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Veteran
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Location: NW Saskatchewan Canada | I am having problem getting the picture of my fender tag to go so will try again. I have a 1958 Dodge Coronet. Can some one please decode the attached fender tag for me? The Vin No. is LD2L**4768 How do you tell if this a Canadian or U.S. car? Thanks John
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Exner Expert 19,174 posts. Neil passed away 18 Sep 2015. You will be missed, Neil!
Posts: 19146
  
Location: bishop, ca | John, your car was built in L.A., and has that typical masking-tape shadow-impression, where it had been applied across
the middle of the P/T plate, when the body got painted.
As you have no "M" codes on your tag, about all that we can see is that your 1958 V/8 model Coronet 2-dr hardtop (which had
the 10.0:1 c.r. 325 c.i, engine, with 2-bbl carb and single exhaust, was built o.o.a. 1/7/58.
Its OEM color scheme was the Deluxe 2-tone pattern, with Beige on the roof, fins, and deck lid, with Sand Metallic on
the middle/lower areas.
The interior was/is the Beige&Sand vinyl & cloth motif.
You should buy a copy of the factory's IBM build-card (address/info on the Sticky @ the top of this board) in order
to learn/see a lot more information on the various OEM options that your car had, as well as confirm its original
engine number and its official 'Birth-day'!
BTW, I've seen your car's colors on at least one Texan model.
Is yours, by chance a Texan model?
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Location: The Mile High City | A very neat body style and color scheme! Do you have some pictures of the whole car to post? |
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Veteran
Posts: 123
Location: NW Saskatchewan Canada | Thanks so much for the reply. I think I know now which codes are for trim, paint, and the billed date. Can you tell me what tells you that it was a V/8, 2- dr hardtop, which had the 10:1 c.r. engine, with 2-bbl carb and single exhaust? I will buy a copy of the factory's IBM billed card. I would say that it is not a Texan model. I am sending a picture of the car so that you can see what it looked like when I bought it just over a year ago. The car is quite solid with not much rust. Just a lot of pieces missing - almost like it was somebody's parts car. I have acquired many parts (hood, glass, wheels, hub caps, etc.) since then. It does not have the correct engine as it has a 313 poly Canadian engine - I think. I will never find the original, but may find another 325. There are not many in Canada. The rear bumper is away getting plated right now and the door panels and original cloth and vinyl are ordered. It will not be a frame-off restoration - just do what needs to be done to make a nice driver.
Thanks again, John
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Location: The Mile High City | Hi, John:
That is terrific! I think you are approaching the restoration the right way: keep it simple and enjoy it as you restore it. The code "332" tells you it is a Coronet 8 cylinder two-door hardtop. I believe that the first number "3" in the sequence indicates that it is a Dodge. The second number "3" indicates that it is a 8 cylinder Coronet, and the third number "2" indicates that it is a two-door lancer. The presence of other numbers might indicate that your car had the optional "Super Red Ram", which is the 4-bbl carb with dual exhaust. Since your car does not have many numbers in the options field, I would guess that it was equipped with the standard Red Ram - 2-bbl. It shouldn't be much trouble finding a good 325 to put in there - someone on the site probably has a spare!
At any rate - here are photos of very similar cars... this will be yours soon! Enjoy! Sand and beige is a knock-out color combination.
Edited by Lancer Mike 2008-11-30 10:50 PM
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Veteran
Posts: 123
Location: NW Saskatchewan Canada | Thanks for the great pictures!! I'm motivated!!
We are thinking this is a 325 single exhaust engine, but I take it this is not for sure. I say this because I never mentioned earlier that the car now has no exhaust system at all, but the hangers and remnants of a dual exhaust system that I thought looked original are on the car. I suppose that a dual exhaust system could have been put on later in life. I do not think that the car had a long life on the road because when I got it, it had 1965 Saskatchewan license plates attached. I guess that doesn't prove anything. The original single exhaust system could still have been changed to dual exhaust, but then again could it be original. I guess the IBM build card would tell me. John |
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Exner Expert 19,174 posts. Neil passed away 18 Sep 2015. You will be missed, Neil!
Posts: 19146
Location: bishop, ca | Interestingly, my 1958 (revision; there WERE two of them, with the first one being laughingly incorrect) engine
brochure states that the 9.0:1 c.r. (I recalled-wrongly, per my previous message; it's 9.0:1 ) Polyspherical-head
2-barrel 252 HP engine with single exhaust was the standard Coronet V/8 engine ("Red Ram" V/8).
The standard ROYAL engine was this same engine, with 9.0:1 c.r., but with a 4-bbl carb AND, apparently, with a
single exhaust pipe, producing 265 HP ("Super Red Ram").
The brochure indicates that the ONLY optional engines for either car was/were the Wedge-head 361 c.i. D500 versions
(one, or two carbs, or Fuelie).
I'll re-check my Ross Roy Data book, tonite, to see if it says anything different, about getting a 4-bbl/dual exhaust on
either model.
Also, John: your car's V/8-model status is actually confirmed via its BDY code: LD2L, with the "2" being the V/8-model
designator.
I don't think that your car has the Custom Coronet interior option, which includes, most-obviously, notched
front and rear seat-backs, as seen in/on Mike's car's views.
I believe that your car's VIN plate, on the driver's door dog-leg, would have a prefix of LD2L-2 if it had that Custom
Coro interior.
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Member
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| That 'before' pic is very similar to what my '58 looked like when I found it in Chatanooga in 1995. Since than, I've made it a point to improve the car each year, without taking it off the road for any extended period of time. It's ironic that my Coronet has the same color combo with the 325.
Edited by Chris Hullinger 2008-12-01 8:29 PM
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Exner Expert 19,174 posts. Neil passed away 18 Sep 2015. You will be missed, Neil!
Posts: 19146
Location: bishop, ca | Chris, does your car's VIN plate have the prefix : LD2L-2 ???
Your car has the Custom Coronet interior scheme. |
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Location: The Mile High City | Chris, that car looks better and better every time I see it! That's the way to do a restoration! I think your photos are beter motivation than the other two. I didn't realize that there are a small collection of sand and beige cars out there. The sand/beige combination is gorgeous, but I once saw a sand/sunshine combination that was just putrid - but I loved it anyway.
Mike (the Rat Fink)
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Veteran
Posts: 123
Location: NW Saskatchewan Canada | Hi All, I went out and checked my serial no. just in case I made a mistake. It is LD2L **4768. My seats are notched front and back just like the ones in Chris's car. My door panels are /were exactly the same also. I am going to take some pictures of the exhaust hanger brackets just to see what you guys think. The exhaust deflectors were gone, but there were two small bolts dangling from the bumper on each side that used to hold them up. If you have a 58 Dodge service manual, take a look at page 2 of the lubrication section. The picture is of a 325 engine with a dual exhaust.
Is it right that the build card will tell me for certain which V/8 my car came with? I hope my car can some day look like Chris's. It looks great.
John |
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Location: The Mile High City | Hi, John:
Neil is much more well versed on the decoding of cars, but I thought the TRM number would tell you if the car had a standard interior or an optional interior (with the notched seat backs). I did think that the Super Red Ram for 1958 had dual exhaust. From what I remember, the Custom Royals came standard with the exhaust deflectors and a choice of the 350 Ram Fire or the D-500. For Coronets and Royals, I think the exhaust deflectors were optional when a dual-exhaust engine was ordered (like a D-500).
Edited by Lancer Mike 2008-12-02 11:09 AM
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Exner Expert 19,174 posts. Neil passed away 18 Sep 2015. You will be missed, Neil!
Posts: 19146
Location: bishop, ca | In 1957, the Custom Coronet interior-cars did have different TRM codes (like: a 112 for standard green, and 212 for
Custom Coro green; very-simple system).
In 1958 (as well as for 1956) Dodge seemingly assigned universal TRM codes, to each standard color combination.
I have a "124" TRM code for that all-black Coro 2-dr sedan, whose interior photos were posted on one of these recent threads. This car does not have a Custom Coronet interior.
However, I have another "124" car, a red/white Coro 4-dr sedan which DOES have the 'Custom' interior.
I have two other "142" cars: a beige and sand (Coro) Texan, and a Coro 4-dr sedan, but, those two cars do not have any interior color-style notes, so I don't know whether either/both were Custom models.
I presently believe that the Custom Coronet interior is ass-backwardsly denoted by the "2L" suffix on your car's MODEL number.
"332", for the BT('Body') means the standard Coronet 2-dr HT interior.
As your car's TRM code may not designate the Custom Coronet interior trim, the "2L" under the MODEL code is the only
thing that I can see which would confirm the 'Custom' interior.
I don't, even see any "Custom Coronet"coding-boxes on my copies of the 1958 Broadcast Sheet, or IBM copies.
I need to sample more 1958 Coronets......
Edited by d500neil 2008-12-02 9:15 PM
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Exner Expert 19,174 posts. Neil passed away 18 Sep 2015. You will be missed, Neil!
Posts: 19146
Location: bishop, ca | That Sand/Sunshine Coro, up above here, has at least one backwards-installed Shield emblem. And, Blue-Dot tail lights (no big deal, there).
I'd love to see its P/T plate, and VIN-prefix; it looks to have another Sand/Beige Custom
interior.
Edited by d500neil 2008-12-02 9:19 PM
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Location: The Mile High City | Here is the fender tag from a navy and silver metallic coupe I bought from Jim Helm and sold to Kent Johanssen. Similar to this car, it came from L.A. and had the deluxe interior.
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Exner Expert 19,174 posts. Neil passed away 18 Sep 2015. You will be missed, Neil!
Posts: 19146
Location: bishop, ca | Chris: are your seats notched-back, or straight-across?
John: what is your car's TRM code : "142", same as Chris', or different?
Mike: thats a nice car, there: gorgeous silver on roof, deck, and fins, with navy on remainder of car, with the ivory and black
Custom coronet interior.
Jumping-around, here, but on that "Craigslist " 58 Coro 4-dr Ht, the seller has posted good view of the Detroit-built car's
P/T plate.
I now know that Dodge in 1958 used a particular TRM code for several body styles. This 4-dr HT has the same "144" code
(red/black) as does Dan's 2-dr HT , on another thread, here.
I don't see any individual digit, in that 3-number code, which would designate the Custom Coronet interior motif. It looks
like all three numbers, together, designate one color scheme, and one motif (standard, or Custom trim), but, in several
different applications (2-dr HT/4-dr HT).
This makes sense, as I've also seen "124" used in a 2-dr, and a 4-dr, sedan (red/black, coincidentally).
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Exner Expert 19,174 posts. Neil passed away 18 Sep 2015. You will be missed, Neil!
Posts: 19146
Location: bishop, ca | I also learned/confirmed, from that Craigslist car, that on Detroit-built Coros (and , probably as-well, on L.A. built
Coros---haven't found one, yet, to confirm my belief---that the second-exhaust-pipe-option IS listed on the P/T plate.
You sample enuf cars, you get to learn/confirm some stuff!
Nobody, not even the Corp's Historical Society, has any listings of/for (all of) the option codes for 1956 - 1961 Dodges;
those documents were probably discarded during the dark days of the late 70's corporate realignments.
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Veteran
Posts: 123
Location: NW Saskatchewan Canada | Neil my fender tag is shown on my first post. Yes my trim code is the same as Chris's 142 John |
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Exner Expert 19,174 posts. Neil passed away 18 Sep 2015. You will be missed, Neil!
Posts: 19146
Location: bishop, ca | Brain-farting, here: John, your car's "142" TRM code pertains to its having NOTCHED seat backs, right?
Your car's interior looks (looked!) like Chris' car....?
Edited by d500neil 2008-12-05 8:37 PM
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Veteran
Posts: 123
Location: NW Saskatchewan Canada | Yes Neil my car has notch back seats. The car has the original vinyl on the seats and that is the same as Chris's. You can see in the stitching that the cloth has been replaced at one time so it is not original and not the same color as Chris's. I ordered new material from SMS and the samples they sent me for the correct material for my trim code is just like Chris's. John |
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Veteran
Posts: 123
Location: NW Saskatchewan Canada | Chris Was your sand- beige Coronet built in LA? Was there a tape strip across the fender tag like mine? John |
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58 - Coronet Fender Tag Decode
