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1928-1957 Chrysler, Dodge, Plymouth, Fargo, and DeSoto Car, Truck, and Military Vehicle Model Data Guide

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1928-1957 Chrysler, Dodge, Plymouth, Fargo, and DeSoto Car, Truck, and Military Vehicle Model Data Guide

by Gerald Wilson

The model chart was an annual publication which printed the starting and ending serial numbers of all Chrysler models from the begining to date. As such it is the most accurate historical record of what was produced by the company. It is also very rare.

As far as I have been able to determine, there are no originals of this book in public hands. There is an incomplete copy, reproduced from Antique Automobile, archived by the Imperial Club.

The logical home for this document should be Chrysler Historical Services LLC. Unfortunately, I gather from an exchange of correspondence with them last April, when I myself did not have a copy, they are not aware of the publication. The Restorer's Guide,
which is available from Chrysler Historical Services, appears to have been compiled from the
model chart, but that was decades ago. The Restorer's Guide is missing many models which are recorded in the model chart and serial number guide,

In my opinion, this is an important resource and should be publicly available.

by the Allpar staff (with many thanks to Jim Benjaminson)

Chrysler noted that the following guide covers all vehicles made by Chrysler Corporation, including military vehicles, and commercial cars and trucks. The one reproduced here was the next-to-the-last one published, with the final one covering all 1957s and early 1958s (this guide only lists the starting 1957s).

This guide often ignores Canadian-built cars so the grand totals may be off for any given year. We have included Jim Benjamison's laboriously reconstructed Canadian figures at the end.

Chrysler wrote that the model code for passenger cars immediately precedes the numerical part of the engine number, so if the engine number is PC 1008 AB, the model code is PC (though there are some variations. For example, there was no PG series engine for the 1934 PG Plymouth; the PG engines all had the PF code. In some years, such as 1936, the business series engine had the engine code of the Deluxe series.

For cars, the model code is on a plate on the engine side of the cowl over the steering column, or on the right front door front pillar post. The engine number is always on the left side of the engine block, at the front, below the cylinder head.

The serial number for passenger cars is on a plate on the right or left front door front pillar post, and/or on the instrument panel, and/or over the instrument panel. For trucks, it is on the plate showing the model code, on the engine side of the cowl over the steering column, or on the door front pillar post (right or left side, front door).

Jim Benjaminson clarified: The engine code is not shown on the body tag on the firewall. There is a body code number, followed by the body serial number. The engine code is found only on the side of the block. The serial number plate (VIN in "modern" wording) is found on the door post - right side from 1930 through 1942 and on the left front door post from 1946 upward.

The first section covers cars by model and year. The second section covers car serial numbers in numerical sequence.

Additional notes from Bill Watson:

The serial number guide here is the Canadian edition, published April, 1957, I believe, complete with the error for the Canadian-built 1957 Chrysler. The book shows the New Yorker as being built in Canada for 1957, but the Canadian plant built the Saratoga in Canada, C75-2, marketing it as the Windsor. They did the same thing in 1958.

I have copies of 1942, 1954 and 1957. The 1957 edition was actually the last done in Canada. Or so the Service Manager at Century Motors in Winnipeg advised me when I made notes from his copy on postwar Chrysler of Canada cars twenty-five years ago.

There are a number of pages of serial numbers for Dodge Trucks from 1920. That first page listing 1920 to 1928 models is for Graham Brothers trucks. The serial number listings show three letters, which were for the Graham Brothers assembly plants - E - Evansville, D - Detroit (Lynch Road), and S - Stockton, CA.

The serial number guide books show only the Engineering Department model years, which coincided with the calendar year, almost - not the marketing model years.
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1928-1942 Plymouth specifics

Jim Benjaminson also provided the following table:

YearModelStarting# Ending # YearModelStarting# Ending #
1928QQ175,000Q242,4821935PJPJ1001PJ359,025
1929UU999U69,1141936P1P2-1001P2-532,087
1930UU69,115U110,0771936P2P2-1001P2-532,087
193030UU200,001U233,5411937P3P4-1001P4-571,569
193030UU233,542U276,3771937P4P4-1001P4-571,569
1931PAPA1001PA106,5401938P5P6-1001P6-286,619
1932PA ThriftPA94,943PA107,0931938P6P6-1001P6-286-619
1932PBPB1001PB82,4501939P7P8-1001P8-411,923
1933PCPC1001PC60,9791939P8P8-1001P8-411,923
1933PCXXPC75.001PC118,7311940P9P9-1001P9-415,462
1933PDPD1001PD195,9971940P10P10-1001P10-415,462
1934PEPE1001PE230,8361941P11P11-1001P11-535,085
1934PFPF1001PF7,2321941P12P12-1001P12-535,085
1934PFXXPF41,059PF96,3791942P14P14-1001P14-149,161
1934PGPF7,232PF41,049
  • 1937 PT50 T50-1001 on up
  • 1938 PT57 T57-1001 on up
  • 1939 PT81 T81-1001 on up
  • 1940 PT105 T105-1001 to T105-34,654
  • 1941 PT125 T125-1001 on up


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