Plymouth p-15 serial number question

[Seth g 1947]

I have a serial number question i can’t find what year is my Plymouth or where it is made can someone help me out ? It’s  12070743

Edited July 21, 2018 by Seth g 1947

[Plymouthy Adams]

top of this page is the resources tab, click there then click on the P15 page....

[Seth g 1947]

My problem is none of the numbers match the ones are on the resources page on my serial number 

[Plymouthy Adams]

you just not looking...….check out the 1949 P15's    don't ever just accept the average person's thoughts that they were 1946-48 years only.....

Edited July 21, 2018 by Plymouthy Adams

[greg g]

Picture of car and number plate???

[TodFitch]

Keep in mind that the a number of the serial number listings show the 1949 P15 production as having occurred in 1948. With that in mind, the books I have indicate:

 

Serial Number	12070743
Found in range	11854386 to 12116123
Serial	216358 of 261738
Year	1948
Make	Plymouth
Model Name	Special DeLuxe
Model Code	P15C
Plant	Detroit
Engine	6 cylinder 217.8 cu.in. L-head
Wheelbase	117 inches

[Plymouthy Adams]

our own p15-d24 P15 reference page separates the 1949 model which puts this car definitely in the first series class  THAT IS....IF  we can trust our very own reference pages on the site..

[B-Watson]

Problem with the 1949 1st series is that it was created by the marketing people while the lists that do not have a 1949 model year were provided by the Engineering Department, the ones who assign the model codes (eg, P-15).

 

So, for the P-15C Special DeLuxe, Detroit production, as per the Engineering people :

1946 -  11,496,001 to 11,643,103

1947 -  11,643,104 to 11,854,385

1948 -  11,854,386 to 12,116,123

 

As per the Marketing people, serial numbers are :

1946 -  11,496,001 to 11,643,103

1947 -  11,643,104 to 11,854,385

1948 -  11,854,386 to 12,066,019

1949 -  12,066,020 to 12,116,123

 

Thus 12,070,743 is a 1948 model by the Engineering people and 1949 by the marketing people.   As the Marketing people pushed the 1949 models as 1949 models in 1949, they should be considered 1949 models.   If you check the used car guides (Blue Book, Red Book, and NADA) as well as Branham Automotive Reference, they all list the 1949 models, 1st and 2nd series.  

 

The 1949 models went into production at the serial numbers listed above on December 1, 1948 and continued until P-15 production ended the last week of January (23-29), 1949 - in the U.S.  Production of the 2nd series 1949 Plymouths began the week of February 13-19, 1949.

 

In Canada there was no 1st series as production of the 1948 models ended at the end of December, 1948.   And production would not resume until the new 1949 models were ready in late February, 1949.   Yes,  production  at the Windsor, Ontario, car plant for January, 1949 totalled a big, fat ZERO!   Sales of the postwar models were starting to sag by December, 1948.

 

 

[Andydodge]

Not trying to confuse or upset anyones applecart but apart from the serial number indicating that a car was indeed made as a "1949" model is there ANY difference in appearance, parts used, options etc of a 1st series 1949 model to a 1948 model.........is it literally just the number on the plate?.............andyd    

[49D-24BusCpe]

7 minutes ago, Andydodge said:

Not trying to confuse or upset anyones applecart but apart from the serial number indicating that a car was indeed made as a "1949" model is there ANY difference in appearance, parts used, options etc of a 1st series 1949 model to a 1948 model.........is it literally just the number on the plate?.............andyd    

 

Andy,

    My '49 1st. series is a Dodge, but I haven't found a difference from a '48 D-24, EXCEPT for the Serial Number!

Walt

[B-Watson]

Just the number on the serial number plate.  Not even the body plate would help.  And that holds for all Mopar Engineering 1948 models that were 1949 for the Marketing people. And also the 1946, 1947 and 1948 models. In the case of Plymouth even the paint colours were the same for 1946 to 1948/1949.   There were some minor changes in hood ornaments, interior trim, and fender stampings (to hold bigger tires).  But to the casual observer (ie, your basic everyday car owner) nothing changed.

 

And I think that hurt Chrysler.   In 1941 Chrysler was #2 in car and truck sales but by 1948 it was #2 in cars sales only and in1952 dropped to #3.  1946-48 Chevrolet, Pontiac, Oldsmobile (except 1948 98), Buick, Nash, Ford and Mercury all had models that were carried through the three years 1946 to 1948, but all had differences in grilles, side trim, interiors and colours.  If you bought a GM, Ford or Nash vehicle your neighbours could tell you bought a new car.   And trust me, neighbours back then  knew what everyone drove and who had the new cars.  And the first question a neighbour would ask a neighbour who came back from a trip by car was - How many cars did you pass?  How many passed you?  How fast were you travelling? etc., etc.   None of that "have a safe trip"? nonsense.  Can remember my father being put through that when we got back from a two week trip to see my mother's sisters in 1955.

 

Thus when a person traded in their blue 1946 Plymouth for a green 1st series 1949 Plymouth, the first thing out of the neighbour's mouth could be -  "What a neat idea!.  Paint your old Plymouth green and everyone will think you bought a new car!"  No one could tell what year the car really was without knowing the serial number sequences.

 

Bill