This page is applicable only to 1957 and 1958 Imperials

The factory data plate is a rich source of information about the car to which it is attached. It is imprinted when the car is ordered and corresponds to the factory record on microfiche. There remains the problem of deciphering the data stamped on the plate, for codes changed every year, and the idea itself of uniform coding had not been formed . Codes after 1962 can be easily obtained from the MoPar guru Galen Govier, but for earlier years it’s a different question. Thanks to Wayne Graeffen, the 300C specialist, I’ve been able to decode the 1957 and ’58 plates, but don’t ask me about other years - theIR plates are different.

The factory plate is riveted on the radiator cross brace on the passenger side. It may have been removed or attached elsewhere because of work done on the car, such as painting. Here as an example is the plate on my ’57:

Numbers and letters in black are part of the unstamped plate. Those in red are specific, my car’s identity document.

DECIPHERMENT:

First line: MDL = model .  PNT = Paint. TRIM = upholstery. SCH = schedule date (i.e., to leave factory). ITEM = ?
Second line: codes corresponding to the first line.
Third, fourth, fifth lines: Options; to be read in a vertical 3-figure column. In the example above, the options are 357, 344, 349 etc.
Sixth line: BODY =serial number. SO/FO = Special order/Foreign order. Following, options as in lines 3, 4 and 5.

CODES:

MODEL (MDL). After some investigations here is the "key". The code is always a three-digit number.

1957:  First figure: price class / second figure: series / third figure: body type.

Thus a model 289 is a Crown 4-door hardtop (Southampton)

1958 : It seems that '58 have same data plates as '59, at last about the # body type (MDL). See chart below

Click on the thumbnail to see a '58 4drHT Crown data plate with 634 MDL # (courtesy Ernie Stepney). Note also that '58 have the VIN number stamped below "SRL"

PAINT (PNT): The codes follow. Letter Z means a custom color. A French 1957 Imperial survives with the code ZZ, a two-tone job for which both colors were special orders.

TRIM (upholstery) :

 - 1957  Thanks to  Hal who sent me pics and description of his "57 Imperial trim selector" :

IM1-1 sedan  # 33:  med. blue snowflake brocade & dark. blue twist fabric #34 : med. green snowflake brocade & dark. green twist fabric # 35 : med gray snowflake brocade & dark gray twist fabric # 36 : tan snowflake brocade  & brown twist fabric # 85 * : medium blue leather # 86: *  med. green leather. # 87 * : med gray  leather . * : extra cost	IM1-1,  2 and 4 dr HT Southampton # 49 :  light blue  metallic  vinyl & med blue basket weave  fabric # 50 : light green metallic vinyl & med green basket weave fabric # 51  : light gray metallic vinyl & light gray basket weave fabric. # 52 : beige metallic vinyl & tan basket weave fabric
IM1-2 Crown sedan # 37:  dark. blue & medium. blue broadcloth #38:  dark. green & medium. green broadcloth # 39 : dark gray   & medium gray broadcloth # 40 :  brown and tan broadcloth # 44: green metallic leather & med green silver  ripple boucle # 45 *: light blue metallic leather & med blue silver  ripple boucle # 46 *: light green metallic leather & med green silver  ripple boucle # 47 *: light gray metallic leather and med gray silver  ripple boucle # 48 *: beige metallic leather & tan  silver ripple boucle. # 85 * : medium blue leather # 86: *  med. green leather. # 87 * : med gray ? leather . * : extra cost	IM1-2,  2 and 4 dr HT Southampton # 45 : light blue metallic leather & med blue silver  ripple boucle # 46 : light green metallic leather & med green silver  ripple boucle # 47 : light gray metallic leather and med gray silver  ripple boucle # 48 : beige metallic leather & tan  silver ripple boucle. # 81* : dark blue leather and light blue metallic leather. # 82 * : dark green leather & light green metallic leather. # 83 *: dark gray leather & light gray metallic leather # 84 * : brown  leather and beige metallic leather. Crown convertible Like above except # 48 et # 84 non available. So all leather was an option  .. * : extra cost
IM1-4 Le Baron sedan # 41  : medium blue monotone broadcloth. # 42 : medium green monotone broadcloth # 43 : Medium gray monotone broadcloth # 44 : Tan monotone broadcloth	from left to right : "med. green snowflake brocade" / , " med. blue basket weave fabric " /  "med. blue silver ripple boucle"

 - 1958  Thanks to  Robert Walker, an IML member, who gave me the following codes.

"Diamond Glow" : Jacquard cloth with metallic vinyl bolsters used on the Custom Series
"Monaco" : medium tone "crown" pattern cloth with light tone bolsters, broadcloth for sedans and metallic leather for Southamptons

ITEM :I haven’t yet learned what this means.

SCH: within a few days of the actual emergence from the factory. The date sequence is American month, day, year, so 1214 means Dec. 14. My car’s date number is 118 = Jan. 18. The year isn’t specified; model years generally run from October through the following September.

BODY: a body number without particular significance, always close to the serial number.

SO/FO: Usually a number below this entry means an export model with speedometer and odometer in km instead of miles.

OPTIONS: the list follows. Prices are available only for the 1958 Chrysler models..

Top colors (convertible)

Here’s another data plate, this one from the car of Boyd Kooïj, who drives it every day in Holland (it’s equipped with liquefied petrol gas)  See if you can decode it!