Found My Build Sheet!

[starfire]

Right behind the passenger seat plastic back cover (where I expected it to be if it existed). Not in real good shape but I can make out most of it.



Does anyone know what that T93 option is? Looks like it says "Tail&Stop Lmp" but what does that mean? I assume all cars came with tail and stop lamps.

[mahoy78spyder]

Alan, I remember this topic coming up on another forum years ago and I think it means that your taillights have the stainless trim ring around them. However, I'm not sure why an RPO would be necessary for that since (I think) all wrap-around style H-body taillights came with the chrome trim ring anyway. Dunno... seems a little obscure.

[starfire]

Thanks Ken. It does seem strange they would list it. But then they also list the windshield antenna and I thought all cars came with those as well.

Is that the build date in the upper left hand corner (06-16)?

[cosvega76]

The only thing my RPO list says is "Special Tail and Stop Lamp".

Black trim around the taillights instead of bright?


Chuck

[marco_1978_spyder]

T93.. I was going to say headlight reminder chime but that was T63. So I'm going to guess here and say they had an optional headlight...probably some early Halogen headlights? Do your taillights have an Olds logo embossed in them like the Buick's with the Skyhawk? Was the chrome blacked out?

Can I add your sheet's information to the 1978 production schedule thread? The date is Perfect...helps clarify an area where there wasn't much data, and dates were in question.

6-16 was a Friday. The Firenza package was introduced into the production line only about 20 working days before.

[starfire]

Well here's a pic of my taillight:



Doesn't look special to me. I wish it had some sort of Oldsmobile rocket on it, but it doesn't.

Marco, feel free to use the info on my build sheet in any way that improves the knowledge base on these cars.

Not a bad car for a Friday built!

[marco_1978_spyder]

They look normal...do they have a part number visible, and I'm curious, How many bulbs do they take?

[Monza Harry]

I wonder if those were once "Blacked Out", as all the trim on my car was once all black as it was a Spyder, and mine has almost burnt off from the California sun. I thought the Starfire was that way too at least the "Firenza" that I seen a few years ago was (IIRC) If that is so then it would have the same code as yours Marco. Harry

[mahoy78spyder]

This RPO was used on F-body cars as well in the 70's and when I used to monitor a couple of their message forums this came up. Nothing definitive came up, but when everyone chimed in with their examples of build sheets, the one consistency (in the relatively small sampling of cars) that came up was the trim ring/no trim ring scenario.

My question is this: Were there some H-bodies that had a black trim ring around the taillights? I know I've seen some retroactively painted that way, but seem to recall a few done this way from the factory as well - particularly the Olds Starfire Firenza's I thought.

[mahoy78spyder]

I think I just answered my own question... did a quick search, and right there on Bryan's awesome website, here is a '78 Starfire Firenza with the black-trimmed taillights. I wonder what the RPO code is for that, if different.

[marco_1978_spyder]

That would make sense. Cars with black trimmed tail lamps would have the code T93 "Tail &stop lamp special"

77-79 Spyders would not have this code, since they always used the chrome trimmed tail lamps. 1980 spyders might have this code because they had the black-out trim.

I'd like to see a Skyhawk buildsheet to see if the code was also used for the tail lamps with the Hawk embossed in them.

[starfire]

They look normal...do they have a part number visible, and I'm curious, How many bulbs do they take?

Marco,

There are three part numbers on my lamps (these numbers are for the left unit, the right unit numbers are each 1 higher), The reverse light lens is part number 5966263 1, the marker lens has part number 5966269, and the back of the unit has part number 5966259. There are three bulbs in the unit, one marker, one stop/turn/lights, and one reverse.

Mine do not look like they have ever had black paint on the chrome trim. I suppose it is possible (especially as it was built on a Friday) that the assembly line just put the wrong taillight units on. Really, who would notice? I'd be surprised if most dealerships got more than one Firenza at a time, and so they would have nothing to compare it to. The buyer probably wouldn't realize it was wrong either.

The other thing I noticed about these units (besides how horrible the fit and finish is on them, typical of 1978 I'm sure) is that the lenses have "75" on them, indicating 1975 model year. I'm assuming that these were used for all years that the wrap-arounds were used and the manufacturer never changed the mold. Or am I wrong on that and should my lenses have "78" on them? If that is true then that explains why mine are not blacked out, they were swapped out at some time.

[classic_cruiser]

I noticed from your pictures in your other thread that all the other trim on your firenza is blacked out: headlight trim, window trim, wipers, and bumper trim. That makes me think that the taillights as well should have had black trim.

[marco_1978_spyder]

Think of how easily breakable the taillights are. They could have been replaced... the chrome on yours doesn't look all that super shiny so it's possible the black out just wore away over time, Just like it does (did) on the side trim for many cars. If I can find my buildsheet's I'm pretty sure I have the T93 code on a sheet for an '80 spyder, which would have had the blacked out tail's as well

[starfire]

I thought about the black wearing off, it certainly has on my window trim, but when I took the left tail light off to look for part numbers I could find no trace of black anywhere on the chrome. I doubt both tail lights would have broken and if one did they would have painted the new one rather than replace both of them. I still like my theory of my Friday built car not having the correct tail lights put in and nobody noticing or caring until 36 years later