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build date 55 desoto
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   Forward Look Technical Discussions -> Fender/VIN Tag and Broadcast Sheet DecodingMessage format
 
geoffs60
Posted 2020-02-11 8:21 PM (#594097)
Subject: build date 55 desoto


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I have a 55 desoto coronado, that i need if possible to get a build date for, i have emailed chrysler historic enquiring on payment for their data info, but no return email, is there anyone else that could supply supportive evidence of the build date off the VIN. I need this to get a lap/diagonal seatbelt exemption reduced to lap only, its not that i dont agree with safety but the centre pillar where a mounting bolt would need to go thru is to thin for a large bolt.
Thanks Geoff
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56D500boy
Posted 2020-02-11 8:36 PM (#594099 - in reply to #594097)
Subject: RE: build date 55 desoto



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The build date is on the cowl tag. Like for my 56 Dodge, it was SCHED 0515 = May 15, 1956, at the left side of the cowl data tag.

*IF* they make you put in shoulder belts, I did this on my 56 Dodge Custom Royal 4dr sedan and you would be hard pressed to figure that it wasn't there from Day 1.

Front Shoulder Belts:

http://www.forwardlook.net/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=67212&...

Rear Shoulder Belts:

http://www.forwardlook.net/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=67017&...









Edited by 56D500boy 2020-02-11 8:37 PM
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geoffs60
Posted 2020-02-11 9:01 PM (#594100 - in reply to #594097)
Subject: RE: build date 55 desoto


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Thanks for the heads up, seatbelts you have installed look great and offers a very good option. will check Cowl tag, however a lot of cars were manufactured late in the previous year proceeding their release date, so whilst the cowl tag gives the month and day is there anything else there that would determine the year ??? 1955 desoto may have been produced nov 22nd 1954 as an example. against an identical one being march 15 1955. Thanks Geoff
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56D500boy
Posted 2020-02-12 2:10 AM (#594109 - in reply to #594100)
Subject: RE: build date 55 desoto



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geoffs60 - 2020-02-11 6:01 PM

Thanks for the heads up, seatbelts you have installed look great and offers a very good option. will check Cowl tag, however a lot of cars were manufactured late in the previous year proceeding their release date, so whilst the cowl tag gives the month and day is there anything else there that would determine the year ??? 1955 desoto may have been produced nov 22nd 1954 as an example. against an identical one being march 15 1955. Thanks Geoff


I am not sure what rule you are trying to fight but as far as I know, in North America, the model year is the model year. Typically in the mid-50's the new model years started in October or November of the year before the nominal model year, i.e. October 1954 for 1955 model year cars. The model year would then run until August or maybe September of the nominal model year, e.g. August 1955.

In your example, the car that was built in Nov. 22, 1954 (which would be SCHED 1122 on the cowl tag) and the car built on March 15, 1955 (SCHED 0315 on the cowl tag) would both be cars from the 1955 model year run. As far as I know, North American car manufacturers did not offer seat belts as an option until *AFTER* 1955. Ford made a big deal of the safety of seat belts in 1956 but they were still optional. I know Dodge offered seat belts as an option in 1956, not sure about 1955.

REFERENCE: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=21&ved...

The advert below suggests that Safety Seat Belts were optional in 1956 Dodges "if you wish"



(56DodgeSafety.jpg)



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Attachments 56DodgeSafety.jpg (192KB - 262 downloads)
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geoffs60
Posted 2020-02-12 4:17 AM (#594110 - in reply to #594097)
Subject: RE: build date 55 desoto


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Appreciate your help. my SCHED shows 132, which doesnt really relate to much ??? in applying month/date. I suspect mine is early 55, orig sales invoice is for 06-09-55 and vin number is about half way thru total production for the 55 model Desoto F/Flite, so i am guessing 4th /5th month 55 for the F/Flite with the coronado being a specific ordered car. I think i will follow your footsteps in applying the seatbelts. For such an original car i was reluctant to drill holes in it to fit lap/diagonal belts , how ever in the sake of safety and in NZ having no other option then what you have achieved in your car looks great and i will similarly do the same.
Thanks Geoff
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geoffs60
Posted 2020-02-12 4:17 AM (#594111 - in reply to #594097)
Subject: RE: build date 55 desoto


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Posts: 165
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Location: christchurch New Zealand
Appreciate your help. my SCHED shows 132, which doesnt really relate to much ??? in applying month/date. I suspect mine is early 55, orig sales invoice is for 06-09-55 and vin number is about half way thru total production for the 55 model Desoto F/Flite, so i am guessing 4th /5th month 55 for the F/Flite with the coronado being a specific ordered car. I think i will follow your footsteps in applying the seatbelts. For such an original car i was reluctant to drill holes in it to fit lap/diagonal belts , how ever in the sake of safety and in NZ having no other option then what you have achieved in your car looks great and i will similarly do the same.
Thanks Geoff
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frwl
Posted 2020-02-12 7:21 AM (#594112 - in reply to #594097)
Subject: RE: build date 55 desoto


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Excuse me if I’m hijacking your thread, but SCHED 132 in your cowl tag means 132th day since 1955 DeSoto production had been beginning.
You need to know first day of production that helps you to know an assembly date.
Unfortunately I don’t know first day of production, but I have a picture of Service Car Record another Coronado, that shows SCHED 122 – Monday, March 28, 1955 (highlighted in red).
So your SCHED 132 would be Thursday, April 7, 1955…






(SCHED 122.jpg)



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Attachments SCHED 122.jpg (24KB - 269 downloads)
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Fireflite56
Posted 2020-02-12 10:29 AM (#594116 - in reply to #594112)
Subject: Re: build date 55 desoto



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Just to step in and help here a bit:

Since the U.S. 1955 DeSotos could be built in Detroit or LA, there are two different styles of data plates - one for LA that reads "Chrysler Corporation" and one for Detroit that reads "DeSoto Division". Some codes, such as paint and trim (aka interior), read the same between both tags. Others, such as the SCHED number are different. LA, as has been pointed out, directly corresponds to the scheduled build date in a MMDD form for the appropriate year. 0102 for example would be January 2 of the appropriate year for the model. In Detroit, they used a SCHED number that correlated to xxx day of production. If the '55 in question is a code of 132, that is as Igor has stated that it was scheduled as the 132nd day of production. HOWEVER, two things to clarify. First, a scheduled build date does not necessarily translate to being exactly the actual build date stamped onto the build card. These cars were scheduled ahead of time and even though that often lines up within a day or two of the actual build date, they are not the same thing. Second, as best as I can tell (and supported by 1956 data I have collected), the production days do not count weekends or holidays, so if we make an assumption for simplicity that the build card example shown above is for a car scheduled and built on the same day, then the 132nd day correlates to Tuesday, April 12, 1955 if we also account for Good Friday as likely not being a production day.

This is one of the many reasons I have been keeping a registry of 1956 DeSotos (and more recently 1958 and 1960). By collecting data from more and more cars, some of which have the build cards from Chrysler, I can get more and more accurate with all of this stuff and confirming theories. That amongst many other reasons such as narrowing down exactly how many of the 1956 Fireflite convertibles were pace cars, maintaining ownership history, survival rates, build patterns, etc.
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56D500boy
Posted 2020-02-12 11:41 AM (#594125 - in reply to #594116)
Subject: Re: build date 55 desoto



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Fireflite56 - 2020-02-12 7:29 AM
Since the U.S. 1955 DeSotos could be built in Detroit or LA, there are two different styles of data plates - one for LA that reads "Chrysler Corporation" and one for Detroit that reads "DeSoto Division". Some codes, such as paint and trim (aka interior), read the same between both tags. Others, such as the SCHED number are different. LA, as has been pointed out, directly corresponds to the scheduled build date in a MMDD form for the appropriate year. 0102 for example would be January 2 of the appropriate year for the model. In Detroit, they used a SCHED number that correlated to xxx day of production.


Well that is a new one on me, SCHED = days into the production for Detroit cars. While that might be true for Desoto, but I don't think that it is true for Dodge. See example Detroit 56 Dodge cowl tags with 0619 and 0801 respectively. Unless 1956 was awfully long (>365 days), 0619 = June 19, 1956 and 0801 = August 1st, 1956.



Edited by 56D500boy 2020-02-12 11:48 AM




(56Coronet2drHardtopWhiteOverCrownYellow.jpg)



(JeffPs1956WhiteBlackRedCR4drD500CowlTag_TrimmedAndEnlarged.jpg)



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Attachments 56Coronet2drHardtopWhiteOverCrownYellow.jpg (69KB - 259 downloads)
Attachments JeffPs1956WhiteBlackRedCR4drD500CowlTag_TrimmedAndEnlarged.jpg (120KB - 250 downloads)
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Fireflite56
Posted 2020-02-12 11:52 AM (#594126 - in reply to #594125)
Subject: Re: build date 55 desoto



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I'll be perfectly honest that I have only devoted efforts to the DeSotos, so I can't speak to what Dodge did in 1955/1956. I'd agree with your assessment though based on what you posted. For reference, I have data plate information on a couple Detroit-built 1956 DeSotos that have SCHED numbers of "1" and are right at the very beginning of the VIN sequence, which would be scheduled for day 1 of production.

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56D500boy
Posted 2020-02-12 1:12 PM (#594129 - in reply to #594126)
Subject: Re: build date 55 desoto



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Fireflite56 - 2020-02-12 8:52 AM

I'll be perfectly honest that I have only devoted efforts to the DeSotos, so I can't speak to what Dodge did in 1955/1956. I'd agree with your assessment though based on what you posted. For reference, I have data plate information on a couple Detroit-built 1956 DeSotos that have SCHED numbers of "1" and are right at the very beginning of the VIN sequence, which would be scheduled for day 1 of production.




The more I learn about the different ways that the different Chrysler Corporation Divisions worked, the more I shake my head. Lack of consistency across the Divisions must have lead to lots of confusion(s) and wasting of money (by all Divisions).

That said, I think geoffs60 is trying to get us to help him with regard to installation of seat belts in his 1955 Desoto. I am guessing that New Zealand regulations require seat belts be installed in an older vehicle if they were optional for that car in that model year. (???) . Based on available 1955 Brochures, I see no evidence that seat belts were a Desoto option in the 1955model year.

http://www.lov2xlr8.no/brochures/desoto/55dest/55dest.html

http://oldcarbrochures.org/United%20States/DeSoto/1955_DeSoto/1955-...

If geoff60 can NOT avoid installation, I had good luck ordering from Seat belt planet (I was close enough to phone and ask questions, etc. before ordering)

https://www.seatbeltplanet.com/?&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI8Lqq6dHM5wIVUb7AC...




Edited by 56D500boy 2020-02-12 1:31 PM
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geoffs60
Posted 2020-02-12 5:57 PM (#594142 - in reply to #594097)
Subject: RE: build date 55 desoto


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Thank you to 56dodgeboy,frwl,fireflite56, this has answered my question, and i do agree the 132 with a build date of april 7-12 would correspond to its sale date of 06-09-55. The info shared for the fitment of lap and diagonals is appreciated and this is the road i now will go down. Had the car been manufactured prior to 1955 say december 1954 i could have got away with lap belts only. 1955 is the change date for seatbelt configuration in NZ.
Regards Geoff
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59 explorer
Posted 2020-02-12 7:08 PM (#594146 - in reply to #594097)
Subject: Re: build date 55 desoto


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As David has noted, there is no consistency regarding data plate information between makes, plants and format until about the 59 model year.

Things to be considered, announcement day may have been in October 1954 for the 1955 models; however, the start of production may have been 6-8 weeks beforehand. Day 1 may have been sometime in August and continued day to day and as David noted did not include weekends, holidays, overtime or work stoppages

Your Coronado was a Spring Special and was publicly announced in January 1955 so production probably started late January/early February

Plotting the production dates with other 55s would probably answer some questions and create a lot more questions
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Chrycoman
Posted 2020-02-18 8:35 AM (#594457 - in reply to #594097)
Subject: Re: build date 55 desoto



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Chrysler Corporation made seat belts standard equipment for 1965 - front seat passengers. Starting in 1962 they made seat belt attachments standard for front passengers - the reinforced plates welded to the floor to which the seat belts anchors were bolted. Seat belts were a C$24.00 option in 1963 and 1964.

The earliest I can find safety belts in the parts catalogue is section 1-AA - Safety Seatbelt Package, 1955 Chrysler of Canada parts catalogue. The package contained two seat belts and all necessary attaching hardware pieces.

Seeing the confusion in trying to interpret the body tags for the various assembly plants I can understand why Chrysler decided to combine the assembly plants under one division and work toward a system that applied to all. Another change was to have all assembly plants built their own bodies and get rid of having bodies delivered to the assembly plant from the body plant by truck. The late 1950's was a period of major changes in how the company worked.


By the way, did you write to Chrysler Historical for the build record for your DeSoto? If it was shipped to New Zealand when it was built they probably don't have it. But if the cars was shipped by the owner sometime later, they should have it. No charge for it, but you need to give them a copy of the registration / ownership.


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