So I've always wondered what my fender tag decoded out to. It's *really* rusty, however, I just detached it from the fender, and lo and behold, the back of it is completely legible where everything is stamped. Lucky I taught myself to read all sorts of funny directions when I was a kid.

Anyhoo. Here we go! I've included everything including the number/alpha sequence so you can figure out where everything goes.

1234567890

1 9 5

ABCDEFGHJKLMNPQRSTVQXYZ
20 55

SO NUMBER BDY TRM PNT
A07 06316 L33 H1Q WW1 K

I made a scan of the back since I don't have a digital camera. I tried scanning the front but it's so corroded there's no way anything can show up. I'm gonna try to gently clean it and hope I don't scrape characters off...

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<i>D'Artagnan</i>
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/stephaniexchaos/dart/th_IMG_0326_zpsumhhfxi0.jpg">

Flip the picture horizontally with a photo editor............

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Ed
64 Valiant 225 / 904 / 42:1 manual steering / 9" drum brakes

where's the fun in that?

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<i>D'Artagnan</i>
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/stephaniexchaos/dart/th_IMG_0326_zpsumhhfxi0.jpg">

So I decoded my fender tags, which was fun. According to the source I used, my Dart was in the high price class (I think) - and had the "high grade" trim bench seats..
What was the difference between low, medium, and high? I can get a pretty good idea of what set premium apart, but the other three I don't really understand.
Can anybody shed some light? I'm really curious.

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<i>D'Artagnan</i>
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/stephaniexchaos/dart/th_IMG_0326_zpsumhhfxi0.jpg">

"High price class" = Dart 270 (as opposed to low = Dart 170, and premium = Dart GT). The Dart 170 got minimal exterior and interior ornamentation, basic upholstery, came with minimal standard equipment, no horn ring, etc. The Dart 270 got fancier ornamentation, a horn ring, upgraded upholstery and carpet, more standard equipment, etc. The Dart GT was the premium car available only as a convertible or 2-door hardtop.

And — because the question has come up constantly for years — all available engines were available in all Dart models. Just because one encounters a Dart 170, doesn't mean it has a 170 engine.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

Not exactly true. When they came out with the 273/235 horse motor in 65, it was not available in any model Dart or Valiant wagon. I'd have to check my literature, but think that motor was available only in the Dart GT, Valiant Signet or Barracuda. And of course the slant was available in those models.

That part I figured out pretty early on. Thanks, Dan. I never quite knew what all the differences were.

On a slightly different note, but still stemming from the same subject, are there any places that sell interior paint (for dash, doors, etc) in the factory colors? I started wondering after I figured out what the shade was officially called. I'd like to clean up my dash and doors and give them a new coat of paint (maybe even the steering wheel, too).

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<i>D'Artagnan</i>
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/stephaniexchaos/dart/th_IMG_0326_zpsumhhfxi0.jpg">

APS on Pringle Rd and McGilchrist is the only full service place in Salem...


-D.Idiot

Sure, that's what the literature said. In fact, in that era before safety and emissions regulations controlling how cars had to be built, if you had a coöperative dealer and were willing to pay, and what you wanted on/in the car would fit on/in the car and the factory had access to it, you could have it. That is why there are so many "Hey, you couldn't get that!" Mopars from the '60s and early '70s. You "couldn't get" A/C with a standard trans in your '70 Chrysler, but there's at least one out there, from the factory, coded on the fender tag and everything. You "couldn't get" the 235-horse 273 in a 4-door Dart, but...!

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

I showed your tag pic to my early-tag-expert Chrysler-historian friend, and here's his (reliable) decode:

11: Mirror, sideview, left, manual
39: Variable-speed windshield wipers
85: Likely a typo on the plate, probably "05" which means front and rear foam rubber seat cushions
AB20: Engine, 225 CID 1bbl slant-6
D5: Torqueflite automatic transmission
E5: Heater w/defogger
V3: Reversing lamps
BDY L33: Dart 270 4dr sedan
TRM H1Q: Highline bench seats, cloth & vinyl, turquoise
PNT WW1: White body & roof paint
K: Turquoise interior paint
A07: Production date October 7, 1964.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.