PONTIAC dealer codes

[balthazar]

Decades ago I sent away to get the factory paperwork for my '64 GP from a company that bought up (actually, I heard they were rescued from a dumpster and an agreement was reached) PMD's records. Just like anyone who's interested in their car's history/numbers, one of the things that tends to occupy the minds of car hobbyists is their car's past life. Specifically, what dealership did it come from?

Well, this paperwork included what's called a 'build manifest', which shows the VIN, options codes, other bits, plus the dealership numerical code. Here's one (see "07 679") - this is the 'factory's copy' :

This particular manifest is from the Car & Driver '64 GTO test car, the one where Pontiac slipped a 421 underhood in place of the 389 they were built with. Those extra 32 cubes were worth an official 22 more HP, but tuned the way it was it was FAR more. The C&D GTO did the quarter mile in 11.8 sec IIRC.

Unfortunately, the manifest doesn't ID the dealer (name/address), so unless you find the individual car's build sheet (it's 'birth certificate', if you will), it is very tough to find out the actual original dealer. This is a build sheet from a '70 GTO, note that besides the VIN, the spelled-out options, it has both the dealer code and the dealer name/address.

This is the golden ticket for a Pontiac hobbyist. However, there was no set rule about these singular paper copies as far as what to do with them when the car was assembled. Many/most times, they got stuffed into the car... but not always and not always in the same places. I've found them under the seat springs, way up under the dash. I never did find the one in my '64 GP tho.

Now, this company that has all the PMD records, from 1961 up until (who cares; I think) 1980, THEY have all the dealer IDs but never got around to compiling a list. So I started to reach out into the Pontiac community to find out dealer codes and compile them. This, I started around 1990, and I get quite a decent start on a list. Along comes this internet thing, and I find a very busy GTO site (ultimateGTO.com) that also has a list going, so I shelve the project.

Low & behold, I recently check back and the GTO site list hasn't been updated since 2009! That's it; 'just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in'. I don't know how many dealers we're talking about- my interest would be about '55-80... and the codes mathmatically allow for 27,000 numbers.... but the count is more like 4-5000, or so I was once told. RIght now my list is just over 1800, tho 450 of those have no codes associated with them.

Edited November 28, 2018 by balthazar

[Guest Pontiac Dealer Codes]

The 1989 Turbo Trans Am forum has a 59 page document listing all the Pontiac dealers from about 1991 or so-missing the Boston and NY zones.

[balthazar]

Thanks for that, tho they are missing more than just those 2 zones. However, by '89, GM might have condensed the zones; NY was always zone 03 & 05, but the '89 list shows many NY codes in zone 06. Need to verify.

UPDATE : still entering data from the TTA list, currently at about 2150 coded dealers, 5150 total. The other active list 'out there' is at 3200 dealers, but I do not know it's breakdown on coded vs. uncoded- I believe via talking to the compiler that they are all coded. If so, I should eclipse that and be around 4600 coded dealers and 7500 dealers total.

This is by far the most comprehensive list of Pontiac dealers in existence, to my knowledge.
There should be a way I can make a dollar off all this work...

[Robert Hall]

On 9/14/2019 at 3:36 PM, balthazar said:

UPDATE : still entering data from the TTA list, currently at about 2150 coded dealers, 5150 total. The other active list 'out there' is at 3200 dealers, but I do not know it's breakdown on coded vs. uncoded- I believe via talking to the compiler that they are all coded. If so, I should eclipse that and be around 4600 coded dealers and 7500 dealers total.

This is by far the most comprehensive list of Pontiac dealers in existence, to my knowledge.
There should be a way I can make a dollar off all this work...

Way cool... I've looked before for a photo of the Pontiac dealer that was down the street from my childhood home in the late 70s...it was across the street from my elementary school..walked past it for the first 4 years of school.    Montgomery Pontiac, Sunset Boulevard, Stuebenville, Ohio.   I have no idea when it closed, but there is a Speedway gas station and a Walgreens there now.    Still can remember as a kid walking past and seeing the new downsized '77 Catalinas and Bonnevilles, the facelifted '77 Firebirds, and a Can Am...

[balthazar]

I have Montgomery listed, 2001 Sunset, but no dealership pic yet.

This Safari sold for $36K this year- came from Montgomery:

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1973-pontiac-grand-safari-2/

Edited September 16, 2019 by balthazar

[balthazar]

Still working on this list- pecking at it here & again. Still finding new-to-me dealers.
Current numbers are approximately :
4400 coded Pontiac dealers,
7800 total Pontiac dealers

[balthazar]

STILL finding new-to-me dealers, plus a new stream of vintage pics online.
Current count :
4500 coded Pontiac dealers 
8400 total

 

[balthazar]

Gots 1,270 dealership photos in a file, and more trickle in all the time. Neat stuff.

Chenoweth Pontiac-Cadillac-Rambler, Wilmington OH ~ 

Edited February 13, 2021 by balthazar

[balthazar]

Now up to about 1470 dealership photos. Still around 4600 coded, up to almost 8700 dealers total. 
 

Edited March 12, 2021 by balthazar

[balthazar]

Line count in Excel/Numbers is now 9010 lines.  

[Guest Bill B.]

Do you happen to have Zone 12 Dealer 167 in your data base?   

[balthazar]

I answered you via the other board...
What year Pontiac are you researching?