When was the last production day for C-Bodies?

[bigmoparjeff]

In what magazine was this photo published?

It was in this book by Richard Langworth, printed in 1996.

With the exception of the covers, all photos in the book came directly from Chrysler. Most are either press photos, advertisements or straight out of the sales brochures.

Illustrated Buyer's Guide: Illustrated Chrysler Buyer's Guide by Richard M. Lang 9780760301067 | eBay

Jeff

 

[1978 NYB]

There was a 10 page article in Collectible Automobile about the last Fornal Imperial. I'll have to dig out the issue to let you know which issue it is. You can still purchase that magazine issue from Collectible Automobile.

 

[bigmoparjeff]

There was a 10 page article in Collectible Automobile about the last Fornal Imperial. I'll have to dig out the issue to let you know which issue it is. You can still purchase that magazine issue from Collectible Automobile.

No need to do so. You already did in the "Last Imperial thread" that ceebudy linked too.

The article was published in Collectible Automobile August 2006. Volume 23 Number 2 on pages 66 and 67 by Jeffrey Godshall.

Jeff

 

[kmccabe56]

i'd say this car lost its skirts along the way and the thicker rear wheel opening trim was added.
you can see the front wheel opening trim is different, skirt less cars had the wider black paint insert trim front and rear, this has the thinner trim on the front.

No skirts was standard equipment. And those are the mouldings you got when you didn't get skirts. Skirts were optional and came with a moulding at the bottom of the skirt opening.

 

[kmccabe56]

I happened to run across this photo while I was looking for something else today.

Does anyone know where this car is?

Too bad they didn't do the same thing in 1978, though I'm not sure what the deal is with the "X" in the VIN. Is it a special VIN to show it's the last one built, or did someone just throw it in there so that they weren't publishing someone's VIN number?

Looks like it's probably black, but could be dark blue, green, burgundy, or brown. I made sure to check the VIN on the junker '75 that I owned years ago, and it wasn't it, which was good, since it would have been a monumental task to bring that one back from the dead.

View attachment 446773


View attachment 446774

Jeff

Jeff

Do you recall what the source was for this picture? VINS in 1975 were 13 digits, and there's absolutely no way that Chrysler would just randomly toss another character into the vin just for the hell of it. Just about any state in the US would balk at registering it because of the extra character and it's a sure bet the feds wouldn't take too kindly to it either.

 

[kmccabe56]

I didn't come across any particularly early Salons so far, with broadcast sheet and door sticker and all that, so I don't have a clue. The fender tag gives the Salon away with codes RA3 for the body color, V8A for the vinyl roof and K3R for the body stripe. The earliest Scheduled Production Date I see there is April, 07, so that doesn't help very much.



MDH's with an hour indication of 16 or higher are indeed missing for the 1978 model year, but during other model years they're not exactly uncommon, be it from the East Jefferson, Belvidere or Newark assembly. Here's an example for 1974:

View attachment 446808

Two possibilities come to mind on this: First, it might (remote chance of this) been at the plant's discretion as to how they indicated the MDH. Certainly an MDH showing the 22nd hour is based on a 24hour clock and not the hours the plant was running in any particular day. It may be that by 1978 or after the '75 model year that an edict from Highland Park was delivered to all of the plant managers that said "From now on you WILL indicate MDH in THIS way" If that's the case, then it would appear than the "H" in MDH is plant running time regardless of what the clock on the wall says.

 

[kmccabe56]

The explanation for this state of affairs was given way back in this thread:



In 1978, there was only one shift at East Jefferson. The earliest hour indication in 1978 MDH's is 06, the latest 15.

That corresponds to the clock on the wall then.

 

[kmccabe56]

No need to do so. You already did in the "Last Imperial thread" that ceebudy linked too.

The article was published in Collectible Automobile August 2006. Volume 23 Number 2 on pages 66 and 67 by Jeffrey Godshall.

View attachment 447015

Jeff

Ordinarily, information from Consumer's Guide isn't worth the paper it's printed on. But when the article comes from Jeff Godshall, then you can take it to the bank. Jeff is one of a tiny handful of people whose research is absolutely second to none. I considered him a friend and think of, and miss him, often.

 

[69CoronetRT]

Jeff

Do you recall what the source was for this picture? VINS in 1975 were 13 digits, and there's absolutely no way that Chrysler would just randomly toss another character into the vin just for the hell of it. Just about any state in the US would balk at registering it because of the extra character and it's a sure bet the feds wouldn't take too kindly to it either.

This is likely a typo that was missed by the editor and/or proofreader. Look at the source of the article and the relation of the X key to the C key on a keyboard. Mistakes happen.

Occam's razor.

 

[bigmoparjeff]

This is likely a typo that was missed by the editor and/or proofreader. Look at the source of the article and the relation of the X key to the C key on a keyboard. Mistakes happen.

Occam's razor.

I agree. This seems like the most likely scenario. It's really unlikely that any one would notice the extra digit in the VIN, even the person who typed it, who was just copying off some other paper with the VIN on it.

Jeff

 

[1978 NYB]

It is amazing so much was written and documented on the last Imperial produced in 1975 yet almost nothing about the last Formal produced in 1978. I have inquired 3 or 4 separate times to Chrysler Historical about any info on the last Formal produced and the answer is always the same.....no info on the last Formal what so ever.

 

[kmccabe56]

It is amazing so much was written and documented on the last Imperial produced in 1975 yet almost nothing about the last Formal produced in 1978. I have inquired 3 or 4 separate times to Chrysler Historical about any info on the last Formal produced and the answer is always the same.....no info on the last Formal what so ever.

Has anyone gotten the build information on their '78 from Historical? If so they have the answers, if they can't provide information on a single specific car, then they really don't have the information it would take to answer all of these questions. If this covid crap dies down and I get a chance to see Brandt, I will ask him about it.

 

[69CoronetRT]

CS23N8C158164

I didn't find anything in the search engine for this car. For sale on upcoming auction.

1978 Chrysler New Yorker Brougham 2 Door Car

 

[PeugFra]

And 116 pictures to support that sale! The fender tag and doorsticker:

But what made me almost swoon is this pic:

Comes with original 8-track cassettes, as listened to by the first owner!

 

[69CoronetRT]

320 SPD.....314 on door sticker.

More evidence cars were not, necessarily, 'built on' a SCHEDULED date.

 

[PeugFra]

We didn't have an update for a long time, but new member @Mikahthegreek came with a pleasant surprise:

CS43T8C173849, SPD XXX, MDH 060510
CS23T8C174584, SPD XXX, MDH 060111
CL43N8C175464, SPD 606, MDH 051011
CS23N8C175891, SPD 606, MDH 060509 (Mikah's car)
CS23N8C175963, SPD 606, MDH 061207
CS43N8C178624, SPD 612, MDH XXXXXX
CS43T8C178820, SPD 606, MDH 060908
CS43T8C179059, SPD XXX, MDH 060714
CS43N8C180501, SPD XXX, MDH 060910
CS23N8C181380, SPD XXX, MDH 060813
CS23N8C181403, SPD 619, MDH 061611
CS23T8C181510, SPD 619, MDH 061614
CS43T8C181574, SPD 619, MDH 062011
CS43T8C181591, SPD 619, MDH 052212
CS23T8C182416, SPD 626, MDH 061610
CS43T8C182748, SPD 626, MDH 061309
CS23N8C183444, SPD 626, MDH 062013
CS23T8C183615, SPD 626, MDH 061413

With both legs in the last month, but not the last car to have been assembled!

 

[Mikahthegreek]

Good to know that mine were one of the last ones built

 

[DeltaV]

I noticed VIN CS43T8C181574, SPD 619, MDH 062011 in post #476 above.

There are loads of pictures of the car, including fender tag and door label, at:

1978 Chrysler New Yorker

For posterity (lifted from the above website):

Also, HMN had a short article on the car too; with a believed claim.
https://www.hemmings.com/stories/20...-of-the-day-1978-chrysler-new-yorker-brougham

 

[rags]

imperial hood ornament. reminds me of a certain infamous st regis "for the sceptics" as it were.

 

[patrick66]

I almost changed out the Brougham hood emblem for an Imperial hood ornament back when I owned my '78 NYBS. One side of the factory emblem was faded a bit, while the other side was like new. The Imperial emblem was NOS, and I'd had that for several years. I ended up selling the car in 2015, and then the emblem shortly after that.