Deciphering '40s Mopar data plates

[DeS-11]

Does anyone know of a site that tells how to decipher the information on the firewall data plates on '40s Mopars (the one with "model," "body," "paint," etc.)? I can't find much (most is geared toward later models), but I want to see what I can determine off of mine.

[Mezz]

This is the best description I ever found but it doesn't identify everything, and I know some tags have other number groupings on them.

I think the 02 is the # of doors, my town sedan has 4TW in that spot.

 

Edited July 27 by Mezz

[Chry41]

Thank you Mezz,

It's a never-ending task of research. 

[Chry41]

DeS-11, 

I am the original author of that thread and the one who did all the research on what those numbers mean. Here is the most current picture. The 28 should read "engine series", not the "platform series" Everything I have is for Chrysler, but if you post a picture of your data tag, I might be able to help.

Edited July 28 by Chry41

[DeS-11]

Thanks for the replies. Chry41, where is the thread that you mention posted? I'd be interested in reading it in its entirety. 

[Chry41]

https://forums.aaca.org/topic/311115-decode-my-41-chrysler-body-tag-org-paint-mystery/aaca.org

[Mezz]

Thanks for assembling all of that info, Chry41, I've had a lot of fun looking up the plates of my cars.  Just for fun, have you ever seen a plate with this additional info?  Its from a 41 crown imperial with a divider window.  I've seen other imperial plates, the only other one I've seen with this extra info also had the divider glass so I'm guessing that at least some of it has something to do with a second upholstery code?

[Chry41]

Whoa, that is certainly something I have never seen before. The C-28 Royal/Windsor 8 passenger LWB Sedan Limousine was a rare car (I think less than 300 units). This tag however, shows that this car was built on the New Yorker/Saratoga platform as designated by the C30. As far as my research goes, the 8 passenger limo was never built on a C30 chassis. I will dig deeper into this.

[DonaldSmith]

 I have seen photos of a 1948 Chrysler Town Sedan with the limousine glass divider behind the front seat.  The Town Sedan has the front doors wide enough to get the B post and divider somewhere behind the driver's seat.  - Here we go!

 

 

  

[Mezz]

On 8/3/2024 at 10:11 PM, Chry41 said:

As far as my research goes, the 8 passenger limo was never built on a C30 chassis. I will dig deeper into this.

Well, I don't know if they made any that weren't Imperials, but they made at least one Imperial.  I've never seen another.  All of the Crown Imperials were C30's, I think the LWB bodies were custom though. 

[DonaldSmith]

That sucker has a one-piece curved windshield!  I have photos of a 1942 Imperial limo, with everything on it, including a curved windshield.  So Chrysler, Briggs and a glass company were playing with it before the war.  In the late 40's, cars were in such demand, so why bother with something new?  Wait for the early 50's.   

 

Other than the experiments with the windshields, the long wheelbase sedans were a stock body.  Think Sedambulances, DeSoto taxis and Suburbans.   

[DonaldSmith]

I saw another Town Sedan yesterday,  at a Chrysler Restorers Club car show in Windsor, Ontario. A 1947 New Yorker. 

 

This one looked like it had been rode hard and put away wet since the photo was taken.   The new owner has a lot of interior restoring ahead of him.  He told me that this car had been made for a Chrysler executive, thus was quite exclusive.    

 

The car has the partition behind the driver, with the glass operated by pushbutton.    Dual heaters are ducted through the kick panel.   The front doors continue these ducts, to the bigshot passenger compartment. 

 

So, it seems for definition, a limousine is not necessarily a long wheelbase sedan, but a vehicle with a divider between the driver and the important passengers. 

 

I'll post some photos after I go through the trauma of trying to unload them.