Production numbers Enquiry

[MFP]

Hi , my son in law came round yesterday and has recently de coded his '72 satellite vin plate . We decided to check my satellite sebring+ , everything matches up , engine , colour etc etc all ok except for one thing - my car de codes as being born on the 7th of December 1971. We went a little further and discovered all the glass also decodes as 1971. The rear lights and side markers etc are all 1972 year model.

So, the question is can anyone tell me at what point ( production number ) did Plymouth stop 1971 and move to 1972 ? My view at the moment is that I have a very early 1972 car built in very late 1971 , I say very late because the factory MAY have closed down for a few weeks over christmas meaning my car MAY have been one of the very first 1972 cars built in december 1971.
I'm not a geek or purist but I'm very intrigued- any help would be greatly appreciated
I've added a pic of de code

View attachment 842107

 

[Kern Dog]

Traditionally, August 1st was the point that the next model year production began.
*"Inquiry", not "Enquiry".

 

[MFP]

Many Thanks Mate and a super quick reply I might add ! So am I correct in thinking that my car is number 132900 built from august 1st 1971 ?

 

[MFP]

Many thanks and your time and info appreciated, but on our side of the pond we " enquire " as a non formalised question , we " inquire" as a formal line of questioning relating to recording an incident and its investigation vs a question
Gotta love that stretch of water between us lol

 

[Kern Dog]

American English VS British English....
Boot VS Trunk.
Windscreen VS Windshield, etc.
Your link in the first post didn't show up so I don't know about your numbers. I just recall that August was the beginning of the next model year production for most vehicles.
Cheers !

 

[MFP]

British vs english so true ! Lmao
It gets worse if I travel "into town" ( enter london) ... at times in the east end the slang terms are bordering on a different language
Cheers again mate ..
Ps - feel good factor stateside.. its pouring down here as usual !

 

[66Satellite47]

IIRC the production runs of parts for the coming new year models varied a bit year to year. Seems that vehicle build dates for a given "model year" started in August the prior year, maybe even late July for some years to allow the sales to start in September. Sales for a 1972 could start September 1971. Seems a December 1971 build car is well into the '72 production run.

 

[Big D A12]

A model year in the States begins August 1 of the previous year as KD stated. It is not uncommon to see previous model year parts used into the next model year early in production or the next model year parts starting to show up in a current model year late in production. Your car is definitely a 1972 model car.

According to the table you posted.

Your vehicle order number (VON) is 132900.
Your vehicle identification number (VIN) is 147690. Your car is the 47690th VIN assigned at St Louis that model year.
Your scheduled production date (SPD) is C07, December 7, 1971. It may not have been built this day.

If you post a picture of your tag, I am sure others will chime in. I am not an expert on SL cars, but others on the forum are very well versed. I hope this helps.

D

 

[MFP]

[QUOTE="66Satellite47
Many thanks mate , just seemed a 1971 dated car is a 1972 ! Was a bit odd !
Many thanks though and cheers for the info

 

[MFP]

[QUOTE="Big D , thanks mate
I'll get a pic of my vin plate up later and cheers for your time and reply

 

[YY1]

If you have the build sheet, it should also have a date on it.

The date the build sheet was printed may be closer to the actual build date than the SPD (scheduled production date)

 

[butterscotch71]

I have a registry for 71-72 Plymouth B bodies. The earliest built car (scheduled production date) I have for the 72 model year is July 14, 1971. Your car is right in the middle of the 72 model year production run.

 

[MFP]

Hi butterscotch, thanks for the info .
May I be added to your register?
If so , what do you require from me ?
Cheers
Greg

 

[Kern Dog]

I have a registry for 71-72 Plymouth B bodies. The earliest built car (scheduled production date) I have for the 72 model year is July 14, 1971. Your car is right in the middle of the 72 model year production run.

Wow...That defies the rumor of August being the start of production. Maybe they started early since it was a redesign?

 

[butterscotch71]

Hi butterscotch, thanks for the info .
May I be added to your register?
If so , what do you require from me ?
Cheers
Greg

Sent you a PM Greg.
Thanks
Eric

 

[butterscotch71]

Wow...That defies the rumor of August being the start of production. Maybe they started early since it was a redesign?

There wasn't much of a redesign for 72 B bodies. I have no idea why they started production earlier than normal, but I have several cars recorded with scheduled production dates in July 71

 

[66Satellite47]

Wow...That defies the rumor of August being the start of production. Maybe they started early since it was a redesign?

My recollection is that the "production start" varied year to year depending on changes for the upcoming model year, factory conditions/mods, parts availability, etc. So, by July or beginning of Aug(maybe late June?) allows dealers to have cars available for the September roll out. Seems like factory shut downs were mostly in May. Others on here would actually know how it was.

 

[butterscotch71]

Last scheduled production date I have for 71 B bodies is July 9, 1971. That leaves less than a week for switch over to 72

 

[jprather]

Sent you a PM Greg.
Thanks
Eric

tell me about you registry ?? I have a 72 sebring + i believe build was sept 71

 

[66Satellite47]

Last scheduled production date I have for 71 B bodies is July 9, 1971. That leaves less than a week for switch over to 72

Just curious, how many factory's built B bodies? Wonder how much variation there was in switchover dates from factory to factory. I got no idea.