Finding a Mopar, Chrysler, Dodge or Plymouth Broadcast Sheet
Carchaeology 101
I've received many requests from individuals looking for thier
broadcast sheets. So here's a short article concerning possible
broadcast sheet locations.
First, you need to understand that your car may not have left the
factory with a broadcast sheet. Or it may have had more than one.
Or it may have had someone else's broadcast sheet. Or your car's
broadcast sheet may have been placed in someone else's car. Remember
that there was really no reason at all for the line workers to keep
the broadcast sheets with the cars. Once the car left a particular
shop, the broadcast sheet was nothing more than a scrap of trash.
The cars were not collectible back then and the line workers were
cranking out upwards of a thousand cars per day and didn't have time
to worry about such things.
Each shop had their own broadcast sheet printer. The sheets were
printed prior to the car's arrival in that shop, so that parts would
be in stock, etc. This is why there is sometimes more than one sheet
in a car. Maybe the final line shop left one in the seat and the
trim shop left one taped to the glove box liner. Or maybe they threw
them all away.
If you find a build sheet that does not belong to your car, don't
throw it away. Someone may be looking for it. There are several
registries that try to unite them with the car they belong to.
The most common places to find build sheets are:
In the seat springs of the rear seat back cushion
In the seat springs of the rear seat bottom cushion
In the seat springs of the front bucket seat backs, behind the
plastic or metal seat back cover
In the seat springs of the front seat bottom cushion
Under the carpet, commonly on the driver's side in front of the
front seat, but I've found them on the passenger side (common with
Hamtramck cars) and under the rear compartment carpet (commonly on
the driver's side with St. Louis cars and later M-body and F-body
cars, though I've seen them on the passenger's side as well)
Taped to the top or the back of the glove box liner
Taped to the heater core under the dash
The most uncommon places to find them are:
Wherever you look, keep an eye out for any scraps of paper. If a
scrap looks like it came from a build sheet, you're in the right
area of the car. Don't be too disappointed if that's all you find.
Rodents, insects and mildew often destroy build sheets. Save any
scraps with your car's documentation. Also, if you find any other
scraps that may have come from the factory, save them. A small
piece of paper that says "TX9", for example, might be from the trim
shop and indicate the car's interior color.
If your car is 1967 or older, you can request the build record from
Chrysler: Click
Here.
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