: typo
          Skip Lackie

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          • #6
            For some reason my picture didn't post. Here's the body plate (I hope).
            OK, just to be sure I'm clear about the body number, 1278 means this is the 1278th Champion 2 door sedan body built for 1950 (all trim levels included), and not the 1278th Champion built for 1950 (all body styles included). Is that correct? Thanks, Tom
            Click image for larger version

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            • #7
              Yes! Any other body styles would have been tagged in a different sequence. However, I've never been clear if those body styles were separately numbered for Champions or Commanders. Could body tub F1 #001 have been for a Champion and body tub F1 #002 for a Commander?
              Brad Johnson,
              SDC since 1975, ASC since 1990
              Pine Grove Mills, Pa.
              '33 Rockne 10, '51 Commander Starlight. '53 Commander Starlight
              '56 Sky Hawk in process

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              • #8
                Originally posted by TWChamp View Post
                For some reason my picture didn't post. Here's the body plate (I hope).
                OK, just to be sure I'm clear about the body number, 1278 means this is the 1278th Champion 2 door sedan body built for 1950 (all trim levels included), and not the 1278th Champion built for 1950 (all body styles included). Is that correct? Thanks, Tom
                NO neither are correct, read Post #4 again. it is the 1278th. F1 Trim Level 2 Door Sedan built at the South Bend Plant, as I said there.
                StudeRich
                Second Generation Stude Driver,
                Proud '54 Starliner Owner
                SDC Member Since 1967

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by StudeRich View Post
                  NO neither are correct, read Post #4 again. it is the 1278th. F1 Trim Level 2 Door Sedan built at the South Bend Plant, as I said there.
                  I'm surprized each body style and trim level would have it's own body number series.
                  So, even though this is a low number, if only 1300 F1's were built in 1950, this could be very near the end of the year?
                  Joe has just ordered the build sheet, so the build date will be answered by that.

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by StudeRich View Post
                    NO neither are correct, read Post #4 again. it is the 1278th. F1 Trim Level 2 Door Sedan built at the South Bend Plant, as I said there.
                    Rich - I thought that all of the body tubs and their body numbers were assembled/assigned in South Bend for final assembly in Indiana, California or Canada. If my memory is correct on that, then it would be the 1278th F1 body built, not the 1278th F1 car assembled in South Bend.

                    EDIT: In other words, there was one series of body numbers, per body style, assigned across all three assembly plants.

                    EDIT II: There were three different series of Serial Numbers for the three plants. This is what distinquishes which plant the car was assembled in. If the original poster posts the car's Serial Number, we will be able to tell him where the car was assembled.
                    Last edited by studegary; 06-24-2015, 10:56 AM.
                    Gary L.
                    Wappinger, NY

                    SDC member since 1968
                    Studebaker enthusiast much longer

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                    • #11
                      That is a bit outside of the realm of OP's questions, but you are right, YES I did mix up the # of Bodies built with the CAR Assembly Locations, so the 1278 is part of the Worldwide Car sequence Number of F1's not ONLY the South Bend F1 completed Cars.

                      I don't even want to THINK about how this would affect the Canadian Cars. Because would that be one of the years that they did not Number the individual Body Types, just ALL Cars built? What did they do, throw away the S/B Body Tags and assign their Own?
                      StudeRich
                      Second Generation Stude Driver,
                      Proud '54 Starliner Owner
                      SDC Member Since 1967

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