philw@tekcae.UUCP (Philip White) (04/08/84)
A recent reply to the '63 Corvette article asked whether GM always put
matching serial numbers on body and engine. I had thought that all the
US automakers did this, but I may be wrong. Often "collector car"
(eg. Hemi 'Cuda) ads state "all numbers match", meaning the engine and
transmission are original. Chrysler stamped the rightmost 6 digits of
the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) on the engine block and transmission
of all 1970 cars. The VIN is also on the left side of the top of the
dashboard, visible through the windshield. I assume they have continued
with the matching numbers since 1970.
Just as the other respondant said Ford does, Chrysler uses the 5th character
of the VIN to identify the type of engine originally installed. In my
case, I have two engine blocks for my Dodge (only one in the car!), neither
with a matching number, but both are the proper type according to the VIN.
The transmission does match the body's VIN.
Phil White Tektronix, Beaverton, OR, USA
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