Special ordered cars

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Hemiorangeswinger

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I was just curious if there's a way to tell if your car was ordered from a dealership without the build sheet (does the build sheet even tell you?) I noticed 1970 340 Swingers have the "M" on the second digit of the vin for medium class cars, I've never seen a vin on a 1970 340 Swinger with an "S" for special like the Dusters got. Did the "S" mean it was special ordered of just a very high optioned car?
 
Good question HemiOrangeSwinger, I was curious how many Special Order A-bodies there may have been. I know when looking in Jake Hare's Mopar Broadcant Sheet Decoding Manual he states "


Thats why when I found my broadcast sheet and found Box 13 with the number 9 in it now that put a smile on my face. I don't know if its anywhere else on the vehicle.
 

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The S is a "Special" price class generally the cream of the line received the S class code. GTS, GTX, "'cuda package", Challenger R/T, Charger R/T, Duster 340, Sport Fury fast top. They were not necessarily very high optioned or special ordered.

Like the factory super stocks got the O-code.
 
special order could be on any car. It means you went to the dealer and ordered it your way and not a general assembly line build for a dealer lot.

Special order is also on the fender tag under u-1 through 68 and 69 and after code Y39 or perhaps Y14 = sold car..
 
Cars had model numbers as best as I can describe. all 1970 Dart Swinger 340's were coded LM23H0R. all 1970 Valiant Duster 340's were VS29H0B. the S just went with the model like all 1969 Dart GTS's had LS23P9 or LS23H9.

No other reason.

BUT!!!!! the 1971 and 1972 Dart swinger 340 Canadian cars were Y39 Special build like the Hemi Darts that were pulled off the line or the 6-pak cars .

These were limited run cars on special build dates
 
People often mistake ordered cars (Y14) for Special Order cars (Y39)

A Y14 car had a deposit put down at time of order, either by a dealership for lot stock or a client ordering the car the way they wanted. The only way that would be 'special' would be for the person picking it their way & only to them.

Special Order cars on the other hand were actually special. A non-stock paint color, an upholstery type normally found on another model, Daytonas because they required outside vender modification, fleet ordered cars like cop cars, etc.
 
Was the 340 Demon LS29 and the 340 dart LM23?
 
special order could be on any car. It means you went to the dealer and ordered it your way and not a general assembly line build for a dealer lot.

Special order is also on the fender tag under u-1 through 68 and 69 and after code Y39 or perhaps Y14 = sold car..
Good one!
 
Hmmm, then it's curious why the Plymouth got VS.

LS was GTS and LM was Swinger 340 in 69, but....you'd have thought Plymouth being the "value" brand would have gotten VM for the 340 Duster instead.
 
V may just signify Valiant. As all Plymouth A body cars are a Valiant. Just like the Demon is technically a Dart.

The S code is just high price range, regardless of factory selected, dealer selected or buyer selected options. All Dodge Chargers, for instance, were Hamtrack build cars because the body required different sheetmetal stampings that were not shared with other plants. Dodge had the Charger as an exclusive body, while Plymouth had the Barracuda as an exclusive body, during the campaign changeover in '67-'68.

Chargers got the XS vin, because it is a high price range car. I would imagine a VS just signifies model + price range. In 1970, the Barracuda was no longer in the A body/ compact line and it marked the very first year for the Valiant Duster body, which carried the torch for the compact sport model cars in 1970. Dodge didn't get a coupe model until the 1971 marketting campaign changeover with everything. The Dodge coupe followed, due to the good sales reported from the Chrysler/Plymouth dealerships. They wanted to sell coupes at the Dodge dealerships.

This is also why you couldn't buy a 1971 Dart Swinger with a 340 from a Dodge dealer's lot stock. It had to be ordered at that point, because the 1970 year was sort of a fluke. They kept the hardtop with the 340 that year, because they didn't have a coupe available in 1970. From 1971 on, if you wanted to buy a high performance compact from Chrysler/Plymouth or Dodge lot, it was a coupe body.

With that said, seeing as how in 1970, the Valiant Duster was Plymouth's exclusive body for that one year, that may explain the VS vin. Makes me wonder if all 1970 Dusters have this vin.
 
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