Hypothetical VIN question:

[RemCharger]

It was around 48 hours in 1973, likely not much change for other years.

I'm fairly certain a buddy of mine had 2 74 Chargers, built about 200 apart, on the same day.

 

[Kern Dog]

I've heard the comments before about how the VIN isn't a guarantee of the last built of a model year. Mopar Action had an article on the "last built" 1971 Hemi Charger. Imagine how pissed you'd be if you had what seemed to be the highest VIN and you were absolutely certain that it was THE last one ever built....only to learn that a car with a lower VIN was actually the one.
I never had the money to buy anything that rare or valuable but it makes for some interesting stories.

 

[oldkimmer]

The Weldon museum claims the have the last of a few cars that don’t have the highest serial number. Go figure. Does the biggest $ win?

 

[SGTPaul]

Since I bought my car in 2010 without a fender tag or broadcast sheet, I've trying to narrow down the scheduled assembly date based on just the VIN. I've found many cars with higher and lower VINs than mine and fender tags (showing scheduled assembly dates) so I've created a spreadsheet tracking this. My wife says it's a waste of time and why does it matter, well it matters to me - I just want to know - ok get as close as I can. My car was assembled in Hamtramck and been searching for the same chargers from that plant. Got it narrowed down to mid-December 1967. But when I find cars from the St. Louis plant those VIN numbers are far lower compared to Hamtramck plant with similar scheduled assembly dates. I don't enter the St. Louis ones in my spreadsheet since it throws it all off. So I presume you can have multiple cars out there with the same last 6 #s but the plant letters would be different. I'm finding from my info I find they are averaging 1,100 +/- a day at 5 days of assembly, 875 +/- cars a day at 6 days a week assembly or 750 +/- a day is 7 days a week. My spreadsheet info below. Would be great if someone has a 68 Charger with a VIN really close to before and after me to help out.

 

[oldkimmer]

The last 6 cannot be the same with the same engine. That would mean the cars would have the same serial number/vin.

 

[SGTPaul]

The last 6 cannot be the same with the same engine. That would mean the cars would have the same serial number/vin.

Last 6 are a sequential number only. Of the 1st 7 the engine (5th character) and assembly location (7th character) could be different with the same last 6 from two different factories I believe. For example, you can have a Hamtramck charger with XS29L8B123456 and a St Louis charger with XS29L8G123456. Yes?

 

[cosgig]

But look at your door sticker and it’ll tell day time and shift it was either started or ended assembly

My door sticker says 9-69, and that’s all. My SPD is A01, October 1st.

 

[cosgig]

This may shed some light in the process of numbering a car….

 

[SGTPaul]

Interesting. what website is that from?

 

[MWbirdLOVER70]

My door sticker says 9-69, and that’s all. My SPD is A01, October 1st.

I’m pretty sure if you look at the fine print in the lower corners there should be info

 

[moparwacko]

I was always under the assumption the last 6 digits were the actual serial # for each year.
Theoretically:
69 RR - RM23H9A111069, and no other 111069 could be built that year of any Chrysler model.
No Coronets, no Valiants, no Chargers, etc.
70 RR- RM23NOA111069, OK because it's a different model year.

Have I been wrong all these years?

 

[cosgig]

I’m pretty sure if you look at the fine print in the lower corners there should be info

Nope, nothing about any of that, just the vin and the assembly month and year.

 

[cosgig]

Interesting. what website is that from?

It’s an article posted here in the wing car section. It’s entitled “how the Superbird was made” or something like that.

 

[Kern Dog]

I would expect that the sequence number could be used on other cars when the first 2 or 4 characters were different. I don’t see why a Valiant couldn’t have the same sequence number as a Satellite. Think of how many cars they made in a year. It seems 6 digits might not have been enough to cover all the cars so the sequence was unique enough when preceded by different XS29 or XH29 characters.

 

[cosgig]

I would expect that the sequence number could be used on other cars when the first 2 or 4 characters were different. I don’t see why a Valiant couldn’t have the same sequence number as a Satellite. Think of how many cars they made in a year. It seems 6 digits might not have been enough to cover all the cars so the sequence was unique enough when preceded by different XS29 or XH29 characters.

I’m almost sure the sequence number is just that, a sequential number, meaning that they are consecutive. It starts out as 100001 at most plants and goes up from there. What changes randomly is the car it’s assigned to, meaning 100002 is given to the next order logged, whether it be a Superbee or grandmas station wagon, or any of the different models that specific plant produces. Hence, there would be no 2 VINs alike, as only one of each sequential number is produced per plant.

 

[MWbirdLOVER70]

Nope, nothing about any of that, just the vin and the assembly month and year.

View attachment 1558336

Huh I’ll have to look at mine but swear I had info but on another car (90 Daytona ) it had that info so maybe that’s where I’m thinking of that

 

[Builderguy]

Kern,
My math is a little rusty so I had to look this one up:

how many 6 digit combinations of the numbers o-9 can be made
---------
0 to 9 is 10 numbers


--> 10^6 = 1,000,000 if you include 000000, 000001, etc

Damn

 

[cosgig]

My belief also is….that is the reason that the VIN system was changed from 14 digits to 17, they are producing way more cars now than they did in the 60’s/70’s

 

[Kern Dog]

Kern,
My math is a little rusty so I had to look this one up:

how many 6 digit combinations of the numbers o-9 can be made
---------
0 to 9 is 10 numbers


--> 10^6 = 1,000,000 if you include 000000, 000001, etc

Damn

If I recall, Plymouth built over 300,000 Dusters in 1973 alone. Imagine adding up the Valiants, Satellites, Furys, every other car. You could have exceeded 1 million cars in a model year, right?

 

[cosgig]

If I recall, Plymouth built over 300,000 Dusters in 1973 alone. Imagine adding up the Valiants, Satellites, Furys, every other car. You could have exceeded 1 million cars in a model year, right?

But those were not all produced at the same plant, multiple plants means multiple sequential repeats, but at different plants. Since the VIN reflects the plant in the characters, even tho every plant uses the same sequential system, the plant letter in the VIN settles that overlap.