Re: [FWDLK] Interior:

["Wayne Graefen" <wrgraefen@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

David,

    My background is that I have written three restoration
handbooks, two of them for forwardlook cars; the '57 DeSoto
Adventurer and the Chrysler 300C.
    If I were doing research such as you mention, I would start
with ordering codes.  There were codes in every year for every
model that specifically related to exact STANDARD patterns and
colors.
    Next, was there an optional interior code from the factory
for the make and model?  My inclination would be there was at
Imperial and Chrysler in most models, and I doubt there was at
DeSoto, Dodge or Plymouth.
    In something like the Chrysler letter cars, where we would
expect that people of means may have special ordered numerous
optional interiors, it was uncommon at the start of the
forwardlook era but became more popular or more available.  I
have documented figures of only 5 of the 300Cs receiving code
"00" special order interiors.  This grew to 40 by 1960 300F, and
61 for 1961 300G.  Have figures for the other forwardlook 300s
but not memorized.
    If a car received a special interior it had to be coded for
this before it was built and the code appeared on the IBM cards
from which the cars were built and then was stamped into the
data plate of most (all?) models.
    So start by listing the codes.  I can give you all codes for
1957 Chryslers if you wish.
    Paul Schmidt is right that the standard codes are in the
salesman's data books so that they could write up the orders but
the special order codes commonly only appeared in more obscure
bulletins.
    The special order codes change from make to make and year to
year "sometimes".  Hoemans are right about code 99 at Chrysler
in '55 but in '57 it was 00 and in '60 it was 999 for special
interiors.

W Graefen
+++++++++++++++++++++++++

-----Original Message-----
From: David Van Houten <dlvh@xxxxxxxx>
To: L-FORWARDLOOK@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <L-FORWARDLOOK@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sunday, April 25, 1999 9:47 AM
Subject: [FWDLK] Interior:


>Frwrlkrs,
>
>Can anyone help me figure out how you can see a picture or
reference as
>to the interior colors and pattern that came with a certain
car.
>
>I am trying to research the optional interiors you could get
with certain
>exterior colors... How do I get this information? The brochures
are not
>real specific about this as we all know!
>
>Any help would be appreciated!
>
>David VH
>