Detective Work

Figuring out a cars history is always requires a bit of guesswork as facts are often lost between cars transferring from owner to owner. Also, the information is often romanticized. Basically, I want to know when the original restoration took place. I was able to piece together the following bits of information:

Dime dated 1988 found under the sound barrier on the inside of the car, under the carpet and glued down. Being that the sound barrier was not factory, this work was presumably done during the restoration of the car, placed under this pretty much ensures that this work was not done till 1988 or later.



Sticker on the window SPC South Plains College Faculty Staff 88-89 Parking number 4167. This provides not only a date that the car was obviously used (who puts a parking sticker on a car they don't drive) and a geographic location as to where the car was!




Tire codes and condition.

Based on this being a 3 digit code, the tires was made before the year 2000. That would mean that these tires are eather 90s, 80s, 70s, or 60s tires. 60s is generally out as I suspect that these are NOT original tires.


Passenger Side Rear
P155/80R13 79S M+S
DOT BEE4JHBB176

This tire was made in the 17th week of a year that ends in 6.







Driver Side Rear
P155/80R13 79S M+S
DOT BEE4JHBB106

This tire was made in the 10th week of a year that ends in 6.







Passenger Side Front
P155/80R13 79S M+S
DOT BEE4JHBB206

This tire was made in the 20th week of a year that ends in 6.








Driver Side Front
P155/80R13 79S M+S
DOT BEE4JHBB206

This tire was made in the 20th week of a year that ends in 6. This along with the overspray from the repainting the car red seems to make be believe that this tire was on the car when first restored.






Spare Tire
Bridgestone 155SR13
DOT EJE5OCCB243

This tire was made in the 24th week of a year that ends in 3. This rim is not age appropriate for the car and must be thrown out of the calculations.


Basically, with the tire over spray and tires dating code I am assuming that the first restoration took place sometime in the 1988 time frame. Placing the tires being made in 1986. Knowing that, the rubber is much too fresh to have been stored in the sun for 24 years so the tires (maybe the car too) was stored inside.