HELP! Body Number Location on 70 340 (H Code) Swinger

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gregpurcell

gregpurcell

Greg Purcell
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I have a 70 Swinger 340 4 speed (body only). Actually I've been told the fender tag says it's a 3 speed stick shift rather than a 4 speed.

It's definately a real 340 H code car with the frame torque boxes, heavy leaf springs, the Kelsey Hayes brakes, coin welded on the K frame, sway bar etc, but there is no vin number (at all) stamped on the radiator support. I sanded it to bare metal, it has not been welded, filed or replaced..there is just no stamping on the left side anywhere. I know where it should be, I've been doing this for a while :)

I remember reading a thread several years ago (before it was pertainent to me) about some of the 340 cars having the body vin located somewhere else in the engine compartment (inner fender perhaps?)rather than on the radiator support.

I thought this might make a good topic for discussion. I know the body vin is supposed to be stamped on the speaker shelf in the rear, but I'm not certain where to look. I'd like to find it and all the other hidden number stampings also.

Here's a couple of pics of the car, the vin and the fender tag:
340dart.jpg

340dart31.jpg

340dart30.jpg

340dart29.jpg
 
found the VIN stampings on my 70 Dart Swinger on the top edge of the right side inner fender apron, underneath the lip of the fender where it attaches to the inner fender, about a foot forward of the right side firewall. Also found the number stamped underneath the trunk rubber, on the metal lip, on the right side, about a foot behind the hinge. If I remember right the stampings contained the last six or seven of the VIN number.Ben.
 
Not sure what year the package shelf thing was, my 72 Duster 340 has the Vin stamped on the driver's side of the package shelf, about 6 or 7 inch from the sail inward towards the middle...
 
found the VIN stampings on my 70 Dart Swinger on the top edge of the right side inner fender apron, underneath the lip of the fender where it attaches to the inner fender, about a foot forward of the right side firewall. Also found the number stamped underneath the trunk rubber, on the metal lip, on the right side, about a foot behind the hinge. If I remember right the stampings contained the last six or seven of the VIN number.Ben.

On the inner fender, I've read about that one somewhere. Did you have to remove the right fender to see it? Thanks!
 
gregpurcell said:
found the VIN stampings on my 70 Dart Swinger on the top edge of the right side inner fender apron, underneath the lip of the fender where it attaches to the inner fender, about a foot forward of the right side firewall. Also found the number stamped underneath the trunk rubber, on the metal lip, on the right side, about a foot behind the hinge. If I remember right the stampings contained the last six or seven of the VIN number.Ben.

On the inner fender, I've read about that one somewhere. Did you have to remove the right fender to see it? Thanks!
Click to expand...

Yes the fender has to be removed to see the one on the top of the inner fender. The one in the rear requires the trunk rubber seal to be removed from the lip to see. Ben.
 
Yes the fender has to be removed to see the one on the top of the inner fender. The one in the rear requires the trunk rubber seal to be removed from the lip to see. Ben.

Damn! The front end has very little rust. I wasn't planning to drop the fender. The trunk rubber is toast. I'll look there and on the rear speaker shelf. It's really odd that there's nothing on the radiator support.
 
Now that is something that is most certainly a topic to talk about. The two areas mentioned, the package tray and on the right quarter trunk lip are the spots that seem to jive but its the under the hood spot that tends to be different. I dont have a 340 Swinger (YET) but I hit the shows and look at every one of them. A buddy of mine has an unrestored 340 H code Swinger and his VIN numbers are on the radiator support about even with the left valve cover right on top. At first I questioned this location but I have seen some more with the numbers stamped there. My car is a base 6 cylinder car and the package tray and quarter trunk lip are accurate locations but there is no vin on may radiator support. I wont be pulling the fender anytime soon to check to see if the numbers match. The package tray and trunk lip ones do so I will just go with that but is this radiator support vin legit or are some people just stamping numbers with a punch in some instances. My buddies 340 is an untouched original paint car but he is not the first owner and I talked to him about this and he too would like to know if these numbers are in a legit spot. This is one of them topics that could use clarity!!
Chas.
 
The post that I read years ago was only one person on a thread who said that the Canadian made 70 340 Swingers did not have it on the support. I didn't pay any attention because I was searching for something else at the time and didn't own a 340 Swinger.

I have not been able to find any more on that lately. That's why I started this thread. Most A bodies that I've owned have had the vin either on the top lip of the radiator support or on the back edge toward the engine.

UPDATE:I LOVE "the Google!".. I found the original post! A member called "davescuda" writes about halfway down that there is no vin on the support:
davescuda
05-12-2011, 10:21 PM

there is a vin on the radiator support, hard to see sometimes.
not on 1970 340 darts. the numbers are under the passenger fender on the inner fender. only this year for some reason. i think they where all built in canada.

http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/archive/index.php/t-143517.html
 
The differences might be in the assembly plant. Yours has an R. All my 70 dusters have a B which is hamtramack. they all have the rad support, package tray, and trunk lip vin.
 
Ok, I got the trunk vin located. NUMBERS MATCH CAR :)
340dart32.jpg

Can we get more specific about the location on the package tray VIN stamping?
7 inches from the sail puts me in the speaker hole. Thanks!
 
Only Dusters and Dart Sports have the vin on the speaker shelf not 70 Swingers that i have ever seen and it is usually along the drivers side of the speaker opening. I have seen some R built 70 Swingers with the vin on the radiator support also.
 
gregpurcell said:
Ok, I got the trunk vin located. NUMBERS MATCH CAR :)
340dart32.jpg

Can we get more specific about the location on the package tray VIN stamping?
7 inches from the sail puts me in the speaker hole. Thanks!
Click to expand...

You need to stop sanding (or using any abrasives) on body numbers. Even your vin looks like it is getting washed out.

If you need to uncover a number use some chemical stripper, tape off the area and brush the stripper on.
 
Even your vin looks like it is getting washed out.

The vin tag was painted over when I bought the car. And yes, I sanded it down before I bought it to see if it was an H code. It's pretty much ruined as far as the stock look, so I'll eventually strip it to bare shiny metal.

Also, you're right. I did sand on the trunk rail. That number was photographed but eventually will be covered by paint, rubber glue and weatherstrip.

Chemical stripper would be a good idea anywhere else I find the numbers.
 
I got my vin from the trunk lip area by putting some masking tape on the underside after feeling around for the 'bumps' and rubbed a bit of grease off the differential on my finger and lightly rubbed the tape and pulled it off and just reversed the numbers and wrote them down. I did not want to remove anything as the car is done. When I do the motor and suspension swap I will be taking off all the front sheetmetal to repaint the inner fender and firewall areas so I will get them numbers then. Kind of a 'moot point' as the other numbers match but I can say then that all body numbers match!!
Chas
 
This would be a great time for someone stripping a parts car or doing a full restore on a 70 Swinger to record the spots where there VIN#s are and take pics and post them with the info. Greg, you have yours and maybe some others do as well. It seems there are some differences based on assembly plants?? Maybe Galen Govier needs to be contacted and the numbers guru could set us all straight but I dont think he spends as much time on the A platform as the B and E bodies?
Chas
 
I cant add much here other than my 70 has nothing on the core support unless its under a fender. I did not see the car with the fenders off. The rear does not have any numbers at all, either under the rubber seal or the package tray. The rear number is usually on the driver side under the rubber seal and I looked it over very close and found nothing. My car has had a quarter panel put on the passenger side so that may have removed the numbers, but ive never seen them on the right side in the rear.
 
My trunk number was on the passenger side right where Bmauldin suggested:
"Also found the number stamped underneath the trunk rubber, on the metal lip, on the right side, about a foot behind the hinge."

BTW, I appreciate ALL the info so far!

I won't be pulling the fender because it's pretty nice. I also hate to strip the entire radiator support because I'm pretty certain there's no number there.

When you think about it, numbers under rubber strips and under fenders make it pretty hard to verify the authenticity of a fully restored car that you may be looking to buy. The rad support and the E body firewall location are much smarter. I doubt if a guy selling a 25k restored Swinger is going to let a potential buyer pull his right fender or remove the trunk seal! Even Chaz's idea of putting grease on the inner lip might not go over very well with the owner of a show car!
 
Not sure if all of those 'hidden' VIN numbers were originally done to satisfy a car owner or potential owner of the authenticity of the car. I would assume that more than likely they were added so that say an enforcement agent, such as a policeman or an MVD agent could make sure that a vehicles' issued VIN matched the title in more than one location. I can remember on several occasions, when I worked for a collector car lot in Washington, of taking an out of state Corvette down to the local MVD to have the VIN checked and them speaking of needing to check the 'hidden' VIN numbers, and the need for them to all match. One such vehicle did not have numbers that matched and the car was confiscated! (As I recall the MVD agents were not willing to explain where these numbers they were looking for were located!) Ben.
 
Even then it would really suck to have an MVD agent knock on your door in 1972 and say "The used Dart that you just bought may be stolen! I'm going to have to REMOVE YOUR RIGHT FENDER to see if it's legit!"

I'm certain that they wouldn't be bolting it back on if it WAS ok.. That would probably be on the owner's dime.
 
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