[Doug Orr (Doug444ut)]

Trying to decode a tag on a '73 I'm interested in. I think I've got it all except the color codes. What are these:

TX9
A6X9 (black buckets, I think).
Also, C13 in the mfg. date location.

Thanks.

[Jack T (Jackt)]

TX9 is a paint color code for black. It would appear in the first space of the second line from the bottom on a fender tag where the body color is called out. It would also be in the first space of the third line up from the bottom of your tag if the roof were painted black.

A6X9 - I can't find my 72-74 option book right now so I can't say what the A stands for, but the 6 usually means vinyl bucket seats and X9 means black interior trim color.

C13 would be a December 13th scheduled date of production - for a 73 car, that would be Dec 13, 1972.

[Doug Orr (Doug444ut)]

Thanks Jack. The car is currently a dark metallic blue exterior w/black vinyl top, which looks good, but I wanted to know the original. Looks like it may have been a triple black car. Cool.

[Jack T (Jackt)]

Doug - post your full fender tag if you'd like and we'll see if it was triple black from the factory.

[Doug Orr (Doug444ut)]

OK, here it is:
R-35, V68, 26, EN2,
M21, N41, N42, N85, N95,
H51, J52, J54, L25, L31, M08,
V1X, U, A57, B41, C16, C56,
TX9, A6X9, 000, C13, 113601,
E55, D34, JH23, H3B, 290227

Mind you, I don't have the car - it's up for auction on Ebay, and it's rapidly approaching the limit of my acquisition capability. Here's my attempt at de-coding:

E55 - 340 4-bbl.
D34 - TorqueFlite Trans (727?)
JH23 - Challenger HT
H - 340
3 - 1973
B - Hamtrack, MI
290227 - 190227th vehicle

TX9 - Black exterior paint
A6X9 - Black vinyl bucket interior
000 - full door panels
C13 - 12/13/72 production date
113601 - dealer order #

V1X - Black vinyl roof?
U - USA
A57 - Rallye
B41 - Power front disk brakes
C16 - Console w/bucket seats
C56 - bucket seats

H51 - Single Air/W Heater
J52 - Inside hood release
J54 - Hood insul. pad
L25 - Trunk light
L31 - Hood/Fender turn signals
M08 - Simulated door louvers

M21 - Roof drip rail molding
N41 - Dual exh.
N42 - Chrome tips
N85 - Tach
N95 - NOX Exh. emmission control

R-35 - AM/FM stereo
V68 - Delete stripe
26 - 26" radiator
EN2 - end of tag, line 2

How'd I do?

[Doug Orr (Doug444ut)]

While we're at it, let's try this one: (another car I'm looking at)

R11 V08 V6X L2 621
M08 M21 M26 N76 N85
G54 G64 G74 J25 J54 L31
V1W U A57 B41 C16 C56
GE7 A6XW 000 928 145041
E44 D34 JH23 G4B 148366

I'll go try to de-code it and then post my attempt.

[Doug Orr (Doug444ut)]

OK, here goes:

E44 - 318-2bbl.
D34 - TF auto (727?)
JH23 - Challenger HT
G - 318-2bbl.
4 - 1974
B - Hamtrack, MI
148366th car

GE7 - ?
A6XW - White vinyl bucket interior
000 - full door panels
928 - 9/28/73 build date?
145041 - dealer order #

V1W - white vinyl roof
U - USA
A57 - Rallye
B41 - Pwr. front disk brakes
C16 - Console
C56 - bucket seats

G54 - LH racing mirror
G64 - ?
G74 - ?
J25 - 3 spd. var. wipers
J54 - Hood insul. pad
L31 - Hood/fender mount turn signals

M08 - Simulated door louvers
M21 - roof drip rail moldings
M26 - wheel lip molding
N76 - coolant recovery sys.
N85 - Tach

R11 - AM radio
V08 - Delete vinyl roof
V6X - ?
L2 - ?
621 - ?

As you can see, I've got some holes.

Thanks.

[Dave-R (Roppa440)]

First tag. J54 id the sport hood. Sure is a triple black 340. Nice. That radio was damn expensive in it's day too.

Second tag that colour GE7 is Burnished Red. Again that J54 will be a sport hood too. V6X is the black strobe stripes from the fender scoops. L2 is line two at the plant (as in EN2 in earlier years) the final number is an inspection number I think.

Not sure about the V08. The tag calls for a white vinyl roof. i get mixed up with these V-numbers. Jack! Help!

[Christer (Christer)]

One of my books says that the V 8-option is a black stripe across the rear-end of the car.
Is my book right or wrong, Jack?

[Jack T (Jackt)]

V08 in 1969-1971 stands for paint, trim & vinyl roof edit waiver. I would assume this means that some code having to do with one of those three would have appeared on the build sheet and then been changed before the assembly process began since the fender tags were stamped and screwed onto the body before it got painted. Unfortunately, my 72-74 book is AWOL, so that's the best I can do right now. Christer, the V8? code stands for a transverse tape stripe across the back of the B and A body cars. I don't think that was available on Challengers.

[Christer (Christer)]

I think you are right when it comes to the V8-option, Jack.

[Jack T (Jackt)]

Ah, finally a day off so I can check on this further. My 1970 Dodge models and prices book lists the tape stripe (with no code stated) as an option for the Charger R/T, Coronet Super Bee and R/T and the Dart Swinger 340 but does not offer it for the Challenger. The painted stripe is only listed for Challengers and also has no code stated in this book. Cross referencing to Galen's code book..... the transverse tape stripe is V8? in 69, 70 & 71 and V9? appears in 1970 as a painted bumblebee stripe and changes to a longitudinal tape stripe code in 1971. If I can just find my 72-74 book I'll get into this again later.

[LITEMUP (Von)]

heres a tag from a 1970 R/T all there, all no's matching car with a 440 six pac, pistol grip 4-speed, and dana. plum crazy paint, white vynal top and black interior. (Mind you I'm not good with reading fender tags...)

V68 Y05 26 EN2
C55 M21 N41 N42 N85 R11
V1W A01 A33 A62 B51 C16
FC7 H6X9 000 B11 1180868
F87 D21 JS23 VOB 187387

[Dave-R (Roppa440)]

First code top line will be V6X for black R/T side stripe. First code bottom line will be E87 for the 440+6. A33 is your Dana and it would have had 3.55 gears. That code gave you a dual point distibutor as well one or two other goodies.

[LITEMUP (Von)]

Thanks dave for the help. now the problem is getting the car. it is the car I've always wanted but I dont think the guy will sell it. I've looked at the car twice but haven't even talked to the guy who owns it or even seen him before.

yes, the distributor did look funny when I saw it yesterday. I took two readings yesterday and they both look like V68 for the first code top line. It didn't have any stripes on it when I saw it so it might not have had it right?

[Dave-R (Roppa440)]

I hate these V codes! I always get them mixed up! It will be V88 or whatever the stripe delete code is. I can never remember and I keep forgetting to write it down where I can find it!

[Jack T (Jackt)]

8 after the V6 code means the option was deleted. In this case the car Von was admiring was sent down the line and no side stripe was applied to it. A V delete code of some sort was necessary since all JS cars came standard with a stripe - either the side tape stripe with the R/T in it or a bumblebee stripe with R/T badges on the side of the front fenders below the Challenger script emblem.

[Jack T (Jackt)]

More - A33 is the Track Pak option: 3.54 9.75" Dana 60 rear end, Super cooling package with a seven blade fan and Hemi suspension. This car came with drum brakes all around when it was built - the B51 only meant power brakes, not necessarily front discs. Nice car Von - hope you can get the owner to part with it.

[Jack T (Jackt)]

Dave, it isn't that hard..... for instance, a 1970 Challenger R/T came standard with one of two stripes, V6? or V9?. It was not available with the painted accent stripe, V7. If there were to be no stripe on said car, the fender tag had to be stamped with either V68 or V98 to delete it, usually the former. On the A and B bodies, V88 was the code for the transverse tape stripe delete and on plain Challengers, V78 deleted the painted accent stripe. The difference is you get an 8 for delete instead of a letter for a color after the letter/digit option callout.

[Dave-R (Roppa440)]

I will tattoo that on my knees so that every time I sit on the bog i can memorise it!

[Jack T (Jackt)]

That's OK Dave - no one of us knows all about this stuff. You run rings around me in the mechanical areas and face it, we resto guys are really in the minority. You modifiers are far more numerous than we are.