A74 code on 1970 senior Dodges (and A71 A75 A76 too!)

[Toolmanmike]

That is partially what my theory is.

The package coded changes the price class but the higher class may not necessarily be recorded in the VIN. See the DM (M= medium) VIN but the DE (E= economy) reference with the A71 code. The A51 and A52 cars get PH VINs but PP and PS (Premium and Special) designations; or 'lower' VIN price classes.

Here's why this all matters.....

It's helps to be somewhat familiar with the underlying Sales Reports, the source of which production and option distribution numbers are derived.
GG's white book, a common source for production figures, does not list any numbers for the 70 DM Polara Custom cars.

IF production numbers are accounted for by the option code number, say A74 and not by the DM VIN, then the production tally may appear on as a line item on the report and not as a column heading tally.

C body sales reports don't seem to be as prevalent as A, B or E body cars. IF the full 70 Dodge sales report even exists, was the page contains the A section codes missing from the copy GG had meaning he couldn't report the numbers?

Knowing where and how to look at the reports would clarify production figures and answer other questions regarding the A** option codes.

This is one of the reasons why the reported totals (see the other thread on the DE cars) might not balance. IF you are trying to account for cars via a VIN code and not a package code, you are looking at and interpreting the data incorrectly.

Of course, I'd love to see the full 70 Dodge report to clarify all of this.

I thought maybe the A74 code might be new for the 70 models so I looked it up on the Hamtramck site. There is no 74 code listed there. Was it still used in 71? There was no ording information listed at all for 71. I looked at 72 and found nothing there either. Very strange. Like mentioned before, could it have been a mis-stamp? Of the A74 cars that are still around, what options do they have in common that may fit into a option group with a number similar to A74. Just thinking out loud.

Note: the Hamtramck site information is only as complete as the original paperwork that has been turned in and posted. The 1970 Hamtramck Registry - The 1970 Dodge Division Code Guide - Dodge Full Size

 

[Fratzog]

FWIW and also not relevant like the Australian code, the Chrysler 300 used the A74 Code to designate a high performance option for the Cordoba platform in ‘79.

 

[69CoronetRT]

I thought maybe the A74 code might be new for the 70 models so I looked it up on the Hamtramck site. There is no 74 code listed there. Was it still used in 71? There was no ording information listed at all for 71. I looked at 72 and found nothing there either. Very strange. Like mentioned before, could it have been a mis-stamp? Of the A74 cars that are still around, what options do they have in common that may fit into a option group with a number similar to A74. Just thinking out loud.

Note: the Hamtramck site information is only as complete as the original paperwork that has been turned in and posted. The 1970 Hamtramck Registry - The 1970 Dodge Division Code Guide - Dodge Full Size

No. It's not a mis stamp.

I would not look at other years to compare for a similar application. Coding and the meaning for the code changes year to year. What happened in 1970 may not have happened in 1969 nor repeated for 1971.

See post #8. There are numerous examples of A** codes for the 1970 model year that are associated with changed body configuration (A93 E body Coupes) or the A** C body codes under question. There seems to be a desire by Chrysler Corp. to track or account for the various codes and body styles/sub models that was philosophically differently than how 69 info was tracked. There are the 1970 package cars like AAR/TAs, Superbirds and Hursts that are much more similar to the package cars of 1969 like the A11 Charger 500s/Daytonas, A12 6bbl cars and A13 440 A bodies. Some how this coding for 1970 is different.

A74 is not a code that can be ordered or selected on an order form. Therefore you will not find it on order sheets or in the data books. You should find it on window stickers (example above) and likely broadcast sheets.

The thinking is you should find a 1:1 correlation with A74 and the DM VIN. IF this is true, then we have have to rethink the FM VIN tags we thought were mis stamps as they do not carry A74. Maybe the F series VIN is not a mistake.

Think of the A51 and A52 cars of which we are more familiar. "Something" within the option code changes the designation and association with the VIN as well as other designations associated with the coding. The A51 and A52 cars carry a PH VIN but also have the associated PP and PS coding.

More data always helps. Research continues.

 

[69monaco]

Looking at the fendertags with the A74 they are all LOD cars...........
Maybe it,s a combo with the 383/2bbl....?

 

[69CoronetRT]

Looking at the fendertags with the A74 they are all LOD cars...........
Maybe it,s a combo with the 383/2bbl....?

This brochures lists the 318 as standard as well as optional engines. Mopar Fuselage Styled Full Size Cars

 

[PeugFra]

The package coded changes the price class but the higher class may not necessarily be recorded in the VIN. See the DM (M= medium) VIN but the DE (E= economy) reference with the A71 code. The A51 and A52 cars get PH VINs but PP and PS (Premium and Special) designations; or 'lower' VIN price classes.

While still trying to get a grip on this subject, here's a question on terminology:

We know what information a VIN contains, but where exactly do I have to look for a "reference" and a "designation"? Some posts back there was a picture of a window sticker with the first entry starting with DE41 followed by an A71 entry, but the car in question has a VIN starting with DM41:

So that would be an example of a "reference". Where can I see "designations"?

 

[ayilar]

While still trying to get a grip on this subject, here's a question on terminology:

We know what information a VIN contains, but where exactly do I have to look for a "reference" and a "designation"? Some posts back there was a picture of a window sticker with the first entry starting with DE41 followed by an A71 entry, but the car in question has a VIN starting with DM41:

View attachment 497848


So that would be an example of a "reference". Where can I see "designations"?

I am thinking that the Chrysler Newport Royal in 1971 might be a source of answers. They did not get their own second letter of the VIN until 1972, if memory serves.

 

[PeugFra]

The DE41 entry on the window sticker is followed by the comment "The following items of standard equipment on this model are extra cost on some other models of this car line - sill mouldings".

The M25 sill moulding was extra cost with all Polara sedans and station wagons, but on this window sticker it is not accounted for separately. Instead[?] the undocumented A71 package is listed. There is no Dodge Polara Special either in the Dealership Databook.

 

[ayilar]

The DE41 entry on the window sticker is followed by the comment "The following items of standard equipment on this model are extra cost on some other models of this car line - sill mouldings".

The M25 sill moulding was extra cost with all Polara sedans and station wagons, but on this window sticker it is not accounted for separately. Instead[?] the undocumented A71 package is listed. There is no Dodge Polara Special either in the Dealership Databook.

I have modified the thread title to include the A71 A75 and A76 packages as well.

Re: the A71 Polara Special, here is the info on fuselage.de:

"The Polara Special was added to the model lineup in March, a new low-price model which came with a 6-cylinder engine standard, mostly for fleet use. It was available only as a four-door sedan and in station wagon configuration (...) It had a sticker price starting as low as $ 2,960 for a 225-cubic-inch Slant Six or $ 3,065 for 318 CID V-8 models."

@ceebuddy posted a stock photo on his ever-so-useful fuselage.de website:

Here is an example of a 1970 Dodge Polara special (For Sale - 1970 polara; as @polara71 noted, that car somehow has bodyside mouldings) to see what the interior looked like:

Note the rectangular "SPECIAL" tag on the rear quarters of the factory promo pic and of the green car that was for sale in 2018. The seat seams and fabrics are different from the regular Polara's, as seen in this photo of a base (DL41) Polara that was for sale last Winter:

 

[SpaceWagon]

This info maybe helpful in determining the various A7 "_" option packages associated with the 1970 C-body models.
Attached is page from Galen Govier's white books showing the application and specific items included for the following option codes:
A71
A75
A76
A78


Unfortunately, the A74 code is not included. My version of the guide is a 1990's print so not everything is covered. Maybe a more recent reprint has the info.

 

[ayilar]

Attached is page from Galen Govier's white books showing the application and specific items included for the following option codes:
A71
A75
A76
A78

Cool. This info is consistent with what has been reported so far, using info from the fuselage.de and Hamtramck websites.

 

[69CoronetRT]

So that would be an example of a "reference". Where can I see "designations"?

When the A71 code is listed, the DE41 is referenced, or called out, under the sales code.
The A71 code triggers a DE Polara Special designation or the name plate or the common term of what we call that particular model.

Due to numbers and interest, the concept is more familiar with Plymouths.

When the A52 code appears on the window sticker, we see PP23 called out, or referenced, in the SALES CODE column. The car carries the name plate and common name, or designation, of PP23 Sport Fury GT.

 

[PeugFra]

Got it! Thanks for the explanation. The designation is the trade name of the model.

The A71 Polara Special Package has no description of items. It's more an accounting aid. Same with the A52 package on the Sport Fury GT.

 

[69CoronetRT]

Got it! Thanks for the explanation. Th designations is the trade name of the model.

The A71 Polara Special Package has no description of items. It's more an accounting aid. Same with the A52 package on the Sport Fury GT.

But it does. It follow the same protocols as the A52 package. This is a budget level model within minimal components. It's only necessary to disclose the sill molding in the description. Actual contents of the PE build, or any other model, would not be included in the description on the window sticker. This section of the WS is not designed to list all of the components or elements that make up the model; only those items that are standard on this car that are extras on some others.

The crux of the question is not that it is an accounting aid but the why the accounting aid is needed. Why not simply track production via the VIN as was done in previous years? What is accomplished by adding the additional level of administrative code?

 

[commando1]

 

[ayilar]

Here is the window sticker for CL23M2C158021 -- a 1972 Newport Royal that was for sale last year:

The fender tag and build sheet conveyed with that 1972 but were not posted by the seller.

Contrast that sticker with the same document for CE41N1C192528, a 1971 Newport Royal that @69CoronetRT posted about last year with the A71 package:

Note the same * in the 1971 Chrysler's window sticker of DM41G0D250507, the 1970 Polara Special unearthed by @kyle340. The Dodge has the A71 modifier posted on the sticker, but the Chrysler does not. AND, there is no coding on the fender tag. See, for example (I have others), the tag of CE23K1C151247 -- a GJ4 2dr that @IronClad bought in Colorado 20 months ago:

In partly related matters, while the present thread focuses on 1970 cars, I know that @polara71 has seen two 1971 Polara Specials (which the sales brochure said was again "the lowest-price big Dodge"). I do not believe that Polara Dave has their tags, though.

 

[69CoronetRT]

Here is the window sticker for CL23M2C158021 -- a 1972 Newport Royal that was for sale last year:

View attachment 497903

The fender tag and build sheet conveyed with that 1972 but were not posted by the seller.

Contrast that sticker with the same document for CE41N1C192528, a 1971 Newport Royal that @69CoronetRT posted about last year with the A71 package:

View attachment 497904

Note the same * in the 1971 Chrysler's window sticker of DM41G0D250507, the 1970 Polara Special unearthed by @kyle340. The Dodge has the A71 modifier posted on the sticker, but the Chrysler does not. AND, there is no coding on the fender tag. See, for example (I have others), the tag of CE23K1C151247 -- a GJ4 2dr that @IronClad bought in Colorado 20 months ago:

View attachment 497905

In partly related matters, while the present thread focuses on 1970 cars, I know that @polara71 has seen two 1971 Polara Specials (which the sales brochure said was again "the lowest-price big Dodge"). I do not believe that Polara Dave has their tags, though.

Let's not stay too far as we are prone to do. Let's keep this a 1970 thread and start a new 1971 thread to account for that year.

 

[kyle340]

Ok, going back through my paperwork, I found this dealership sold 6 total 70 polara special's.Here is the paperwork for a big block special.

 

[kyle340]

And apparently they didn't charge them for the 383 on the invoice, so Chrysler choose to send a separate invoice to make sure they got there money.

 

[69CoronetRT]

Ok, going back through my paperwork, I found this dealership sold 6 total 70 polara special's.Here is the paperwork for a big block special. View attachment 497914 View attachment 497915 View attachment 497917

Great items. Thank you so much for posting them.
This also shows how the VON originates on the order sheet.