That plate has been debated many times on here. No one has given a valid explanation of why it's there or who put them there. I've personally seen three myself and I'm sure Carl Heller has seen a few. There are too many of them showing up for it to be a random act by one of the assembly line workers.

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John

1960 Wixom tag

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There is another tag present, #2058, on a 1960 "J"code hard top currently listed on ebay.

Perhaps to track bodies after being received from Budd, but prior to entering assembly line for production? Scott.

Scott, this has been kicked around many times. No, the tag is not new.

Here's another:

Carefully examine the tag. It is an 'EQUIPMENT TAG', used to inventory capital expenditures (like desks, motors, machines, etc.).

• The slotted screws are NOT from our assembly lines.
• The holes are distorted (bent), probably from prying it off some other piece of equipment. This brass tag is thick and that pillar gauge isn't heavy enough to bend it.
• It was clearly mounted after the body was painted so it could not have originated at Budd.
• Our Maintenance Dept., attaches these using 1/8" twist-rivets so they cannot be removed.
• Motors that go out for repair are ALWAYS identified by their brass tag. We send out pallets of bad motors at a time. Again, this for keeping track of inventory.

Whoever the 'plant guy' was, didn't know beans about production cars because we always go by rotation numbers and VIN numbers, even for inter-company vehicles.
Each brass tag has a unique number (no two are the same) so that number couldn't possibly identify a test number or an employee number. In short, brass tags have NO business on production products, ever.

I love it when someone takes a stab at guessing and others believe it as gospel. - Dave

I understand that this subject is not new! I also realize that the absolute conclusion to this subject may never be established. But, I'm still curious of this, and also being of doubtful nature, I'm not so sure that I accept the "rogue jokester", as the reasonable explanation either? There seem to be too many of these "brass tags", of singular dimensions, reasonable range of stamped number & font, affixed in similar position & fashion (obviously post vehicle restoration/repaint & the current fasteners encountered may prove non-original, thereby clouding the issue further).

Yes, I and many others, have witnessed, and are familiar, with the use of such "brass tags", of many shapes, sizes and nomenclature, being used for the inventory control of corporate and government properties. But, that in itself does not explain, nor rule out, the presents of such in this instance of discussion.

And yes, I concede, it is possible that a singular individual, snags a handful of brass tags (frequency of encounter & number spread would indicate quite a few; and that's a lot of prying!), a pocket full of screws (pockets are getting heavy!), has a drill or punch to make the holes, tool(s) for fastening, the additional time required available, nobody notices or cares, either as one's at work, or, is observant further down the line, and says "WHAT-IN-HE##". Yes, it IS possible! But, then there's, why?

I knew a few inline workers years ago; seems in the body assembly department, a "jokester" favorite would be to hang a stray nut or bolt from a string inside an enclosed panel section to create a rattle noise, or just toss in a soda can in the bottom of a door.

And, please note that I make no statements of absolute fact, but rather thoughts. And sometimes, there's nothing wrong with someone "taking a stab at it" (sometimes defined as "Hypothesis") in order to provoke thought, and to spark reasonable discussion, in discovery of the facts, of an apparently unknown subject. Don't you think?

By the way, with this Thunderbird production, where bodies were received from the outside vendor, at what point were the V.I.N. numbers stamped?

Scott.