{Chrysler 300} Pondering SO, DATE, SEQUENCE & NUMBER

The good old days when being a car salesman was a respected profession, year after year you got to know your salesman at your preferred dealership because you knew he’ll be there, he knew you, your car, your preferred colors and options. My late father-in-law purchased a new Olds 98 from Dowd Oldsmobile in Cleveland, OH every three years, he never set his foot at the dealership, his salesman called to let him know his car was in delivered it to his home and picked up the old car, it was simple fair and trustworthy.

Joe Gross

1970 Chrysler 300 Hurst

HighOctane300H@xxxxxxx

In a message dated 6/2/2021 3:03:03 PM Eastern Standard Time, 1970hurst@xxxxxxxxx writes:

Thanks for the kind words, Rich

The owner of the body shop I worked in after school Loved the styling of Olds but hated the interiors, and loved the Pontiac interiors but hated the styling. Or maybe vice versa, it's been 65 years ago.

Anyway, he ordered a new car every 2 years for his wife and had it built with the interior he wanted and picked it up in Detroit.

A great uncle who was the US Coast Guard Commander of the Great Lakes had a specially built Cadillac ordered every 2 years. He'd get a phone call, come home with his 2 year old car, have his wife transfer all her stuff from her 4 year old Cad, and the next morning his brand new Cadillac was delivered and hers taken away. He never saw the salesman or dealer, never sat down with them, just had the latest catalog, picked out what he wanted and phoned it in.

I doubt you can do this anymore.

Ray

On Tue, Jun 1, 2021 at 11:52 PM Rich Barber <c300@xxxxxxx> wrote:

Ray:

First, a big thank you to you, Ray, for your service to the club and its members. Best wishes as you peddle your treasures and make a move toward family support. You are appreciated.

Your ordering information makes a lot of sense. There are special codes on ’64 Body Plates, anyway, a “1” under the “X” that signifies Factory New Car Service for when a customer wants to pick up the car at the factory or a “2” which indicates this is a customer-specified/ordered car and its assembly should be expedited.

It would be no surprise to find someone pulling strings to get even more expedition and even special colors/wheels/tires/interiors &etc. Larry J. tells the story of Harrah wanting a hemi in a Plymouth wagon he used to shuffle cash around. I would surmise all cars had to have VIN’s-and, maybe, even fender tags--unless for the Secret Service, FBI, domestic or foreign royalty. RHIP.

Rich-est Blessings, Ray.

Rich B.

From: chrysler-300-club-international@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <chrysler-300-club-international@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of Ray Jones
Sent: Tuesday, June 1, 2021 9:11 PM
To: Rich Barber <c300@xxxxxxx>
Cc: Jean-Yves Chouinard <jymopar@xxxxxxxxxxx>; Val Jeffers <edward1108@xxxxxxxxx>; Chrysler 300 List <chrysler-300-club-international@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>; Ray Jones <1970hurst@xxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: {Chrysler 300} Pondering SO, DATE, SEQUENCE & NUMBER

In the early 90's, I think, my youngest son ordered a new Ram and I coordinated it with Ken Mack and his office. In the process, I learned that 95% of daily production was scheduled like Rich talks about. The other 5% was reserved for special Rush orders from Dealers, Region Mgrs., and the well connected. If that cushion wasn't needed, they started on the next day's production schedule. I was sorta in the well connected group, with Ken riding herd on my kid's truck, but it was being built in Mexico where Ken had little sway.

I did get nearly daily phone calls once the truck started it's build and followed it's progress to his Dealer. This allowed my son to arrive at the Dealer when the truck arrived, watch it being unloaded, tell the Dealer it was there and then watch the dealer's amazement with the Invoice/sticker. A lot of what my son ordered as options were included in a Special Package the Dealer never heard about and cut several thousand $ off the sticker price.

Ray in Mena, getting ready to sell and move back to MD. to be closer to family in our old age...

On Tue, Jun 1, 2021 at 10:05 PM Rich Barber <c300@xxxxxxx> wrote:

I have observed that Chrysler prints the words “SCHEDULE ORDER” over the words “DATE” and “SEQUENCE” on their ‘TRACK SHEET”. My review of many of these track sheets indicates the four-digit “DATE” and the four-digit “SEQUENCE”, together and concatenated, constitute a plan created somewhat earlier for scheduling to assure all necessary materials, components and workers are available on the assembly line to build the specified car. Certainly, the four-digit “DATE” includes a two-digit month and a two-digit day of that month. On the Body Plate/Fender Tag of our ’64 300K and others the four-digit “DATE” appears under the pre-stamped letters “SO” and the four-digit “SEQUENCE” values fall under the pre-stamped letters “NUMBER”. On the IBM card entitled “CAR RECORD CARD” the combined eight digits are named “SHIPPING ORDER NUMBER” The actual shipping date is also shown on this card.

I believe the date portion of the plans represents a planned assembly date—a date that could slip one way or another depending on actual demand for assembly and resources available to do so. I doubt that one SO date would be allowed to jump ahead of another but, with Chrysler and a fluid timetable of supply and demand, anything is possible—especially with last-minute material shortages or assembly line problems. I consider the “DATE”/”SO” to be an approximate date of actual assembly. Regarding the four-digit “NUMBER”, I am speculating that the first digit indicates an assembly line or area of the plant and the next three digits are unique to each car in sequence on that line or area. I see “NUMBER”’s with the last three digits over 900 so perhaps they would roll in the next “SO” and begin with a “NUMBER” ending in 001. Both “DATE” and “NUMBER” are unique to the plant which is defined in the fourth digit of the VIN. For most, if not all, of our letter cars 1960-65, this fourth digit is “3” and stands for Chrysler’s Jefferson Avenue plant in Detroit.

As an aside, I have plotted SO date vs VIN for a number of ‘64’s and find a good, but imperfect, correlation approaching an R-squared of 1.0. Given that 900 or more cars might be built on a single “SO” date this is close enough for government work.

I would truly appreciate editing, additional insights, opinions yea or nay, and any necessary correction of my understanding of the Chrysler assembly line scheduling system during the Golden Days of Letter Cars.

Rich Barber

Sweltering in Brentwood, CA

From: chrysler-300-club-international@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <chrysler-300-club-international@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of Jean-Yves Chouinard
Sent: Tuesday, June 1, 2021 5:31 PM
To: Val Jeffers <edward1108@xxxxxxxxx>; chrysler-300-club-international@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: {Chrysler 300} 300F rear glass moulding

O.K. What you're saying is that the SO # is the date the car was ordered from the dealer? So very different from the built date or shipping date... I did not know that.

Jean-Yves.

From: Val Jeffers <edward1108@xxxxxxxxx>
Sent: June 1, 2021 11:53 PM
To: Jean-Yves Chouinard <jymopar@xxxxxxxxxxx>; chrysler-300-club-international@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <chrysler-300-club-international@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: {Chrysler 300} 300F rear glass moulding

Just to advise SO stands for the Sales Order number which were on carbonized forms in chronological order supplied in bulk to Dealers then embossed on the data plate of the car ordered.

Thanks

Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone

On Tuesday, June 1, 2021, 7:17 PM, Jean-Yves Chouinard <jymopar@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

I had a few replies to my question about rear glass moulding upper section. Tickled my curiosity...so if anybody out there wants to share with me their SO number and type of rear upper trim on their cars, (one small middle joint or three small joints spread across the top), please do so.

SO # is on the body code plate (not the VIN), located on the upper end of the driver side door post...open the door fully to see the plate, the first four digits is a date code for a possible built or shipping date...

In my spare time, I will make a compilation of the built date and type of trim present and share my findings later with the group.

Nothing scientific here...just wondering if there's a pattern in there with built date...

Thanks!

Jean-Yves Chouinard

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Ray Jones. Y'all come on down an see us. Ya hear?

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Ray Jones. Y'all come on down an see us. Ya hear?

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