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 > |