1968 Buick Accessory and Options Codes

[greg davis]

per this section of the 1968 assembly Manual i am trying to decode the following

UPC- #W17
Card Col.- trim
Description- Extra cost deluxe trim- Includes A51 or A65, C87, D15, Y17, B28
Options- 43437, 43537

i am trying to decode this option to see if it pertains to the most exterior trimmed 1968 GS350 i have ever seen as it has an unusual trunk chrome arrangement and stainless trim on the window sweepers, body side on fenders and doors, wheel surrounds and vinyl top trim.

reading through all the other UPC's i can only determine A51 (bucket seats) and A65 (bench seat).

are C87, D15, Y17 and B28 UPC numbers.

trying to verify this car has all these items to determine that it then has this deluxe trim to explain the trunk chrome.

[Mike Trom]

Three digit codes are UPC and Two digit (letter/number) are sales codes.

W17 on a 43537 (Skylark 2-dr Sport Coupe, 6 Cyl.) is: Custom Trim, Vinyl Notch Back Bench Seat- including deluxe arm rests, remote door handles & rear quarter courtesy lamps (trim 160,161,162 & 168)

The D15 represents the "Deluxe Arm Rests"
The C87 represents the " Rear courtesy lamps"
Y17 represents - "Custom Compartment shelf"

W17 on a 43437 (GS 350) is: Custom Trim- vinyl strato bucket seats (trim 170,171,172,173 & 178).

A51 = Vinyl bucket seats (trim 170,171,172,173 & 178).

A65 = Vinyl notch back bench seat.

I can't find a listing for B28.
:Do No:

I have quite a bit of '68 info and I cannot find anything that lists that trunk lip trim as being an option. I think that was an option in '69 but not in '68. The photo looks like the two chrome strips that run down the trunk were cut to allow the GS350 emblem to be moved up so that the trim would fit. The GS400 emblem on my GS would not allow that trim to fit below it.

The chrome on the window sweepers is option W5 "Belt Reveal Molding".

The trim around the vinyl top is UPC C08 " Custom Vinyl Top Covering- including rear quarter belt molding".

The body side, fender and door trim was standard on a Skylark and is not listed as an option for the GS.

Wheel well moldings were standard on the GS.

Hope this helps....:TU:

[greg davis]

Mike,

Thanks for all your help, i was thinking W17 was an exterior trim package when in fact it is an interior trim package.

The car does have all those items and it makes for an absolutely lovely interior in black

i will remove the GS350 trunk badge and inspect the trunk chrome strips on the the edges to see if they have been cut. i dont remember them being cut when i reinstalled them but who knows.

i have not been able to find the window sweepers to fit the W5 option.

nor have i found the lenses for the Rear courtesy lamps, trying to contact Duane to see if he has any of the reproductions left.

interested in doing a window sticker when i figure this and a couple of other things out.

also still trying to find the dealer code for Heavner Buick in Hickory, NC

Thanks,
Greg

[bealhm]

Hey Greg,

I had the same problem trying to find the window sweepers/window felts for my 69 with the belt/window reveal mouldings.

Get a hold of these people:
Parts Unlimited, Inc. 1
2101 Westport Rd, Louisville, KY 40245-1789
Phone: 800-342-0610
Email: contactpui@aol.com

They custom made mine new windowfelts from my delapidated originals. I don't remeber who I spoke with, but the mouldings are as good as anything from Year One and these are the only folks who can make them that I know of. Hope this helps!

Howdy

[David Gramlow]

greg davis said:
i will remove the GS350 trunk badge and inspect the trunk chrome strips on the the edges to see if they have been cut. i dont remember them being cut when i reinstalled them but who knows.

The GS350 emblem on my 68 is mounted lower, nearly right to the edge of the trunk lid. Yours really appears too close to the trunk lock opening to be originally that way.


nor have i found the lenses for the Rear courtesy lamps, trying to contact Duane to see if he has any of the reproductions left.

Make sure and give Duane the exact dimensions of your old lenses, or if busted up, the inside dimensions of the housing. We've found that there are 2 very slightly different sized rear courtesy lights in 68 cars. Housings with the same part # on them had about 1/16" differences in length and width. The repros are the slightly larger sized ones and will barely squeeze into the smaller housing. I managed to get mine in with great difficulty, when we didn't know about the 2 sizes, but then the heat of the bulbs resulted in pretty bad warping of my new lenses. Duane is working on making the smaller ones too. He still has stock of the first run of larger ones, and the quality is excellent. I'm sure he'll ask you for your exact dimensions anyway.

[greg davis]

David,

thanks, never thought about the bulb heat being a problem. i will keep the bulbs out of them after hearing of this. i have lived without the light for this long. actually my car has a problem in one of the switches now that i think about it causing the lights to remain on all the time so the fuse is pulled.

its good to see you are still on the board, i have been checking in from time to time and seeing your post but was hanging out more over at the turo side.

i have been collecting some go fast parts for the turbo-t but not the time to bolt them on yet.

the only car out of my garage this summer has been the '68 and that is 5x or so. been really busy with fixing up the house (nest), must be something about the early 40's age. the family has been very supportive of my car habit and asked for some things to be constructed around the house so i just had to put the cars away and concentrate on that.

my interest has shifted back very quickly to the big block car. i see a (from) auto to 4 speed conversion this winter.

i finally just got around to bringing this trunk trim up on here and we talked about it over a year ago. its been just that busy.

i look forward to talking more to you and contributing to this excelent site what i can.

will be in Morocco for the Midwest challange this Sat and Sun.

Greg

[greg davis]

bealhm

thanks, Louisville is close also, i used to live there so always looking for a reason to go visit.

currently i am using window sweepers from CARS without the stainless trim. the sweeps fit perfectly but i love all the trim this car has and will look into getting the correct ones, that and we didnt finish out the horizontal ledge near the glass as smooth as we should thinking they would be covered by trim. thanks for the info, i saved the pieces of the original sweeps i am pretty sure, the trim is tucked away for a future return.

Greg

[David Gramlow]

greg davis said:David,

thanks, never thought about the bulb heat being a problem. i will keep the bulbs out of them after hearing of this. i have lived without the light for this long. actually my car has a problem in one of the switches now that i think about it causing the lights to remain on all the time so the fuse is pulled.


Greg, I'm pretty sure the bulb heat was only a problem because of the pressure squeezing against the plastic from being squished into the housing. In retrospect, I should have caught on that something was amiss with the sizing for my housings, and not forced them in. They did look fine though for awhile, until I left the door open for several minutes...

I had a problem with my interior lights staying on also, with the doors closed, but thought I had it fixed with new door jamb switches. For about a day they worked fine again, but then were staying on again, so I have my fuse pulled also. When I get new lenses again, I'll just remove the bulbs from the rear. I really want to figure out where the wiring problem is though.

Great to see you around again! :beer

[David Gramlow]

Greg, I hope you don't mind that I post that pic of your car. I'm curious, is that stainless steel trim running across the side of the car, from front to rear, or is it painted on? Is there wheel well moulding all the way around the rear wheel well, or only across the top part?

[greg davis]

David,

the trim on the front fender and door is stainless with paint in the reveals of the trim, touched up with a Testors model paint stick.

the rear wheel opening moulding is the entire wheel opening including below the intersection of the "scallop" trim.

my obsevations have been the 400 cars had the shorty wheel opening mouldings and the 350 cars had the full wheel opening mouldings.

back to the trunk, your right the 350 badge is slightly over the trunk key cylinder, if someone added that to a 69 trunk (leaving the botton decklid trim) and took the time to drill in all those holes they were a very disturbed person.

did '69's have the curved deck lid trim running the length from bumper to rear glass trim, i know my friends '69 GS400 convert does not but dont know about skyalrks or customs?

Greg

Greg

[Mike Trom]

Greg,

Both the GS400 And GS350 had the full wheel well trim, not the shorty version. The side sweep stainless trim was not an option on the GS, but I guess anything is possible.:Do No:

[David Gramlow]

Greg, does your VIN start with 43437? I also have the SS side trim from front to rear, but I have the full wheel well trim on my 68. I don't have a build sheet to check against. I do know that a 69 Skylark Custom was a donor car for my 68's resto in the mid-90's, and I suspect the side trim may have been transplanted along with some body panels. May have been easier to move all the trim to the 68 if 69 panels had to be donated to the 68. I would rather not have them on my car, but they are there... wouldn't be so bad if my doors were aligned properly :spank:

[David Gramlow]

Mike Trom said:Greg,

Both the GS400 And GS350 had the full wheel well trim, not the shorty version. The side sweep stainless trim was not an option on the GS, but I guess anything is possible.:Do No:

The shorty version was what was on the Skylark Custom, so the side trim looked like one continuous length of trim, instead of the wheel moulding extending below the line of the side trim, like it does on my car. Looks like GS wheel moulding on my rears, with Skylark Custom side trim added on. OR, IF I could find a build sheet, it "could" have been special ordered, but I doubt it.

[greg davis]

David,

my VIN is a 43437.

car was built in Baltimore.

i do have the original GS fenders stored in the garage with all the trim holes in place.


Greg

[David Gramlow]

Greg, I've always liked the 68 "ugly" fake fender vents, but I have to admit, the cleaner look w/o them is nice. :TU:

[greg davis]

David,

i agree, i love the chrome side sweeps and all the chrome that a Buick deserves.

no build sheet was found for my car either and i have looked many places (front seats, behind dash, top of gas tank) except the rear seat is not the correct one. the original is MIA.

our cars are very very similar, i hope i am not finding out the side sweeps and the trunk are incorrect all in one day :gt:

Greg

[David Gramlow]

greg davis said:

our cars are very very similar, i hope i am not finding out the side sweeps and the trunk are incorrect all in one day :gt:

Greg

The only proof on the originality of the side trim would be the build sheet, unfortunately. All that Mike is saying is that they are not listed as an option available for the GS cars, only the Skylark. Of course, that doesn't mean they weren't special ordered. If you were willing to pay, you could order "Riviera only" paint for your GS in those days too.

[greg davis]

David,

I was only kidding, seeing our cars both having them leads me to believe it was available. Like you said almost anything was available. I have given up on that buildsheet ever surfacing. I am not to worried about the originality of my car since I changed complete drivetrain, 69 hood ( I still love the hood), and used non-GS front fenders and filled in all the lower trim holes.

Mike is an incredible resource and I enjoy hearing his responses and respect his opinion and wouldn’t hesitate to ask him some more questions.

Greg

[David Gramlow]

Yep, Mike is a veritable fountain of 68 GS knowledge! :TU:

My 68 is so far removed from original... NONE of the drive train is original, from the air cleaner to the rear end. Was originally a teal blue exterior, with blue interior trim, parchment vinyl top. Now white with black interior scheme, black vinyl roof. 72 heads/intake, 71 block, TH350, 69 'lark 2.56 posi rear. And I'm going to take it further, with a 455 swap, and 15" rims. It's way beyond going back to original, so I may as well make it the way I want it to be. :TU:

[thepartsman]

Hello David,

At one time opt. code B28 was "Front and Rear Floor Mats"...



David

[Mike Trom]

Greg,

I hope I don't sound arrogant with any of my replies, I just use the information that I have collected as a guide to what was available.. I am just one of those people who don't believe anything until it is proven to me..:rolleyes: I would like to get to the bottom of the body side chrome issue since it has been found on more than one '68 GS but without any documentation to back it up. Again, anything was possible....

You say that you still have the original '68 GS fenders. Do they have holes where the chrome sweep would have been? The doors had holes at the begining and end of the chrome sweep and studs welded to the door in the middle (4 if I remember correctly). The only reason I know this is because I had to use '68 Skylark doors and fenders on my first '68 GS during its restoration and I had the fill the fender holes and grind the studs off of the door to match my original GS fenders.

As far as I can tell the side chrome was not even an option on any of the Skylark/GS models, it just came standard on the on the Skylark / Skylark Custom.

Don't be afraid to ask any questions about your '68, I have tons of info that I like to share....

:beer

[Mike Trom]

Here is a page from the '68 Salesmans Facts and Features book:

[David Gramlow]

Thought I would show you guys what the intersection looks like of my rear wheel well moulding, and the body side trim piece. Here's the rear of the wheel well:

[David Gramlow]

front of the rear wheel well. the well moulding is cut out (?) to fit the side trim piece.

[David Gramlow]

Also have the stainless rocker trim:

[Mike Trom]

Ah yes, the stainless rocker trim.... I can't find any '68 info on that either, but I have seen other '68 GS's with it...:Do No:

I like the way it looks....:TU:

[greg davis]

Mike,

no such thoughts of arrogance, just enjoying your comments and desire to respond and learn more from all this.

your knowledge and resources are very welcomed and respected.

we will all learn together and from each other and further continue to grow this Buick community.

looking forward to getting to the bottom of all this and am having a blast doing so.

i do have the original fenders and the original drivers sidedoor stored.

yes the fenders had the holes for the trim and the doors had holes on each end with welded studs in between. also the quarters were (3) mounting studs between the rear wheel opening and the door.

i will take some pics of the fenders this w/e.

i just noticed an ad for a '69 GS350 "enthusiasts, get enthused" and the 69 GS stage 1 ad with the side sweep trim but the '68 GS350 "stand up and take notice" doesn not show it.

so was it available in '69 as well? or is that year in question also.

now the rocker trim on davids car is a whole new deal. my car does not have the rocker trim.

Greg

[greg davis]

David, you got me on the rocker trim.

we should compare our cars options since they are so close.

i dont remember my wheel opening moulding being notched like you show. i will look at that also

Greg

[greg davis]

thepartsman,

floor mats sure make since as that code #B28 looking at the other ones are interior related.

thanks. Greg

[David Gramlow]

greg davis said:David, you got me on the rocker trim.

we should compare our cars options since they are so close.

i dont remember my wheel opening moulding being notched like you show. i will look at that also

Greg

My problem is that I can't claim anything is original on my car. I just don't know... It's been thru several owners, and it went thru an amateur resto in the mid 90's, with a 69 Skylark Custom as a primary donor car. All the interior has been redone, new seat covers, carpet, headliner, so the buildsheet could have been found and tossed by an ignorant person, or it could be on top of the gas tank! I haven't dropped it to check, may do that someday. Just my luck I'll find a 69 Skylark sheet :rolleyes:

[greg davis]

David.

i am sure since my car has the '69 hood on it throws more of a doubt on it as well.

Greg

[Mike Trom]

Greg,

That is very interesting to find out that your car has all the signs that the trim was factory installed. Do your fenders also have factory cut-outs for the lower GS fender trim also?

I still cannot find any info on the B28 code. All of my factory literature shows:

Y54 as front and rear floor mats
B32 as front floor mats only
B33 as the rear floor mats

I did find the B28 code listed as part of the W17 " Extra Cost Deluxe Trim" that included A51 or A65, C87, D15, Y17 and B28. So it does look like B28 is an interior trim piece. It could possibly represent "Remote Door Handles" (whatever those are) because those are listed as part of the W17 option package.

The only way I can think of to find out what B28 means is to find a "68 build sheet that shows this UPC code. Almost all of my info on UPC codes are related to sales codes. B28 is an internal GM UPC code.

I will continue to look and we may need to get Duane H (the build sheet expert :Smarty: ) involved with this one..

[greg davis]

Mike,

yes the GS and 350 as well as the simulated duct trim was all there.

i didnt want to try and make templates and cut up good lark fenders to put them on the car now.

Greg

[thepartsman]

Greg,

Just in case............

(1) Front fender mold. Left #1394263, Right #1394262
(2) Door mold. Left #7795253, Right #7795252
(3) 1/4 front lwr mold. Left #7795311, Right #7795310
(4) 1/4 W/O molding ( note: used with body side moldings only)
Left #7795317, Right #7795316
(5) 1/4 rear lwr mold. Left #7795325, Right #7795324
(6) Deck Lid molding (note: GS only) #7795381, (Skylark only)
#7795382, qty 2 of each.
Also your deck lid GS350 is correct and placement is correct
#7795353, 1968 only, GS400 #7795347.
Hopefully, I can help in running down some opt codes for you too.


David

[Nicholas Sloop]

thepartsman said:Greg,

Also your deck lid GS350 is correct and placement is correct
#7795353, 1968 only, GS400 #7795347.
David

I beg to differ. Unless someone can find documentation to support the combination of the horizontal trim on a 68 GS, placement is NOT correct. It should be at the bottom edge of the deck lid and not partially covering the lock recess.

[David Gramlow]

thepartsman said:Also your deck lid GS350 is correct and placement is correct
David

David, how can the placement be correct, if it is partially covering the trunk lock? Seems to me the lower moulding strip doesn't belong on with the GS350 trunk emblem. Am I missing something? :confused:

[thepartsman]

My appologies,

I did not make myself clear.
I was refering to the emblem itself on the 68 GS, placement is at the bottom edge and not covering the cylinder.


David

[greg davis]

Mike,

a couple quick pics of the original fenders. they are both together

i can pull them out and take full pics sometime if you like.

Greg

[greg davis]

another try

[greg davis]

same fender different view

[Mike Trom]

Greg,

thanks for taking the time to get the photo's. I would like to get to the bottom of this trim issue. I know it was not an available option but maybe it could be special ordered? Someday we may run across an original build sheet from a GS with this trim so that we can put this mystery to rest.

I have production figures for 68 GS350's that shows how many cars were built with each available option, so I guess it is time to dig it out and see if I can find any indication of this trim option.

:beer

[greg davis]

Mike,

i look forward to finding out the results. anything else you can think of let me know if i can be of assistance.
Greg

[David Gramlow]

Mike Trom said:Greg,

thanks for taking the time to get the photo's. I would like to get to the bottom of this trim issue. I know it was not an available option but maybe it could be special ordered? Someday we may run across an original build sheet from a GS with this trim so that we can put this mystery to rest.

I have production figures for 68 GS350's that shows how many cars were built with each available option, so I guess it is time to dig it out and see if I can find any indication of this trim option.

:beer

Mike, have a gander at the side SS trim on this ebay 68 GS400:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2433643885&indexURL=3&photoDisplayType=2#ebayphotohosting

[Mike Trom]

David,

Starting to see more and more '68 GS's with that trim. Maybe it was a late year option? what is the build date of your GS as indicated by the cowl tag?. I still cannot find any indictation of this trim as an available option, but it sure seems like it was.

:Do No:

[David Gramlow]

Mike, I don't recall the build date. I'll check after work and let you know.

[David Gramlow]

Mike Trom said:David,

Starting to see more and more '68 GS's with that trim. Maybe it was a late year option? what is the build date of your GS as indicated by the cowl tag?. I still cannot find any indictation of this trim as an available option, but it sure seems like it was.

:Do No:

Mike, the code is 12C, that's 3rd week December, right?

[Mike Trom]

12C is the third week of Dec. So it does not look like the side trim was a late year option addition. Someday I will get to the bottom of this...Hopefully someone will find a build sheet from a GS with the side trim...

:beer

[David Gramlow]

Mike, I'm going to email the buyer of the ebay car, and ask about obtaining the build sheet info if it is found.

[greg davis]

Sorry I havent replied but i was away on vacation.

My date code is:

01B

Baltimore.