Found A Build Sheet

Ok, so Im tearing out the nasty "goldish" carpet out of my 68 R/T charger and under the Drivers side I find a build sheet! I thought I hit the jackpot! I took my time to carefully unfold it, only to find out it is NOT for my car!!! It is an XP vin. My first though was that someone swapped XS vin and fender tag onto my car, but my SO # matches the rad support and trunk stamp. Plus the codes on the build sheet do not match anything that is on my car.
has anyone heard or seen this happen before? im guessing anything is possible.
If anyone has a 68 XP with a SO # 055670, i have you build sheet. lol

Line workers did that all the time. It happened with my 70 440 RT Challenger rag top. The build sheet was for a /6 car and probably for the car just in front or behind mine....

MY68ROCKS said:

Ok, so Im tearing out the nasty "goldish" carpet out of my 68 R/T charger and under the Drivers side I find a build sheet! I thought I hit the jackpot! I took my time to carefully unfold it, only to find out it is NOT for my car!!! It is an XP vin. My first though was that someone swapped XS vin and fender tag onto my car, but my SO # matches the rad support and trunk stamp. Plus the codes on the build sheet do not match anything that is on my car.
has anyone heard or seen this happen before? im guessing anything is possible.
If anyone has a 68 XP with a SO # 055670, i have you build sheet. lol

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That should NEVER be your first thought in a case like this. What you were worried about is the very, very unusual exception to the rule. People are very parinoid these days because of all the crap they read on the Internet about what COULD happen but seldom did or does.

As Cranky stated above it happened all the time.

Wrong, multiple or no broadcast sheets are far more common than finding the original one for the car these days.

There are web sites and registries that have sections in them that you can post the V.I.N. of a lost or found broadcast sheet because of this very situation.

Most of these old cars if they are a surviving, desirable model have been scoured for the sheet some time ago. The fact that you had the original carpet (which is unusual these days) was a lucky break that you found it wrong or otherwise.

This brings up another pet peeve of mine. There is WAY too much value placed on broadcast sheets. I just posted this on another web site a few days ago about a car that was being judged in an OEM class that was docked points for not having a broadcast sheet.

"So basically they are docking you points for something that may or may not have been left in the car by the factory. As most people know, MOST L.A. built cars did not have one. So, they penalize you for something that was NOT really supposed to have been left in the car in the first place? TOTALLY UNFAIR."

The same goes for placing less VALUE on a car because of the lack of a sheet. They were not intended to be puposely left in the cars to begin with and they are not a legal identifier for the car. Most people don't even know how to read one and there is little that they tell you that is different about your car in the majority of cases. Yes, they will tell you the trans, colors, options, etc. but so will the fender tag which is SUPPOSED to be on the car. The VAST majority of the cars value is the model and the engine which are indicated in the V.I.N.

broadcast sheets......

This brings up another pet peeve of mine. There is WAY too much value placed on broadcast sheets.

The same goes for placing less VALUE on a car because of the lack of a sheet. Most people don't even know how to read one and there is little that they tell you that is different about your car in the majority of cases. Yes, they will tell you the trans, colors, options, etc. but so will the fender tag which is SUPPOSED to be on the car.

It is very common to find a broadcast sheet, (build sheet), from a different car then yours. A correct sheet may still be lurking in the seat springs or above the glove box.
GTS.com has a list of missplaced sheets that can be claimed by the car owner with proof of ownership.... It's a free service offered by them. You might concider sending the sheet you found to them in hopes of finding it's way to the correct car.

I have to dissagree about the broadcast sheet not being important. I think it is the most critical document one can possess to verify how a vehicle was equipped. There is no mystery in decodeing them, it's general knowledge availiable to all who seek it. The VIN will supply the very basic codes about a car and the fender tag adds trim and dates plus a few popular options such as radio, bucket seats, etc. (The tags on Lynch road builds will sometimes be almost blank).

I do agree that the absense of a build sheet should not devalue a vehicle, but the presence of one will add validity and, in the case of higher end and rare cars, will contribute to value.
The broadcast sheet should have no place in any judging events asside from documenting the vehicle being judged.

I agree, the build sheet contains lots of great info not found on the tag, wish I had one for both of my b-bodies.

bluefury said:

This brings up another pet peeve of mine. There is WAY too much value placed on broadcast sheets.

The same goes for placing less VALUE on a car because of the lack of a sheet. Most people don't even know how to read one and there is little that they tell you that is different about your car in the majority of cases. Yes, they will tell you the trans, colors, options, etc. but so will the fender tag which is SUPPOSED to be on the car.

It is very common to find a broadcast sheet, (build sheet), from a different car then yours. A correct sheet may still be lurking in the seat springs or above the glove box.
GTS.com has a list of missplaced sheets that can be claimed by the car owner with proof of ownership.... It's a free service offered by them. You might concider sending the sheet you found to them in hopes of finding it's way to the correct car.

I have to dissagree about the broadcast sheet not being important. I think it is the most critical document one can possess to verify how a vehicle was equipped. There is no mystery in decodeing them, it's general knowledge availiable to all who seek it. The VIN will supply the very basic codes about a car and the fender tag adds trim and dates plus a few popular options such as radio, bucket seats, etc. (The tags on Lynch road builds will sometimes be almost blank).

I do agree that the absense of a build sheet should not devalue a vehicle, but the presence of one will add validity and, in the case of higher end and rare cars, will contribute to value.
The broadcast sheet should have no place in any judging events asside from documenting the vehicle being judged.

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I am not saying they are unimportant as they served a very useful purpose for the line workers when they were built new. I personally know how to read one but they are different for different years and it takes a lot of careful consideration and knowledge to know the differences from one year to the next so you don't mis-interpet things.

My thoughts on this are simply that they should have ABSOLUTELY no value one way or the other nor should there be any discrimination in the case of higher end and rare cars, that contributes to value. The simple facts are that one car behind the other that could have been identical cars, one may have had the sheet left in it and the other one not. Today both cars are in the same condition, should one be valued higher? Of course not, but the hobby has some how determined that something that was not intended to be left in the car suddenly adds value to it.

Now, understand that I personally have two cars that both have the correct broadcast sheet for the cars. A 1966 Hemi car and a 1969 6 pack Bee. In marketing either one of these cars I will certainly let people know I have the sheets because it has become something that people exspect or hope to find with a car they may want to buy. Unfortunately it has become something that people put too much value on. I can tell you that I would never let the absence of a sheet keep me from buying a car that I like. However, I have seen many people state that it would be a deal breaker for them. To me that is cutting your nose off to spite your face. After all, most of these old car are hard to come by and we don't have that many choices when looking for the car that we REALLY want so why would we pass on a car we like simply because of a peice of paper that has no legal value and may or may not have been present when it left the factory in the first place??

Any pics of that Chally 'vert? Still have it, Cranky??

The broadcast sheet is nice to have, but wouldn't be a major factor in a purchase for me.

Cranky said:

Line workers did that all the time. It happened with my 70 440 RT Challenger rag top. The build sheet was for a /6 car and probably for the car just in front or behind mine....

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Nope....bought a new house in 84 and had it in storage because the new place didn't have a garage yet. Also, my wife at the time was pregnant and she hated the car....so I sold it. Don't know why she married me in the first place. The whole mess was big mistake. I just rounded up some pics and need to scan them but none of them are real great because I just wasn't into cameras that much during that time of my life.

We all know the real reason it was done... Line workers with a sense of humor thinking, "If I put the wrong BS in the car, 40 years from now it will be funny to watch all the arguments and haggling." Such patience to see their practical joke come to fruition.

Crunchy_Frog said:

We all know the real reason it was done... Line workers with a sense of humor thinking, "If I put the wrong BS in the car, 40 years from now it will be funny to watch all the arguments and haggling." Such patience to see their practical joke come to fruition.

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LMAO

Still hope of mine being behind the dash, it is what it is and im very happy with my car regardless. Now how the heck to i get the dash out! :icon_shaking:

My (not longer mine) '69 had it's build sheet in the back seat. Nothing in the dash or headliner, and the only thing you could find under the carpet was the road. The BS that was stuffed in the front seat was from a '68 Plymouth, but that was because the front seat was from a '68 Plymouth. Funny thing, I had 2 '69 Super Bees and both had a front seat from a '68 Plymouth.... but that doesn't pertain to the original post.

Found a second Build sheet in my car, this time for a Dart with a 6cyl.!!!!This one was above the headliner on the drivers side! nothing in the dash yet. Im starting to think this line worker probably put my build sheet in another car. No worries, I have an awesome car!

MY68ROCKS said:

Found a second Build sheet in my car, this time for a Dart with a 6cyl.!!!!This one was above the headliner on the drivers side! nothing in the dash yet. Im starting to think this line worker probably put my build sheet in another car. No worries, I have an awesome car!

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What plant was your car built in? The code for the assembly plant is the 7th digit in the V.I.N.

B= Hamtramck, MI

I was not aware that they built both B and A bodies there in the same model year.

I have no idea what they built at Dodge Main in 68' but i have two build sheets, LP23B8B and XP29H8B out of my XS29L8B.
It would have been nice if one of them went to my car, but like i said before, I love my car (more then I love $$$ Im finding out)