How to dig up information on a 1973 imperial?

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AussieFellaWithaCbody

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I have found a 1973 Imperial i would like to buy however it is missing the fender tag so i have no way to tell the option codes. Is there any way to find this information?
It has a Vin, user manual and has a clean title. I don't believe it has an MSO.
 
Manufacturers Statement of Origin only exists as documentation when the original selling new car dealer gets the car. IF it exists past that point in the car's history, somebody didn't turn it in to the state back then.

Chrysler Historical might be of some help, but that can be variable.

Otherwise, you might find some sales literature and Color and Trim/Option guides in the various Library areas of www.hamtramck-historical.com. You can go through the "manuals" and see what your car has from there. Plus specs. Not nearly as clean as having a data plate, but doable.

Just some thoughts,
CBODY67
 
You may find a Broadcast Sheet under your rear seat and or carpet. This can then be decoded.
There are usually a few hidden in a car in various places. Usually on the underside of seats between the springs and burlap. I also found one in my car under the rear carpet.
 
You may find a Broadcast Sheet under your rear seat and or carpet. This can then be decoded.
There are usually a few hidden in a car in various places. Usually on the underside of seats between the springs and burlap. I also found one in my car under the rear carpet.
What is a broadcast sheet? I live in australia and have no idea...
 
377ABBAD-4C95-4A2F-A2FD-7D1E3FCB8285.jpeg

Here is a black and white copy of mine. This was found under rear seat. The black circular marks are from the seat springs.
With this and the vin you can go to the MYMOPAR website for vin decoders and lists of option numbers. I know there are guys on this site that are more familiar decoding these build sheets.
 
View attachment 384882
Here is a black and white copy of mine. This was found under rear seat. The black circular marks are from the seat springs.
With this and the vin you can go to the MYMOPAR website for vin decoders and lists of option numbers. I know there are guys on this site that are more familiar decoding these build sheets.
Thanks heaps. I will have a good look for one when i get it.
 
The broadcast sheets were put in place as the car went down the assembly line. They are the most accurate, as far as equipment, options and build date of your car. Unfortunately, they were printed on pretty much tissue paper or rice paper, and stuck in the weirdest of locations. Most were tucked in the coil springs of the seats but some were put under carpets, behind the globe box, just about anywhere.
If your lucky it didn't become rodent nesting material, or just disintegrate over time. Most became illegible for the most part, but still very cool if you can piece it together.
Good luck on your new car!
 
The broadcast sheets were put in place as the car went down the assembly line. They are the most accurate, as far as equipment, options and build date of your car. Unfortunately, they were printed on pretty much tissue paper or rice paper, and stuck in the weirdest of locations. Most were tucked in the coil springs of the seats but some were put under carpets, behind the globe box, just about anywhere.
If your lucky it didn't become rodent nesting material, or just disintegrate over time. Most became illegible for the most part, but still very cool if you can piece it together.
Good luck on your new car!
Thanks, hopefully it is a great car i will keep everyone posted.
 
On broadcast sheets . . . DO check the VIN on what you find to ensure it matches the vehicle you have!

As the various components of the vehicle are staged for installation on the assy line, the installer was supposed to match those sheets to the vehicles prior to installation. Sometimes, a particular color of seats (for example) might have been pulled from the wrong pile of like items, or stacked/staged incorrectly, as they all looked the same, so the right items were installed according to the sheet attached to the vehicle's body (for assy line use), but weren't accurate when the VIN was considered. So everything looked and was correct according to what was supposed to be in/on the car and the data plate, but were actually for another car that came down the line later or earlier. Usually, these "mistakes" were minimal, but if things got a bit frenzied on the line, things tended to happen "by sight" rather than "by VIN".

So, if what you might find under the frt lh seat doesn't match your VIN, then check the back seats.

Enjoy!
CBODY67
 
I just found this one last week while replacing carpet.
BBAB3C86-3DF2-46FE-A77A-038BAED3EE5B.jpeg

412B0C44-8FAB-44A6-AD8B-388397C308ED.jpeg

Still legible after nearly 56 years.
 
replacing
Were you able to clean this up any further? Looks like it came from a car built 2 days before yours, but from what I can see of the codes, appears identical!

Edit: Hmmm . . . after looking closer (sorry, phone is small and the 3 and 5s look the same) it appears that it IS from same car (Ref the SO #). But wonder why the Sequence Numbers are different???
 
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Nope. I left it right where it was and installed new carpet over.
Didn’t bother comparing the two ‘till you spotted the variation. Don’t know why that no. would vary. The first photo has correct seq. no. matching the vin.
 
I think that's great! It'll still be there when the next guy lifts that carpet in another 56 years from now!
 
Nope. I left it right where it was and installed new carpet over.
Didn’t bother comparing the two ‘till you spotted the variation. Don’t know why that no. would vary. The first photo has correct seq. no. matching the vin.

Does the second one show 10173 as the Shipping Order number?

Here's what a broadcast sheet from a 73 Imperial looks like:

YM43T3C173457.jpg
 
From what I can read, BOTH of those Monaco sheets have the same Shipping Order number - 10179. But the Sequence Numbers (in the first block) are different. And all the other numbers appear to be the same. I learn something here every day. Up until now, I thought that ALL of the build sheets from one car were identical - but apparently, it looks like this Sequence Number part of it can change up. I guess it helps to remember that all of these build sheets came from printers in all of the many far corners of the plant. Maybe the Sequence Number had some particular meaning for that individual parts or sub-assembly location, and varied (although the rest of the information, as it relates to the individual car, would be the same). Just a guess. Sure would have been interesting to walk down the line back in the day - wonder if Chrysler Historical has any old filmstrips???
 
As I recall the sheets were printed out at different stations along the line. Sequence numbers may vary according to build stations. Like the sheets found in the seat springs could have been stuck there where ever seats were assembled. Same with the dash assembly. I remember spending one night hanging broadcast sheets in the windshield opng as vehicles came down from the paint shop. We would read the body tag, pull a punch-card out of this huge file of cards, run it through a reader that printed out the broadcast sheet, tape it to the windshield header. Someone down the line eventually tossed it in the car somewhere.
 
Up until now, I thought that ALL of the build sheets from one car were identical - but apparently, it looks like this Sequence Number part of it can change up.

I guess it helps to remember that all of these build sheets came from printers in all of the many far corners of the plant. Hence the term "Broadcast" the sheet info was 'broadcast' across the plant to various stations.

Maybe the Sequence Number had some particular meaning for that individual parts or sub-assembly location, and varied (although the rest of the information, as it relates to the individual car, would be the same). As with fender tags, each plant handled sheet sequence numbers differently. what Hamtramck did was different than St. Louis.

WS23J77175635_Merged_600.jpg
 
Wow, thank you gentlemen! Like I said, I've been fooling around with these numbers for about 30 years now, and learn something new every day!
:thumbsup:
 
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