Nifty Numbers
Lance Jordan of Coeur d'Alene, ID is the newest owner of this special '64 Rampside. The first special thing I noticed is that it was produced during the last month of production (July). The second thing I noticed is the detailed delivery date that the dealer stamped into the truck's VIN tag. The third thing, which is unique among '64 Rampsides to date in the registry, is the paint code.
Lance purchased the truck in 2001 with the help of noted Corvair restorer Craig Nicol, also of Coeur d'Alene. Craig facilitated the sale from Lon Welch of Connell, WA. Lon's father Norm amassed a legendary collection of Corvairs in the eastern Washington desert.
The truck appears to have its original 110 HP engine, as the code T0630VB indicates such an engine for a FC with manual transmission, produced on June 30 (1964 assumed). The engine iss also equipped with the rare RPO K47 (oil bath air pre-cleaner). The transmission appears to be original too, with a code of R0519, indicating a 4-speed manual built on May 19 (1964 assumed). Interestingly, the pad on the differential where the corresponding code resides is blank. Lance and I examined it closely and if there was ever a code there, it has been ground off with a power tool.
The truck is currently brown with a white stripe. The repaint was fairly thorough but we can tell it's not original. Dave Newell explains: "The insides of the front doors and the dash, from what I can see, look like the correct Fawn with white insert on the dash. The door opening (on the body) should have been body color originally, not the standard Fawn interior paint. It looks like someone shot the steering wheel and turn signal housing in Fawn too. They should be white." For information on the the truck's original paint scheme and the meaning of the paint code, scroll down past the first set of pictures.
The paint code (0780-546) is very unusual—it is the only '64 Rampside so far to have a code like this. However, there is a '65 Greenbrier that has this same general format. After much research by Dave Newell, onsite investigation by Craig Nicol, and continued interest in fleet FCs by Chuck Sadek, the mystery was finally solved in February, 2012. Dave found that 546 was historically a Dupont paint code for Bell System Green. Craig Nicol found several spots undisturbed by the truck's repaint that reveal the original olive green hue.
Further confirmation came from an Auto Accident Check List booklet, from Pacific Northwest Bell, found in the glovebox. With this truck's custom paint now understood, one wonders if the anomalies Dave noticed in the interior paint scheme could have been specified as part of the original order...
Lance, I hope you enjoy this very special Rampside. Perhaps you can restore it to its original paint scheme some day!
Information from the data plate
Description |
Description |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
STD |
Standard equipment |
0780-546 |
Bell System Green |
7 30 64 |
July 30, 1964 (*) |
(Click on a heading in the table for more information on that item.)
(*) The dealer did not follow the prescribed guidelines for stamping the date code, which would be 07 4 for July, 1964. The exact day is nice to have though!