september 1974 Build date Barracuda?

[panhead]

I posted some of this in my intro thread. I have a barracuda that is titled as a 1973, but after decoding the VIN/fender tag, it turns out this is 28 September 1974 Build date barracuda! If they had a 1975 production run, this would be a 1975! From everything I've read, production ended in April 1974. Anyone run across something like this before?

BH23:
Plymouth Barracuda
High
2 Door Hardtop

G4B: 318 150HP(net) or 170HP(net) 1-2BBL 8 CYL
1974
Dodge Main, Hamtramck, MI, USA

928: Build Date: September 28

 

[challenger6pak]

Is the tag rusty at all? They can get hard to read and can be read easier when flipped over. Maybe it is a different date.

 

[panhead]

No, that's the amazing thing, the fender tag is in excellent shape. The numbers are clear and crisp. I'll post a pic of it. The car was titled as a 73, but it's definitely a 74.

 

[panhead]

I posted pics but they need to be moderator approved first. the tag is not rusty at all, very easy to read.

 

[panhead]

The driver's door tag is still there as well, but the date is rubbed off on it.

 

[DetMatt1]

It was built in September of '73. They started production of the '74s in as early as August of '73. Now lets see the car!

 

[panhead]

But then why does the production date on the fender tag decode to september 28 1974? I don't have any pictures of the car as it is now, which is 80% done, but here's one on the day I drove it home four years ago.

 

[moparleo]

Try this [ http://www.ssmoparmuscle.com/downloads/decode.exe

 

[DetMatt1]

But then why does the production date on the fender tag decode to september 28 1974?

It doesn't, it decodes as September 28 1973. They made '74s beguining in August of '73 and finished in July of '74.

 

[panhead]

Ahhhh, so the date on the fender tag is the model year, not the production date! I see. Had the mfgr. date been readable on the door sticker it would have said 9/73. I used the fender tag decoder at mymopar.com and it decoded it as a 9/74 build date, but the one above does it correctly as 9/73. Thanks you very much, because of this confusion I almost ordered the wrong engine harness again (the late 74 one instead of the one prior to 10/73).

Thanks! I'll post some current pics of the car once I take a couple more.

 

[panhead]

Oh wait, I am going to need the harness after 10/73 even though my car is a few days older than that as I have the seat belt lockout garbage. oh well!

 

[DetMatt1]

Now you got it! Glad to help.

 

[NoCar340]

The date on the fender tag is the scheduled production date of the car in the actual year the car was built. It is almost 100% sure the car was not built that day. There are different dates seen in different places, including the build sheet and the original window sticker. It is generally accepted that the actual build date is the one appearing on the original window sticker, since many cars have been found with conflicts between the sequence number in the VIN and scheduled build dates (cars supposedly built in May having higher sequence numbers than those with data tags showing a June build, etc.).

For instance, RK Motorsports claimed to have the "last Hemi ever built," a 1971 Charger R/T which turned out not to be true. A car with a lower sequence number and all documentation including the window sticker is owned by Tim Wellborn. It is definitively the last Hemi Charger ever built, and quite possibly the last Street Hemi Chrysler ever produced:

Mopar Action "Prove It" report on the "Last Hemi Charger."