For 1962, fender tag code layouts varied from plant to plant. Decode charts for Lynch Road and Hamtramck plants have been documented for many years now with a focus on Max Wedge cars. As a result, fender tags for other plants have not been documented.
Please contact me if you are trying to decode a tag for car from either the Newark, Los Angeles, Jefferson Road or St. Louis plants, I am still researching these fender tags and I could use your help.
The codes on the bottom line under SO NUMBER BDT TRM PNT are consistent across all plants. Under the SO NUMBER are the Scheduled Production Date and the Shipping Order Number. The TRM is a code for the interior trim level for the car, The BDY is the code for the body configuration, and PNT is the paint code. See Fender Tag Standards for decode information for these codes.
The codes on the top line for Lynch Road cars contain the Gate Sequence and Base Sequence numbers. For other plants they are unknown except for the 1962 Hamtramck cars sometimes have a sales/delivery option under the "1" (see below listings for sales codes).
The codes everyone wants to know about are on the middle line under the "ABCDE...". The last digit of a sale code is used under a specific letter to indicate that code.
The lack of a code in a particular location means either no option for that category or the standard option for that category. For example, no radio code means radio delete, no heater code means heater delete, but no engine code means the standard engine was used for that body style (example: Valiant 100 = 170cid six, 330 Sedan = 225cid six).
The chart below is the easiest and most concise way to list the decode locations for different sales codes. It may be confusing at first glance. The engine code for Lynch Road cars is under the "A" and for Hamtramck cars the code is under the "N". This is for 1962 only!
| Category (1962) | Code Range | Lynch Road | Hamtramck |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine (see below) | A | N | |
| Transmission | 340-349 | B | C |
| Radio | 360-369 | C | ? |
| Heater | 380-389 | J | G |
| Electrical | 420-429 | L-M | L-M |
| Mirrors | 480-489 | T | ? |
| Sales/Delivery | 650-710 | Z | T |
The table below lists the codes. The last digit is the significant part of the sales code that will appear on the fender tag under the corresponding number. For example, a 342 Torqueflite Automatic transmission will have a "2" under the "B" on Lynch Road produced cars, or a "2" under the "C" for cars produced at Hamtramck. On this table, I have only listed common codes, see this link for a longer listing of 1962 codes.
| Engine | 502 | 145hp 225 1bbl |
| Engine | 503 | 260hp 318 4bbl |
| Engine | 504 | 265hp 361 2bbl |
| Engine | 505 | 330hp 383 4bbl |
| Engine | 506 | 340hp 413 4bbl |
| Engine | 507 | 230hp 318 2bbl |
| Engine | 509 | special order |
| Engine | 500 | 410hp 413 2x4bbl |
| Engine | 509 | 425hp 413 2x4bbl |
| Transmission | 341 | Three Speed column six cyl. |
| Transmission | 342 | Torqueflite Automatic V8. |
| Transmission | 343 | Torqueflite Automatic six cyl. |
| Transmission | 344 | Three Speed column V8. |
| Transmission | 346 | Three Speed floor shift (T-85). |
| Power Equipment | 351 | Power Steering(*) |
| Power Equipment | 352 | Power Brakes |
| Power Equipment | 353 | Power Bench Seat |
| Power Equipment | 354 | Power Windows |
| Power Equipment | 355 | Power Tailgate Window |
| Power Equipment | 358 | Auto Pilot Cruise Control |
| Radio | 361 | Music Master Economy AM radio 2watt |
| Radio | 362 | Astrophonic Deluxe AM radio |
| Radio | 364 | Golden Touch Radio |
| Radio | 363 | AM/FM Radio |
| Heater | 381 | Air Conditioning with Heater |
| Heater | 385 | Heater with Defroster |
| Station Wagon | 355 | Power Tailgate |
| Electrical | 428 | Windshield Washer, Dual Jet |
| Electrical | 429 | three speed variable windshield washer |
| Mirrors | 481 | outside left, manual |
| Mirrors | 482 | outside left, remote control |
| Sales/Delivery | 652 | sold car, expedite |
| Sales/Delivery | 709 | special order, fleet |
There are a lot of unknown codes for 1962 cars. Hamtramck cars places codes under the "D", and Lynch Road cars placed codes under the "D" and the "N", these are unknown. Please submit missing codes to me. I am continually doing research on these tags and I hope to determine the missing codes over time. Your help will improve the quality of this page for the benefit of others!
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