In the '70 MY, I'm wondered if the 383 "N" was a mid-year introduction/availability situation. My car was built in March, yet the owners manual only mentions the 383 2bbl and two 440s as being available. Similar with the one '70 Monaco sales brochure I know about. But it's in the '70 Dodge C-body FSM. Seems like the '70 printing parts book is kind of elusive about that engine option, in some cases, as I recall from earlier times?
In some respects, my DH43 kind of bridges the gap between a "Plymouth" and a "Chrysler" as it's more of the size of a Plymouth, but has many luxury options more associated with New Yorkers. Power split bench seat w/rh recliner, power windows, power locks, etc. With the "more intimate" rear seat due to the formal roof line. Can't forget "magazine pockets" on the backs of the front seat! Manual a/c, Tilt steering column, cruise control, the (upscale?) Rim Blow steering wheel. The seldom-seen factory W23 Class II 16-slot road wheels, at least on the earlier models (until they came to be "prime time" in '74). "Chrysler" luxury without the "bulk", so to speak. And, of course, the 383 "N", TF, and 3.23 gears! I added a '70 AM/FM-Multiplex and 4 factory speakers (using the center speaker that was already there) in '77 or so . . . all NEW from the local Chrysler dealer, at a time when it was suspected it'd all be NS1. I had to build the front-to-rear harness for the rear speakers, as that was the only item NS1 at that time.
In earlier times, I liked the '70 300 more, but we has a very weak Dodge franchise in town, so not many Dodges. Many more Plymouths. But there were some very spiffy Dodge Cs in that time, too! So, as the data decal on the door has a build date of "03-70" on it, it would have been built in the month which would have coincided with delivery in May, or my high school graduation. Not the desired 300, but a desired substitute, IF that scenario had played out, back then.
After I got the car in '75, I'd not seen any other DH cars. Mine has the vinyl interior and roof. I finally happened upon one in North Dallas (where I was working back then) that had the cloth interior. "Whorehouse brocade" as I termed it. I was glad mine was what it was. Darker green as mine is the medium green, exterior, with the same dark green interior color. Nile Green, I believe?
I didn't see another DH car until in the '90s. I was at Mopar Nats and a '70 DH 2-dr ht drove in. Same color as mine, but a 383 2bbl car with few options from NY. The guy, his wife, and baby were making their first trip to the Nats in that car. I found a set of backup light body castings up there one year, too, from a Chicago-area dealer that was selling their obsolete parts. The only DH-specific items I'd seen up there! So they found a place in my suitcase for the trip back to TX.
Seems like the "Standard Book of Chrysler" shows '70 Monaco production at just over 20K units? Separate out the DH cars, the 383 "N", the Brougham Package, and W23 Class II 16-slot wheels, and the numbers of that combination should get pretty low, I suspect. After I saw the generally low DH production numbers, I wondered how I managed to happen upon it? Which is why I still have it, albeit in a "survivor" condition from its prior "nice used car" condition. As bad as it looks, and the areas that need attention on the body, some paint and other things would make it look much better. Still has the OEM powertrain with about 160k miles on it. When I last drove it, that 383 "N" didn't hesitate to spin the speedo needle toward the triple-digits at part throttle. Those lovely engine sounds and the way the shift points all made it happen so easy! One of these days . . . it'll be baack.
Somewhere in the middle '70s, after the Cordoba/Charger SE was around, seems like the magazine road tester dubbed the X/S car being tested "Executive Express". B-engine, leather, stereo, etc. That would fit my DH43 perfectly! Which, I guess, would be where the DH43 would fit best . . . kind of in "full-sized Buick" territory, of a successful upwardly-mobile middle class person. A nice car without the ostentatiousness of a "higher-priced" nameplate. With a little more credibility to the "luxury" orientation as it was closer in the model hierarchy to Chrysler than Plymouth was.
To me, respectfully, the earlier Plymouth VIP was more "pretender" than the later Fury Gran Coupe (Fuselage) cars were, when luxury was more designed-in than added-on. In comparison, the 1965 Chevy Caprice and Ford Galaxie LTD did it better, from what I could tell, back then. Cadillac HATED those '65-'73Caprices! The LTD probably didn't do Mercury any favors, either, but Mercury had always had a different customer than Ford did anyway.
Enjoy!
CBODY67
... I never understood all that paranoia about information , VINs , license plates , names.... It is all obtainable if you really want it .
