8N439756 / 8N439754 POP error
 

POP plate is stamped 124378N439756 but the POP book is punched 124378N439754.

I am looking for someone that knows how these were handled, after the main assembly process was finished at the factory and the car was readied for shipping. Is it more likely that the book was punched wrong or the POP plate was stamped wrong? 1968 is the only year that the books were punched like this.

Can not say I have personally seen this type of error before. Also note the tape for the name was installed upside down. The owner's name and address in tape was done at the dealership.
Also posted over on CRG.

Thanks in advance.

Wow not even one response?

Don't feel bad I asked a similar question a few weeks ago,
same response 0!!

Yes the R for carb on that L72 POP is an error. Errors like that on POPs are fairly rare.

I am researching the issue for you now. Please be patient.

Ok thank you.

never seen a pop that way, but have seen plenty of engine blocks off a digit or so.

Hopefully we find answers.

I promised OP that I would make an effort to track down the people who worked the activity in question and I took a considerable amount of time and effort to reach an informed conclusion.

Several workers were consulted including Key punch operators and floor supervision.

Everything started with the critical key punch action completed on a stack of IBM cards for each separate automobile produced.



Skip to 5:20 to get to basic information as to how GM used this technology to build cars in the late 1960's. Below is an actual IBM punch card used at GM Norwood.

For 1968 GM decided to use the brand new IBM Keypunch- Punched Card Typography technology to add a VIN sequence to the outer portion of the warranty booklet corresponding with the VIN on the Metal Protecto-Plate. Below is the code key used.

The issue OP is asking about is how a warranty book with a VIN punched to correspond with the VIN embossed on the protect-o Plate could be wrong?

In the example OP presents the VIN is off by 2 digits.

My investigation revealed that GM found that the addition of the VIN (while a good idea) was far too labor intensive to accurately implement with 100% accuracy absent each assembly location dedicating a specific area and detailing additional personnel to assure accuracy.

This became a simple cost vs benefit equation for GM.

For example at Norwood: Each day one set of many sets of key punched cards key (punched for each car built) were delivered to the cycle bank representing the sequential build for the chassis side production each day numbered 0-1000 (maximal) or typically the end of the days scheduled production usually 900+ .

The cards delivered there were the individual RPO content card which was sorted by the cycle bank operator and then re read by the IBM tabulator which then created the data stream for the AM Graphotype which then automatically embossed the POP as soon as the VIN was assigned.

The same data was transmitted to a nearby IBM Keypunch- Punched Card Typography machine where blank warranty cards were waiting. These cards were then automatically key punched and automatically collated. The next job was for workers was to match the right card to the right POP.

Because the warranty card change mandated by GM was what was called an "unfunded mandate" workers worked in less than adequate conditions in an area not purpose built for this activity, they worked often in low light, older senior personnel were used to complete this task (eyesight was an issue here) and many mistakes were made including machine collation errors and human errors.

The use of IBM Keypunch- Punched Card Typography was considered an overall failure and discontinued at the end of 1968.

But the issue of a mismatched POP to a warranty card is really not that rare.



In this example video from 2018 we have a card with a clear mistake just like OP's but from an all together different assembly plant.

Here we have the critical screen shots showing the VIN on the POP and the VIN on the warranty book having the same kind of error as OP is inquiring about.

Short answer for OP:

Simple Human Error.

Thanks for the time you put into researching this, I found it very interesting.

As did I. Neat factoid... fascinating to see that the basic foundation of the coding developed by IBM for the punch cards is still the basis for IBM mainframe and mid range computer coding language even today. This is known as Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code (EBCDIC) and is a direct descendant of the IBM 360/40 computer coding.

This means that while not practical to do- the same language used to guide GM operations in the late 1960's can still be read and understood by modern mainframe computers even today.

Thanks. So the VIN the plate is correct, and the one with holes stamped into the book is wrong. Is that what you are saying?

Either one could be wrong. If the POP was wrong and caught later the corrective action would be to issue a replacement POP post sale.

If the POP matched the VIN on the car it was shipped with but the warranty card's Punched Card Typography was incorrect it was simply ignored.

Further information that will likely expand understanding on other additional causes of the wrong number punched on the warranty card can be found within this thread:

https://www.yenko.net/forum/showthread.php?t=169891

Additionally the maintenance manual shows the failure modes for the character set used on the warranty cards in 1968:

http://bitsavers.org/pdf/ibm/punched..._Man_Nov70.pdf

See pages 58, 59, and 60.

I have seen numerous "typos" on POPs over the last few years. One of my cars has the wrong rear end code on the POP (one letter mistake), but all the rest of the vehicle's digits are correct. I haven't seen VIN number mistakes, but mistakes on engine and trans dates so far. One of the gents that comes to our car shows and who worked in the Baltimore factory said it was not uncommon to have an entire string of cars come off the line where the VIN on the blocks was off by one vs the actual VIN. I can't recall if they remedied it, or just let them go. He said their standards in that factory were fairly high.