Hi all, a Mopar fan from the Netherlands

[Wietse]

I have no idea if this car was originally was made as "I" - Export specs or it was an original "U" - US model.
Hard to tell without tags.
I do know my previous and current Infiniti FX also has a fender tag, but still the number is stamped in the body.
Too bad they removed these, I am planning to get something fabricated (not for any sell reasons or something, show only) out of stainless steel with the codes.
As I mentioned I will make it in such a way that it is obviously not an original tag.

 

[Thedeputy]

You can order original tags at ecs-automotive but you will need to have documentation of the options.

Antoon

 

[Wietse]

I have no documentation at all, with a lot of luck i might find a build sheet in the dash or seats.
It looks like the car has not been stripped and painted on the inside so maybe the dash was never removed.

 

[Thedeputy]

A friend of mine thinks he recognizes the car. He thinks it was on a classic car dealer lot in Soest , stoutjesdijk was his name, about 25 years ago.

Antoon

 

[Wietse]

Did the car look the same as it does now?
Sublime color and R/T?
Its hard to tell what is original now without any tag info.

 

[Wietse]

I did not had a look yet on the engine number, but this will not be a matching block anyway, as from what i know it originally came with a 383 engine.

The currently installed engine has below coding on the deck (front driver side of engine)

E 440 B
9 26 HP2

 

[Thedeputy]

The 'E' designates it as a 69 model year 440. Check the pan rail on the passenger side for a flat machined surface. There should be a partial VIN number stamped.

Antoon

 

[Wietse]

I will be home again Wednesday, then i will see if i can find some more info.

 

[Thedeputy]

Exciting

 

[SuperFlyTNT]

Hello Wietse,

Welcome to the Board. I am the friend Antoon refers to who 'recognized' the car ;)

Back in 1992 Stoutjesdijk in Soest (currently I think it is called De Groot) had a 69 Coronet 2dr hardtop for sale with a 440. Back then those cars were pretty rare in Holland (even more rare than they are now ) and I have remembered it from the ad I saw in the Auto Trader. The ad was in black/white and the car was a very dark grey shade in the pictures, so I guess that it might have been dark green as you mentioned in an earlier post that you saw dark green paint. I am not 100% sure but I think it was advertised as dark green. The car also had the hood scoops and the side scoops. I have contacted a friend of mine, whose father was working at Stoutjesdijk at the time. Perhaps he still knows this car.

Here is a picture I have in my image collection of vintage car pictures in Holland:

This is - as you can see - a 70 Coronet taxi in Holland with license plate 71-56-MD. Usually a series of sequential license plates is reserved for a certain make. As your license plate is 71-58-MD, in todays market that would mean that the cars were registered practically the same day. However, back then and certainly with US cars these were not sold and registered as fast on a daily basis as they are now. There could be weeks or months in between registrations, however, I doubt that your car was not sold in 1969, but 6-12 months later in 1970 and registered as a 1970 model according to the VIN when it was sold. It would have received a duplicate VIN stamping on the inner fender with the complete 1969 VIN.

You can try and check underneath the driver's side trunk rail under weather stripping for a partial VIN that should match your car's original VIN. It should be a letter, then a 9 (for 1969) and then the 6-digit sequence number of your car.

PM me if you have any more questions.

Groeten uit Sint Maartensdijk ;)

Wishnu Ville

a.k.a. SuperFly TNT

 

[Wietse]

OMG, that's nice too see really appreciate the info.
That licence plate, almost got a heart attack thinking my car was a taxi before lol.
Yes, the colour I've came across was a metallic deep dark green.
Nice to know the car came as is with the scoops and all, I did notice the black insert in the side scoops are faded and the chrome is coming off, telling me it is aged and not installed recently.

But regardless of the registration date in the Netherlands, the car should be shipped from the US with a VIN, which should be a '69 VIN.
You think the VIN will be changed here in NL when it is sold, a new VIN is requested from the US and stamped in the body?
Say the VIN request was in 1970, so the car will receive a 1970 VIN, although the car is a '69er?

 

[SuperFlyTNT]

Since B-bodies were not assembled in Europe, the cars were built with a complete 13-digit VIN from the factory. Regardless of the date the car was initially registered in Holland, the original VIN remained with the car. Mopars assembled in Europe usually have a VIN with only the last 8 digits of the regular 13-digit VIN. The cars were shipped in parts ahead of ordering by any potential customer and as it could not be known beforehand what type of car the buyer wanted with which optional engine, the first 5 digits were left out.

Export cars were usually 'sold cars' before they reached the dealership. I am not 100% sure, but if your car would have been sold after the 1969 model year, the person who initially ordered it could have cancelled the order after the car arrived at the dealership. But still, the car would have received a duplicate stamp of its original 1969 VIN on the inner fender.

Anyway, the trunk rail and also the top flange of the radiator support should have the last 8 digits of the original 13-digit VIN stamped in them from the factory. Besides the engine (of still original) also the transmission would have the complete VIN stamped on it if it is from a 1969 model year.

SuperFly TNT

 

[Wietse]

I will be home again soon, hopefully by the weekend I will know more if I can find some more numbers on the chassis.
Also engine and tranny serial numbers I will get to see what is original.

 

[Wietse]

Today i looked for some serial numbers, the known location on the engine block, just above the oil pan has been machined and there is no number to be found. (engine will not be matching number anyway)
On the transmission i found the following: 2892093L 2534 9032
As per the date code, it will be a '69er tranny.

None of the numbers refer to the cars VIN, at least not the one registered.

I've also noted that there are numbers stamped on the top of the radiator support frame on the driver side.
I cannot tell how many digits are there, to get to it i will have to remove the paint and clean it up.

 

[Wietse]

Today i removed my rocker covers to replace them with some new Mopar covers and and new gaskets.
Found a quite nice surprise underneath them.
Dunno all about it but to me these look like adjustable rockers, possible 1.6:1 ratio?
I did notice that the valve springs are not sitting fully covered under the spring retainer, see pictures.
Or is this normal?
Cam follower looks to be a hydraulic type i guess?

 

[Thedeputy]

That's a Nice surprise indeed!
It's hard to tell the ratio just by looking. You either need to measure it or find a part number.
Those lifters are not necessarily hydraulics. I've got a solid lifter cam that also has clips on top.
The adjustable rockers can also be used the set lifter pre-load. If it's a solid cam there should be play between the valve tip and the rocker when the lifter is off the lobe.

Antoon

 

[Wietse]

I've checked for any part numbers but did not find anything at all.
I did not check for any clearance on any rockers, i do not recall any of them feeling looses when cleaning up.
Later on i already reinstalled the new valve covers because i don't like to leave it open.

 

[Wietse]

Well,
Today i decided to do some more digging in the VIN numbers that supposed to be on the engine and the radiator support frame, boy did i do a shocking surprise.

Keeping in mind myself (and the seller) was in the understanding this was a Coronet 500 (as per licence documentation) that was modified to look like an R/T.
Initially when i bought the car i did not look and was not interested in "matching numbers" etc. but looks like it worked out very well.

Oh, and some pics of my cleaned up engine bay and new side pipes.
Side pipes still need to be polished but did not want to spend more time on them for now and want to drive.
When the weather turns back to cold and rain it will be a good time to do this.

 

[Thedeputy]

Wow! This is a truly unique find. It's probably the only true Dutch R/T b-body!

Congratulations

 

[Wietse]

Well, the current VIN number stamped in the body is of a Coronet 500 that was originally sold in the Netherlands in 1970.
Which means VIN numbers were switched, this Coronet R/T has a "copy" of the Coronet 500 his VIN number and the moved them over to this car with the licence plates. (omgekat)
The car was never originally registered here, instead the took the VIN and licence plates of another car and put them on this one.
That is the reason the current VIN makes no sense as that mentions it is a 1970 model.
So who knows when this car came to Europe... all i care it is a real R/T