1970 383 R • The Dodge Challenger Message Board

by **Lorenzo** » 22 Jun 2001 14:43

Need help to decode my 1970 Challenger plate (especially B14 AND 000):

END
R35 V1X V68 Y14 26
J25 M21 N41 N42 N85 N95
V1X A62 B51 C16 C55 H51
EB5 H6X9 000 B14 107314
E63 D32 JS23 NOE 119934

Thanks.
Ciao from Italy
Lorenzo

by **dave-r** » 22 Jun 2001 15:09

Just from the top of my head because I am at work but B14 is the scheduled production date 14th November 1969.

000 is 'full door panels'. Because some models of cars had painted parts to the doors the colour of the paint would be here. Challengers have plastic panels that cover the whole door interior hence 000 fits in there.

Perhaps someone reading this could de-code the whole thing for you???

by **Lorenzo** » 22 Jun 2001 15:28

Grazie Dave, great site!
Lorenzo

by **Jack T** » 22 Jun 2001 17:19

END - END OF CODES
R35 - AM/FM MULTIPLEX STEREO, 10 WATT
V1X - FULL VINYL TOP, BLACK
V68 - may be V6B, BLUE LONGITUDINAL TAPE STRIPE
Y14 - SOLD CAR
26 - 26 INCH RADIATOR
J25 - 3-SPEED VARIABLE WINDSHIELD WIPERS
M21 - DRIP RAIL MOLDINGS
N41 - DUAL EXHAUST
N42 - CHROME EXHAUST TIPS
N85 - TACHOMETER (8000 RPM IN 1970)
N95 - EVAPORATIVE EMISSIONS CONTROL
V1X - FULL VINYL TOP, BLACK
A62 - RALLYE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER
B51 - POWER BRAKES
C16 - CONSOLE WITH WOODGRAIN PANEL
C55 - BUCKET SEATS
H51 - AIR CONDIONING WITH FRONT HEATER
EB5 - EXTERIOR COLOR, BRIGHT BLUE METALLIC
H6X9- H, HIGH TRIM GRADE; 6, VINYL BUCKET SEATS;
X9, BLACK INTERIOR COLOR
000 - FULL DOOR PANELS
B14 - SCHEDULED ASSEMBLY DATE, NOVEMBER 14,1969
107314 - DEALER ORDER NUMBER
E63 - 383 4-BARREL ENGINE (EITHER 330 HP PAINTED BLUE OR 335 HP PAINTED ORANGE)
D32 - A727 THREE SPEED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
JS23 NOE 119934 - J, CHALLENGER; S, R/T; 23, 2-DOOR HARDTOP; N, 383 4-BARREL; 0, 1970; E, LOS ANGELES ASSEMBLY LINE; 119934, SERIES NUMBER

Lorenzo,

Your car went down the LA assembly line 1 week and 1795 cars after my 1970 did

by **dave-r** » 22 Jun 2001 21:39

Great job Jack! Thanks.
Just one small point though. As the tags are read from the bottom left to the top right it is normal to write them out in that order so your list should start with E63 and end with END. It reads better that way and is easier to make sense of.

I am a bit confused over a couple of the codes.
The first is J25 which by the way is variable speed with electric washers. Normally if the car came with the rallye dash (as this R/T would) this code does not appear on the tag.

The other confusing thing is the V1X and V6B codes. V6B is indeed a blue full length side stripe but this is a blue car so this is very unusual indeed. V1X already appears in the correct place for the vinyl top which is the first code on the third line from bottom. A paint code would be here on non-vinyl cars. My problem is that it appears again in the place where you would find the code for the side stripe or the bumble bee stripe. This is very far from normal. Also if there was room after the number 26 for the END code it would be on the same line but I do realise that it may be just the way it is printed here.

by **Jack T** » 22 Jun 2001 23:04

My 1970 R/T SE came off the LA line a week before his did and has the same double V1X stamping, only mine are on the third line, first space of tag 1 and line 2, first space, tag 2, so maybe there is an idiosincracy in the 1970 LA tags that escaped our notice before. Also, the word END is on its own line on my second tag, too, and it could have fit on the end of the second line of the second tag.

Sorry about reversing the order - one learns something new every day and I'll get it right next time.

by **Jack T** » 22 Jun 2001 23:09

By the way, the J25 is on my first tag also. Maybe it's just an LA thing.....

by **dave-r** » 23 Jun 2001 10:42

Could well be. In fact I almost suggested as much but thought i would wait to see what you said seeing as your car was made so close to this one.

We live and learn!

by **Lorenzo** » 25 Jun 2001 17:50

Jack and Dave,
V68 is really V68 and stands for "delete stripes" as I found in another interesting Challenger site. Check it at www.ips.net/mopared/Options.html

ciao, Lorenzo

by **alex** » 25 Jun 2001 22:56

Just as a point of interest, a friend of mine had a 73 Chally and it decoded as black body, black intrior, black vynal top and black stripes, I checked this very carefully, and it was right, guess it was done so they would reflect at night or something, unusual but trick !

by **dave-r** » 26 Jun 2001 8:13

Paul Herds book says the stripe delete code is V88. Mind you he has other mistakes in there too.
Shame because I think a blue car with a blue stripe would be really neat and certainly rare!

If you look at the option codes on my own web site (as I obviously don't!) you can see it is there as plain as anything! In fact it has V68 AND V88 listed. Doh!

Thanks for the input Lorenzo. Ciao!

by **Jack T** » 26 Jun 2001 16:12

I have to admit the code was right there in front of me in the Production Option Code Book and I missed it, too. I'll have a sharper eye next time for sure.

by **Christer Nilsson** » 23 Aug 2001 9:40

Just a very small thing:

C16 - CONSOLE WITH WOODGRAIN PANEL
is a bit doubtful to me.

I suggest the following:
C16 - CONSOLE WITH bucket seats

by **Jack T** » 23 Aug 2001 21:05

C16 is listed as "Console with woodgrain panel" in Galen's book for 1969 through 1971. The 1970 options and price list on Dave's site, a copy of the original Dodge Challenger list, calls C16 "Console with bucket seats only" and Galen's 1972-1974 book, for lack of any other source available to me at the moment, simply calls it "console".

I favor the Dodge list for pure Challenger info in 1970, but it may be that in the case of other MOPARs in 1972-1974, there may not have been the woodgrain panel so C16 got a plainer description to fit all the models. Anyone know for sure?

by **Christer Nilsson** » 26 Aug 2001 14:47

I've looked in Peter C. Sesslers "Red book" and for the years 70-71 it says that C16 is "Console (w/bucket seats only)". For 72-74 it just says C16 is "Console".
Does that mean that you couldn't get a Challenger with bench-seat between 72-74?
Does anybody know if there was an option that included woodgrained instrumenpanel, woodgrained door panels and woodgrained console?

by **dave-r** » 27 Aug 2001 20:32

(Dave puts on his Anne Robinson "Weakest Link" attitude)
I can't believe you guys are arguing over this!

C16 is the console. Period. It may be descibed as "with bucket seats" or "with wood grain panel" but it also may not. It matters not because they all have woodgrain and they all came with bucket seats only. How the hell would you fit it with a bench seat anyway?

You are the weakest link. Goodbye!

by **dave-r** » 27 Aug 2001 20:45

The door panel and console were always woodgrain. The ralley cluster was always woodgrain. The standard cluster could be upgraded with woodgrain. It was woodgrain with A91 and possibly A63 as well?

by **Jack T** » 28 Aug 2001 4:11

I was never arguing, Dave. I merely cited my sources and stated my preference for his consideration. I refrain from battles of the wits with the lightly armed as a gentleman should.

by **dave-r** » 28 Aug 2001 6:24

Ouch!

by **Christer** » 28 Aug 2001 6:27

This information is important to me because I plan on tattooing it on my arm and taking it with me in the grave when I die.
Yes, the description as ”with bucket seats” is obvious (and logical) to me because of the reasons you described above.
I bought my car in 1987 and at that point there weren´t any woodgrain panel in the console. I have always thought that the car came from the factory without this panel. It´s a ´70 Std Challenger.

The door panel and console were always woodgrain? On R/T-model - yes, on std model- no?

by **dave-r** » 28 Aug 2001 9:28

Woodgrain on doors and console on all challengers I think. You have me doubting myself now!

by **Christer** » 28 Aug 2001 10:30

Sorry,if I ask tricky questions. I stop immediately.
I´m almost certain that only R/T:s have the woodgrain on doors.

by **Hans** » 28 Aug 2001 10:55

I don't have woodgrain door inserts...mine looks aluminium or is that because it has loossen it's woodgrain? I can't tell you.

by **dave-r** » 28 Aug 2001 11:26

I have been right through everything I have and I have nothing that makes this any clearer.

I am 100% sure it is not a R/T (JS) non-R/T (JH) issue. You did not have to have a JS to get a woodgrain dash. The JH cars I have seen have always had the woodgrain insert in the door but I think they all had woodgrain dash as well. I just don't see enough of them in this country to be 100% sure that if you got a plain dash you also got a plain door panels.

HELP! Theve got me arguing about it now!

by **Jack T** » 28 Aug 2001 22:20

There should be woodgrain vinyl on all the door insert panels in 1970. SE's and R/T SE's got panels that said Special Edition. All others got panels with the triangular Dodge symbol. Christer, if your door insert panels are just chrome, then the vinyl was removed from them. If your console has a long chrome plate, then the same was done to it as well since all 1970 consoles had the woodgrain vinyl applied to the metal plate. I hope this helps.

by **Christer** » 29 Aug 2001 7:48

Thanks for your advice. Yes, my console has a long chrome plate, but no woodgrain vinyl insert. If I understand you right I better start looking for one if i want to have it like the original.

My door panels still are a little questionmark. They don´t have any chrome plate or woodgrain vinyl inserts. There aren´t any holes (on the door panels) for mounting bolts, just a flat plastic suface. Is the chrome plate glued to the door panel?

by **dave-r** » 29 Aug 2001 8:01

Thank you Jack. What would I do without you?

by **Jack T** » 29 Aug 2001 23:54

You're welcome Dave. As for Christer's door panels with no holes for the trim plates, my impression is that many reproduction parts don't come with any trim bolt holes. I know the new repro R/T hoods have none - I was so informed by the manufacturer, Goodmark Industries. If this is a common practice among such manufacturers, it may be that Christer has reproduction door panels in his car, but this is merely a guess on my part.

by **dave-r** » 05 Sep 2001 12:26

Oh dear! Look what I found in a copy of the 1970 Dodge Data sales book.

In a section on standard features it mentions the door panels.
"A wood-grain panel ornaments the portion just above the armrests on SE models and with the optional trims."

This data book is on loan to me and will be scanned and on my web page in the near future. It is a very early publication and has none of the options that came later in the model year. It also contains other optional stuff I know became standard later in the year so maybe this is what happened with this trim?????