Re: IML: Imperials are a "C" or a ...???

["Bill Watson" <wwatson5@xxxxxxxxx>]

At no time did Chrysler ever claim the pre-1981 Imperial as a Y body.
Never!   They did claim the Imperial was "Y" car LINE.  But never car BODY.
Car LINE and car BODY are two different things.

Plymouth was "P" car LINE,  Dodge was "D" car LINE, DeSoto was "S" car LINE,
Chrysler was "C" car LINE and Imperial, starting 1958, was "Y" car LINE.
Although Chrysler had two different bodies in production prior to 1959, it
was not until the 1962 mid-size Plymouth and Dart/Polara arrived that
Chrysler began using, A, B, C, D for the bodies.   I have heard the new 1960
Valiant was the "X" body while the full-size unibody was referreed to as the
"A" body.

The "D" car BODY was the pre-1967 body and frame Imperial (not sure of the
exact year it was first called "D").  The 1967-75 Imperials were all "Y" car
LINE models built on the "C" car BODY.

The 1972 parts book, the first to mention car BODY, lists the various
variouos cas LINES (V, R, B, P, D, J, W, D, C, and Y), grouped by the car
BODIES (A, B, C, E) on which they wser built.   The "C" car BODY was used by
"P", "D", "C" and "Y" car LINES.

The "Y" car BODY was built from 1981 to 1983 and again from 1990 to 1993.
The car LINE "Y" was used from 1958 to 1975, 1981 to 1983 and 1990 to 1993.
The 1990 to 1993 "Y" car line also included the Fifth Avenue.   The revamped
1981 VIN layout permitted Chrysler to add a letter for the car MAKE - "P"
for Plymouth, "E" for Fargo, "C" for Chrysler, "B" for Dodge and "A" for
Imperial.  "E" would become Eagle for 1988.   The car MAKE was the second
digit in the VIN while the car  LINE continued as the 5th digit.

The 1955 and 1956 Imperials were "C" models (C69, C70, C73, C70*) with C55
and C56 as the serial number prefixes.  The 1957 Impeials used "C57" for the
serial number prefix and "IM" as the car line.code.

Bill
Vancouver, BC




----- Original Message ----- 
From: john sadowski
To: mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Thursday, January 25, 2007 6:42 PM
Subject: Re: IML: Imperials are a "C" or a ...???


I'm not sure if its in the service manual or parts book on the 66, but I
know someone that has a 66 & those books. It clearly states inside the front
cover of one of them that the Imperial is a D body.
John
----- Original Message ----- 
From: SpicemanII@xxxxxxx
To: mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Thursday, January 25, 2007 7:13 PM
Subject: Re: IML: Imperials are a "C" or a ...???


Where is the referrence to Imperial is the D or C body? All my parts books,
starting in 55 have Imperial as a Y body. It goes till my newest, 71 and it
is still a Y.
   DeSoto is an S. Chryslers are C. D is full size Dodge. P is full size
Plymouth.
   Who and what determined otherwise?
   Are you all using the series platform as determining a certain body?
Because, again, Imperials have 57 thru 68 that do not share sheetmetal. I am
not sure, but I think the platform might refer to a chassis as the platform.
There could be some argument here again. Yet, these and other years are Y
bodies. I, in selling parts, have always used Y for Imperials, never a C
body as referrence to an Imperial.
   Now, 1954, and older, Imperial is referred to as a C, or, top line
Chrysler, not a seperate car model as a Dodge or Plymouth from the same time
period.
                         Someone clue me in.    Joe Machado



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