Re: [FWDLK] I need your help on 55-62 cars

[Terry & Andree Hoeman <tehoema@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Good point.  The parts manuals started assigning letters to the year series.
My 57 power wagon is amazingly listed as a K series!!!  Can't remember
seeing any references to letters before that though.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Wayne Graefen" <wgraefen@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <L-FORWARDLOOK@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, April 23, 2003 7:17 AM
Subject: Re: [FWDLK] I need your help on 55-62 cars


>     Because there were no truly different chassis types other than
> some wheelbase variations all of full size cars, the body type
> designations of B, C, E, etc. were not used prior to 1960.  Each
> year had only a letter designation for all MoPar cars built in that
> year.   Thus, for example, the 1957 model year for Imperial,
> Chrysler, DeSoto, Dodge and Plymouth were all "K" models (not to be
> confused with "K-cars" of later years!).
>     Now '57 is my year of specialty but from assorted paperwork, I
> have, I do know for certain that 1958 were all "L" models and I
> think I have support paperwork indicating 1956 were in fact "J"
> models.  The progression here is obvious.
>     I do not know if the '55 model year was called "I" because of
> its confusion with the letter 1 (one).  I am relatively certain that
> the '59 model year were all "M" models.
>     So how or when was this model designation used?  I think if you
> were a parts counter man in this era, you may have been aware of
> factory parts sheets that occassionally would reference the model
> year, such a a page I have for "K Series Exhaust Parts for Sports
> Cars" which charts pipes and mufflers for Furys, D-500s, Adventurers
> and 300s.  Or if you worked in corporate offices or someplace like
> the carburetion lab, you would see plans for the L series year or
> similar.  It was not a popular designation that a salesman or
> mechanic would even be aware of.
>     I'm sure I could be enlightened further on this subject myself.
>
> Wayne Graefen
> 1957 300C Model Year Consultant to the Chrysler 300 Club Intl
>
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2003 Calendar voting results and ordering information is online!  Please visit:
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