Hope this helps. Most of the info published is for US cars. Your car looks ok to me. :tu
Bob
While most of us are aware that Chevrolet had plants in Janesville, Oakland and eight other locations around the US producing cars in the mid fifties, a lot of people do not realize that General Motors also had a plant in Canada producing cars for both export overseas and for the Canadian domestic market. This plant is located in Oshawa, Ontario, and has been producing cars since 1908.
Canadian produced 1955-1956-1957 Chevys have several differences that make them just a little bit different from the American Cars. In this article we hope to outline the major differences and clean up some of the mystery and confusion about these cars. Hopefully this will make it easier for some of the nice restored (and unrestored) Canadian Classics that show up at sanctioned events to be correctly classified and judged.
Canadian Cowl Tags and Serial Numbers
For simplicity's sake, we will refer in this article to the two different sizes of cowl tags found on Canadian cars as: Large (2 3/8" x 4 1/8") and Small (1 5/8" x 4 1/8").
Unlike their American cousins, Canadian Classics do not have a VIN tag on the driver's side door post, but rather have the serial number recorded on the cowl tag. The 55's came with one large tag, which was normally located on the right side of the cowl, in roughly the same located as the cowl tag on American cars (See Fig. #1). The 56's had two tags, a large one in the same location as on a 55, and a small one on the left hand side of the upper cowl (See Fig. #2). the 57's again came with two tags, but these were both small ones, usually found either side by side, or one above another on the firewall under the windshield wiper motor (See Fig. #3).
The 1955 Cowl Tag would contain the following information:
Model Number
Serial Number
Engine Number
Body Serial Number
Paint and Trim Codes
In 1956, the large tag (referred to in most GM Canadian literature as the Vehicle Serial Plate) only had the vehicle and engine serial number stamped on it, with the rest of the information, along now with B.S.O. (Body Special Option) numbers, recorded on the small tag (the Body Serial Plate). This held true for 1957 as well, although, as previously noted, the Vehicle Serial Plate was smaller than in the previous 2 years.
MODEL IDENTIFICATION BY SERIAL NUMBER
With the commencement of the 1956 production, the vehicle serial plate, located on the right front of the cowl, did not include the body serial, trim or paint combination numbers. A separate body serial plate, located on the left front of the cowl, now shows body type, body serial, paint trim and body special option numbers. 1957 production will be identified in a similar manner.
The information on these tags is broken down as follows:
Body Style
Model
150
210
B/A
Utility Sedan 12118
2 Door Sedan 1211 1011 1011D
Delray Club Coupe 1011A
4 Door Sedan 1219 1019 1019D
2 Door Wagon 1263F 1063F
4 Door Wagon 1062F 1062DF
Convertible 1067D
2 Door Hardtop 1037 1037D
4 Door Hardtop 1039 1039D
Sedan Delivery 1271
You will notice that the Nomad is not listed above. That is because none were produced in Canada. All Nomads sold by Canadian Dealers were imported from the U.S.
Vehicle Serial Number
Looking at the 55 tag shown in Fig. #1, the serial number 51011800967 can be broken down as follows:
5 1011 8 00967
5 = Model Year 1955
1011 = Body Style, 2 Door Sedan
8 = 8 Cylinder Engine
00967 = Vehicle Production Number
Although the 1011 in the serial number only indicates that it is a 2 Door Sedan, by checking the Model number on the same tag, the stamping 10-11D tells us that this car should be a Bel Air, not a 210.
Engine Serial Number
All Canadian-produced cars had their engine serial numbers also stamped on one of the tags. While this does make it a lot easier to determine if your car has its original engine, the engine codes were not broken down to the extent that the ones on American cars were. For instance, if your cowl tag indicates that your 57 came with an automatic transmission, there is no way of telling whether it was originally equipped with a Powerglide or Turboglide. Similarly, other than by checking fuel line routing, etc., if your car was V-8 equipped, you cannot tell for sure whether it was 2 Barrel, 4 Barrel, Duals or Fuel Injected.
Again looking at the 55 tag in Fig. #1, the engine serial number 9V17014 breaks down like this:
9 V 17014
9 = Automatic Transmission. If the engine serial number does not begin with a "0", the car was originally equipped with either a standard or an overdrive transmission.
V = V-8. If the "V" is not in the sequence, the car was originally equipped with a six cylinder.
17014 = Engine production number.
Listed below are the first Engine production number for each year and type of engine:
1955 6 cylinder = 52501
1955 8 cylinder = V2001
1956 6 cylinder = V30001
1957 6 cylinder = 199001
1957 8 cylinder = V50001
PRODUCTION FIGURES & OTHER TIDBITS OF USEFUL INFORMATION
Unfortunately the production figures available from G.M. of Canada are not broken down by model or even body style. I have listed below the production figures for each year and also the number of cars imported from the U.S. You will notice that the figures for 1956 differ substantially from those for the other two years. This was due to a bitter 4 1/2 month strike at the plant, lasting from September 9. 1955 right through until February 22, 1956 that very nearly resulted in G.M. canceling Canadian production for the 56 model year entirely!
Year Built Imported
1955 79,030 4,668
1956 48,556 12,017
1957 79,318 324
Totals 206,904 17,009
Besides the obvious differences that I have outlined in this article, there were a host of smaller, subtle differences that set the Canadian-produced car apart. These differences are far too numerous to detail them all now, but a few of the more significant ones included:
- Electrical components such as starters and generators were manufactured in Canada by McKinnon Industries of St. Catherines, Ontario and are identified by a green tag.
- Horns have a flatter profile with "Autolite" embossed on the cover. Some people swear they have a different tone as well, although I personally can't tell.
- All Canadian built cars had one piece bumpers and all 57 rear bumper ends were the blank variety.
- Many of the cast components (ie: Blocks, Head, Wheel Cylinders) were made in Canada and are easily identified by the "CANADA" cast into the piece.
Canadian Cowl Tags
Trim & Paint Codes and
Body Special Options
Trim & Paint Codes
The interior trim codes on Canadian produced Classics were the same as the ones on American cars, the only notable difference being that it appears that you could get some paint/trim combinations that were not available in the U.S. I have recently seen a Canadian produced 57 Convertible, paint code 1001, which is Onyx Black, with trim 677, which is the Ivory & Silver interior.
Paint, however, is quite a different matter. While there were some colours common to both sides of the border, there were also colors during all three model years that were available only in Canada. To further confuse matters, some colors available in both countries were known by a different name in Canada, and some colors known by the same name in both countries were two different shades of the same color. Two good examples of this are 56 Crocus Yellow, which has a decidedly greenish tinge to it compared to the U.S. colour and the 57 Highland Green, which is a much darker shade of green than usual. Also, all Canadian produced cars were painted in enamel, not nitiocellulose lacquer.
Listed below are the paint codes for all three years. We have indicated with a # those colors that were peculiar to the Canadian cars, and provided a brief description of each one. Also listed is the Canadian equivalent for some common U.S. colors.
1955 ONE COLOUR
55J - Cashmere Blue 555 - Sunsand Beige #
514 - Shoreline Beige 55A - Shoreline Beige
550 - Black 556 - Lido Green
551 - Lancer Blue Metallic 557 - Malibu Blue
552 - Empress Maroon 558-Greystone White#
553 - Oxford Grey Metallic 559 - Autumn Bronze Metallic
554 - Highland Green Metallic 560 - Matador Red #
561 - Regal Turquoise Metallic
1955 TWO TONE COMBINATIONS
55A - Navajo Tan Metallic/India Ivory 55B - Dusk Rose Metallic/India Ivory
55C - Cashmere Blue/India Ivory 515 - Shoreline Beige/Autumn Bronze Metallic
516 - Shoreline Beige/Lancer Blue Metallic 518 - Highland Green Metallic/Shoreline Beige
519 - Lancer Blue Metallic/Shoreline Beige 570 - Greystone White/Matador Red
571 - Greystone White/Regal Turquoise Metallic 572 - Sunsand Beige/Autumn Bronze Metallic
573 - Greystone White/Black 573A - Black/India Ivory
574 - Greystone White/Malibu Blue 575 - Lancer Blue Metallic/Sunsand Beige
575A - Lancer Blue Metallic/Shoreline Beige 576 - Malibu Blue/Lancer Blue Metallic
578 - Highland Green Metallic/Sunsand Beige 578A - Highland Green Metallic/Shoreline Beige
579 - Lido Green/Highland Green Metallic 580 - Highland Green Metallic/Sunsand Beige
580A - Shoreline Beige/Highland Green Metallic 581 - Sunsand Beige/Lancer Blue Metallic
581A - Shoreline Beige/Lancer Blue Metallic 582 - Matador Red/Sunsand Beige
582A - Matador Red/Shoreline Beige 584 - Seastone Coral/Oxford Grey Metallic
585 - Greystone White/Black 585A - India Ivory/Black
598 - Greystone White/Seastone Coral
1956 ONE COLOUR
1001 - Black 1006 - Nassau Blue
1002 - Harbour Blue Metallic 1007 - India Ivory
1003 - Dusk Plum Metallic 1008 - Crocus Yellow
1004 - Sherwood Green Metallic 1009 - Gypsy Red #
1005 - Pinecrest Green 1010 - Twilight Turquoise
1021 - Dawn Grey Metallic
1956 TWO TONE COMBINATIONS
UPPER
LOWER
1201 - Black Crocus Yellow
1202 - India Ivory Black
1203 - Sherwood Green Metallic Pinecrest Green
1204 - Nassau Blue Harbor Blue Met
1205 - India Ivory Pinecrest Green
1206 - India Ivory Sherwood Green Metallic
1207 - India Ivory Nassau Blue
1208 - India Ivory Dusk Plum Met
1209 - India Ivory Twilight Turquoise
1210 - India Ivory Gypsy Red
1250 - India Ivory Dawn Grey Metallic
UPPER/LOWER
CENTRE
1301, 1401 - Crocus Yellow Black
1302, 1402 - Black India Ivory
1303, 1403 - Pinecrest Green Metallic Sherwood Green Metallic
1304, 1404 - Harbor Blue Metallic Nassau Blue
1305, 1405 - Pinecrest Green India Ivory
1306, 1406 - Sherwood Green Metallic India Ivory
1307, 1407 - Nassau Blue India Ivory
1310, 1410 - Gypsy Red India Ivory
1408 - Dusk Plum Metallic India Ivory
1409 - Twilight Turquoise India Ivory
1405 - Dawn Grey Metallic India Ivory
UPPER/CENTRE **
LOWER
1604 - Black Crocus Yellow
1602 - India Ivory Black
1603 - Sherwood Green Metallic Pinecrest Green
1604 - Nassau Blue Harbor Blue
1605 - India Ivory Pinecrest Green
1606 - India Ivory Sherwood Green Metallic
1607 - India Ivory Nassau Blue
1608 - India Ivory Dusk Plum Metallic
1609 - India Ivory Twillight Turquoise
1610 - India Ivory Gypsy Red
1611 - Crocus Yellow Laurel Green
1612 - Iris # Dawn Grey Metallic
1650 - India Ivory Dawn Grey Metallic
1651 - Adobe Beige Sierra Gold Metallic
**Rear Deck & Centre on Model 1067D (Convertible)
1957 ONE COLOUR
1001 - Onyx Black 1009 - Seminole Red #
1002 - Haven Blue Metallic 1010 - Tropical Turquoise
1003 - Dusky Rose Metallic # 1011 - Limefire Green Met
1004 - Highland Green Metallic 1012 - Coronado Yellow
1005 - Mist Green 1013 - Silver Grey Metallic
1006 - Larkspur Blue 1014 - Sierra Gold Metallic
1007 - Imperial Ivory 1015 - Adobe Beige
1008 - Colonial Cream 1016 - Laurel Green Metallic
1017 - Chateau Grey Metallic #
1957 TWO TONE COMBINATIONS
UPPER/LOWER
CENTRE
1201, 140 - Colonial Cream Onyx Black
1202 - Onyx Black Dover White
1203, 1403 - Mist Green Highland Green Metallic
1204, 1404 - Haven Glue Metallic Larkspur Blue
1205 - Mist Green Dover White #
1206 - Larkspur Blue Dover White
1207 - Silver Grey Metallic Imperial Ivory
1209 - Tropical Turquoise Dover White
1210 - Seminole Red Dover White
1213, 1413 - Colonial Cream Dover White
1216 - Chateau Grey Metallic Dover White
1402 - Doer White Onyx Black
1405 - Dover White Mist Green
1406 - Dover White Larkspur Blue
1407 - Imperial Ivory Silver Grey Metallic
1409 - Dover White Tropical Turquoise
1410 - Dover White Seminole Red
1411 - Colonial Cream Laurel Green Metallic
1412 - Adobe Beige Sierra Gold Metallic
1414 - Dover White Dusky Rose Metallic
1415 - Dover White Coronado Yellow
1416 - Dover White Chateau Grey Metallic
UPPER
LOWER
1601 - Onyx Black Colonial Cream
1602 - Dover White Onyx Black
1603 - Mist Green Highland Green Metallic
1604 - Larkspur Blue Haven Blue Metallic
1605 - Dover White Mist Green
1606 - Dover White Larkspur Blue
1607 - Imperial Ivory Silver Grey Metallic
1609 - Dover White Tropical Turquoise
1610 - Dover White Seminole Red
1611 - Colonial Cream Laurel Green Metallic
1612 - Adobe Beige Sierra Gold Metallic
1613 - Dover White Colonial Cream
1614 - Dover White Dusky Rose Metallic
1615 - Dover White Coronado Yellow
1616 - Imperial Ivory Chateau Grey Met
1618 - Dover White Limefire Green Metallic
CANADIAN ONLY COLOURS
55 Sunsand Beige - Very close to, and in fact superceded by Shoreline Beige early into the model year.
55 Greystone White - "Refrigerator" White replaced by India Ivory part way through model year
55 Madador Red - Very close to 56 Matador Red
56 Gypsy Red - Same as U.S. 55 Gypsy Red
56 Iris - Metallic Lavender similar to 57 Dusk Pearl
57 Dusky Rose - Metallic Rose Pink
57 Dover White - A slightly "purer" white than India Ivory
57 Seminole Red - Same Red as found on 57 Buicks, more orange than Matador Red
57 Limefire Green - Very rare and unusual metallic "lemon-lime" green
57 Chateau Grey - A Pewter Grey, a shade darker than 56 Dawn Grey
BODY SPECIAL OPTIONS
As previously indicated, Chevrolet changed the manner in which they recorded information on the cowl tags for the 1956 model year. The Vehicle Serial Plate now only had the car's serial number and its engine number, with the balance of the information being recorded on the Body Serial Plate. Besides all the data found on the 55's tag, there was only one new piece of information, an area stamped "B.S.O.". These Body Special Options were equivalent to the Accessory codes on the American cars, with the exception that they sometimes went into further detail. What I mean by this is that, for instance, we have seen Canadian built factory V-8 cars both with and without code "340" stamped on the Body Serial Plate, code 340 standing for a V-8 engine. Listed below are the B.S.O.'s that commonly appear on Canadian built 56's & 57's.
186 = Shade Lite Glass (Tinted)
202 = Automatic Transmission
303 = Power Brakes
339 = Overdrive Transmission
340 = V-8 Engine
348 = Power Windows
349 = Power Seat
372 = Power Steering
Strangely enough, we have been unable to find any indication that there was a B.S.O. number for a padded dash. We are not sure whether that means that a padded dash was not available in Canada, or that they just did not bother stamping it on the cowl tag. However, we have been advised by a customer that they know for sure that the 57's came with with a padded dash. His uncle owned a GM dealership in the 50's and sold a new 1957 B/A 2 Door Hardtop, power pack, powerglide to his friend's father. The car came equipped with a factory black padded dash and a black and silver interior. The exterior was black. His cousin now owns the car.
Some of the other differences noted between the Canadian and American 55-57 Chevys are:
Canadian cars have different accessory codes.
American radiators say Harrison and have a P/N on them.
All Nomads were produced in the US.
All Canadian cars have 1- piece bumpers.
All California cars have 1-piece bumpers, the rest are 3-piece.
Original Canadian starters and generators had green tags not red like the American ones.
Canadian engines, generators, exhaust manifolds and starters were made by McKinnon Industries, not GM.
McKinnon Industries produced products like intake and exhaust manifolds have a raised mark to ID them. It is a capital M with a square around it.
Canadian 1955 remote oil filters were painted black not orange and blue like the American ones.
Canadian cars use Phillips head screws, American cars use clutch head screws.
All Canadian cars had Deluxe radios if ordered.
All Canadian 1955 150 models came with side trim, American models had none.
Canadian hood birds and antenna bases were made by a different manufacturer than in the US and therefore are slightly different in shape.
1955 Canadian door handles are not the same contour as American ones.
Canadian 1956 antennas have an arrow head tip.
The 1957 shop manual has a section on fuel injection, the American one does not.
Canadian Pontiacs used Chevrolet engines but they were painted green.
Canadian tinted glass is named SHADE-LITE
Canadian generators are longer than their American counterparts.
No Canadian cars had 1-piece frames.
Canadian full disc hubcaps are shinier and have a different "spring" type mounting system.
There were no Canadian-produced 1955 Belair 4 door wagons.
1955 Chevy horn wires are black with a white stripe, the American ones are all black.
Canadian 5-6-7 clocks are built in Canada.
All right-hand drive cars for export were produced in Canada, ie. Australia.
The interior of Canadian 1955's have the interior surface of the glove box door painted a light shade of grey instead of body color.
Undersides of Canadian cars were painted lower body color or dealer undercoated.