When was the last production day for C-Bodies?

[Bill Watson]

Yes, the windshields on the 2 door 1971-74 B bodies are the same, as are the rear windows. When Chrysler restyled the B body for 1975, the R and W models used one windshield while the X and S models used a second, although neither will interchange with 1971-74. And the 1975 X/S units were used through to the end in 1979. Door glass however is 1971-74 R & W models, 1975-78 R & W models and 1975-79 X & S models. Sedan and wagon glass is completely different from the 2 door models.

Door handle part number 3382 621 was used on F body (1976-80 Volare / Aspen), M body (1977-81 LeBaron, 1982-89 Fifth Avenue, 1977-89 Diplomat, 1978-89 Caravelle, 1982-89 Gran Fury) and R body (1978-81 St.Regis / Chrysler, 1980-81 Gran Fury). Chrysler got their moneys worth out of that tooling.

The J body (1980-83 Cordoba / Mirada and 1981-83 Imperial) actually used a slightly different handle - 3882 780. This handle had a section along the bottom for a strip of tape painted the body colour (part number prefix T616 followed by the colour code). But 3881 621 can be used instead of 3882 780. Just won't have the nice colour strip no one notices.

 

[Bill Watson]

Bill with all the Chrysler knowledge you have did you work for the Company or is it just information you gathered over the years? I seem to remember a Bill Watson with Chrysler Corp many many years ago....

No, I have never worked for Chrysler or any other auto company or car dealer. Just a nut case really into Chrysler products (as well as Studebaker and Graham). Just have a load of stuff that has to be hauled around or put into storage when I can't afford to move it all.

And I hate moving!

 

[commando1]

I would have sworn that you were a brass hat at Chrysler.

 

[Caper]

My 2 Door White St Regis says 6 19 under the hood but door says 06 16 11
4 Door white says 04 18 13 on the Door and 4 28 under the hood
4 Door Black says 2 01 under the hood and 02 07 15 on the Door

 

[1978 NYB]

I guess we'll never know when the last C was produced. Pisses me off that the Chevy and Ford guys have so much more production info!

 

[commando1]

I guess we'll never know when the last C was produced. Pisses me off that the Chevy and Ford guys have so much more production info!

You have Chevy and Ford envy? For shame...

 

[Dobalovr]

You have Chevy and Ford envy? For shame...

He drives a Lincoln doesn't he?....

 

[1978 NYB]

Cadillac if you sneak up from the rear....

 

[PeugFra]

Well, here's the latest known produced C-Body.....

06-20-78...the only one I know for sure that was produced in June.

For Sale - 1978 Chrysler New Yorker

Here are some June-produced cars:

CS43T8C173849, SPD XXX, MDH 060510
CS23XXXXXXXXX, SPD 619, MDH 061611 (cited by Caper later in this thread)
CS43T8C181574, SPD 619, MDH 062011 (that's the one in the quote, now for sale at Hemmings)

However, as still higher build sequence numbers exist, such cars would need checking for their MDH, for instance:

CS43T8C181591, SPD 619, MDH 052212
CL43N8C182121, SPD XXX, MDH XXXXXX
CS23T8C182464, SPD XXX, MDH XXXXXX
CS43J8C183499, SPD XXX, MDH XXXXXX

Note that three out of seven cars in the sample share their SPD: 619, a Monday. Maybe Chrysler at least planned to terminate production that day (or week).

 

[1978 NYB]

I don't know for sure because Chrysler Historical doesn't know (can't believe they don't know jack) but maybe they shut the line down in June because of lagging sales and ramping up the next gen of Mopar's.

 

[1978 NYB]

I have never seen a fender tag or a door sticker with a July or later date ever for 1978's.

 

[Bill Watson]

The magic number you are looking for is sequential production number 183514. A total of 83,514 Chrysler C body models were built, all at the Jefferson Assembly Plant, and in theory the last car should by SPN 183514. And only C body Chryslers were built at East Jefferson for the 1978 model year. The Belvidere plant switched from C body to L body models. (1977 Chrysler C body model year was 157,300.)

Thus the SPN would have started at 100001 and the last at 183514.

The last C body Chrysler was built in June, 1978. No 1978 Chryslers are shown in the monthly production figures after June 1978.
Total calendar year production for C body Chryslers came to 38,513 in calendar year 1977 (Aug-Dec) and 45,001 for CY 1978 (Jan-Jun), for a total of 83,514.

1978 Chrysler C body production by month :
Aug 77 - 6,360
Sep 77 - 9,522
Oct 77 - 9,160
Nov 77 - 7,496
Dec 77 - 5,975
Jan 78 - 6,841
Feb 78 - 7,524
Mar 78 - 8,251
Apr 78 - 7,531
May 78 - 8,168
Jun 78 - 6,686
Jul 78 - 0

 

[PeugFra]

And would they never have skipped an SPN or a block of SPNs? So that the highest SPNs on fender tags may be higher than the number of cars produced at a certain plant?
I am asking this because I noticed this habit when researching VINs of the 1993-1997 LH cars.

On a side note, do you have monthly production numbers for August - December 1973 at Newark? That's another little obsession of mine.

 

[1978 NYB]

Thanks Bill!!!!!

 

[1978 NYB]

The magic number you are looking for is sequential production number 183514. A total of 83,514 Chrysler C body models were built, all at the Jefferson Assembly Plant, and in theory the last car should by SPN 183514. And only C body Chryslers were built at East Jefferson for the 1978 model year. The Belvidere plant switched from C body to L body models. (1977 Chrysler C body model year was 157,300.)

Thus the SPN would have started at 100001 and the last at 183514.

The last C body Chrysler was built in June, 1978. No 1978 Chryslers are shown in the monthly production figures after June 1978.
Total calendar year production for C body Chryslers came to 38,513 in calendar year 1977 (Aug-Dec) and 45,001 for CY 1978 (Jan-Jun), for a total of 83,514.

1978 Chrysler C body production by month :
Aug 77 - 6,360
Sep 77 - 9,522
Oct 77 - 9,160
Nov 77 - 7,496
Dec 77 - 5,975
Jan 78 - 6,841
Feb 78 - 7,524
Mar 78 - 8,251
Apr 78 - 7,531
May 78 - 8,168
Jun 78 - 6,686
Jul 78 - 0

Both of mine are far from the last one produced...

My NYB was February 8th SPN 149425

My Newport was May 17th SPN 172207

 

[1978 NYB]

My 2 Door White St Regis says 6 19 under the hood but door says 06 16 11
4 Door white says 04 18 13 on the Door and 4 28 under the hood
4 Door Black says 2 01 under the hood and 02 07 15 on the Door

What is the SPN on your fender tag?

 

[1978 NYB]

The magic number you are looking for is sequential production number 183514. A total of 83,514 Chrysler C body models were built, all at the Jefferson Assembly Plant, and in theory the last car should by SPN 183514. And only C body Chryslers were built at East Jefferson for the 1978 model year. The Belvidere plant switched from C body to L body models. (1977 Chrysler C body model year was 157,300.)

Thus the SPN would have started at 100001 and the last at 183514.

The last C body Chrysler was built in June, 1978. No 1978 Chryslers are shown in the monthly production figures after June 1978.
Total calendar year production for C body Chryslers came to 38,513 in calendar year 1977 (Aug-Dec) and 45,001 for CY 1978 (Jan-Jun), for a total of 83,514.

1978 Chrysler C body production by month :
Aug 77 - 6,360
Sep 77 - 9,522
Oct 77 - 9,160
Nov 77 - 7,496
Dec 77 - 5,975
Jan 78 - 6,841
Feb 78 - 7,524
Mar 78 - 8,251
Apr 78 - 7,531
May 78 - 8,168
Jun 78 - 6,686
Jul 78 - 0

Bill, if you don't mind me asking.....

How did you acquire this production information?

 

[PeugFra]

A total of 83,514 Chrysler C body models were built, all at the Jefferson Assembly Plant, and in theory the last car should be SPN 183514. ... Thus the SPN would have started at 100001 and the last at 183514.

I took the test with 1974 Fury and Monaco production.

Fury total: 130,502 (Collectible Automobile, April 2012, p. 53)
Dodge total: 78,324 (Standard Catalog of Chrysler)
production grand total: 208,826

highest known Belvidere SPN: DH46T4D258009
highest known Newark SPN: PH41K4F158253
SPN grand total: 216,262

I see three possible explanations for this discrepancy:

1) The stated production numbers are too low. Uncertainties in the numbers exist for Canada-only PM23 (1,826 units according to Collectible Automobile, but only 1,433 units according to Bill Watson. Then we don't have numbers for fleet Monacos (DK and DT) which are estimated to have been about 3,215 (1,650 of them California Highway Patrol).
Taking the highest production numbers in these cases of doubt one arrives at 212,041 units, still short of the total of 216,262 based on the SPN count.

2) They have been building something else at Belvidere and Newark besides Furys and Monacos, although I don't know what, and that's were the missing SPN volume went.

3) They have skipped some SPN numbers, although again I wouldn't know why.

 

[polara71]

I took the test with 1974 Fury and Monaco production.

Fury total: 130,502 (Collectible Automobile, April 2012, p. 53)
Dodge total: 78,324 (Standard Catalog of Chrysler)
production grand total: 208,826

highest known Belvidere SPN: DH46T4D258009
highest known Newark SPN: PH41K4F158253
SPN grand total: 216,262

I see three possible explanations for this discrepancy:

1) The stated production numbers are too low. Uncertainties in the numbers exist for Canada-only PM23 (1,826 units according to Collectible Automobile, but only 1,433 units according to Bill Watson. Then we don't have numbers for fleet Monacos (DK and DT) which are estimated to have been about 3,215 (1,650 of them California Highway Patrol).
Taking the highest production numbers in these cases of doubt one arrives at 212,041 units, still short of the total of 216,262 based on the SPN count.

2) They have been building something else at Belvidere and Newark besides Furys and Monacos, although I don't know what, and that's were the missing SPN volume went.

3) They have skipped some SPN numbers, although again I wouldn't know why.

But you looked at 1974 numbers compared to 1978 , no?

 

[Bill Watson]

For the SPN for Fury and Monaco models, the problem is that Fury and Monaco models were built at Newark along with Valiants and Darts and also at Belvidere, along with Chrysler. The East Jefferson plant built Chryslers and Imperials.

So, the SPN at Newark will include Valiant (50,377), Dart (55,287), Fury (39,134) and Monaco (20,166) - 100001 to 264964
SPN for Belvidere includes Fury (91,368), Monaco (58,158) and Chrysler (8,194) - 100001 to 257720
For East Jefferson SPN - Chrysler (109,179) and Imperial (14,426) - 100001 to 223605

The above should explain the "missing" SPNs. They are out there, they are just not on Fury or Monaco cars.

Total production for 1974 - Fury (130,502), Monaco (78,324), Chrysler (117,373), Imperial (14,426)