Charger delivery - transit time between factory and dealership?

[bull]

This may be a stumper but something got me wondering how long it took a Charger to make it from the factory to the dealership and the sequence of events between point A and B. Obviously it depends on the destination but how about we use my car as the example. My build date is Jan. 8 which was a Monday and I believe it went to California. So what happened? Did it sit for a few days or a week somewhere? Was it loaded and hauled off that afternoon or the next morning?

And while I'm asking, what did the dealers do to the cars when they got them? I assume they washed and vacuumed them, checked the fluid levels, maybe drove them down the street for a few gallons of gas, etc.?

[fy469rtse]

judging by your avatar, yours was raced around the streets of frisco with a little ford in hot pursuit, 
you think like today when you order a car its shipped to your state and to the dealership that ordered it, it was registered by them even then , so it would been gone over mainly to correct anything missing or not done properly on the line, roadworthy certificate and registered,
what they refer to nowadays as dealer prep ? delays weren't they just a reflection of back log and your order just put in the line.

[flyinlow]

Mine was personally delivered by Kowalski. Left Detroit a 2:04 pm. Arrived Columbus ,196 miles away at 3:49 pm..... The Ohio Highway Patrol never got close.

[hatersaurusrex]

Mine was personally delivered by Kowalski. Left Detroit a 2:04 pm. Arrived Columbus ,196 miles away at 3:49 pm..... The Ohio Highway Patrol never got close.

Walt Kowalski?

[flyinlow]

Mine was personally delivered by Kowalski. Left Detroit a 2:04 pm. Arrived Columbus ,196 miles away at 3:49 pm..... The Ohio Highway Patrol never got close.

Walt Kowalski?

I wish. I would have got him to autograph it!

[lukedukem]

This may be a stumper but something got me wondering how long it took a Charger to make it from the factory to the dealership and the sequence of events between point A and B. Obviously it depends on the destination but how about we use my car as the example. My build date is Jan. 8 which was a Monday and I believe it went to California. So what happened? Did it sit for a few days or a week somewhere? Was it loaded and hauled off that afternoon or the next morning?

And while I'm asking, what did the dealers do to the cars when they got them? I assume they washed and vacuumed them, checked the fluid levels, maybe drove them down the street for a few gallons of gas, etc.?

i can answer your last ? bull, my uncle worked for pontiac for 30 something years and when they got new cars in off the truck they would have a multi point checklist they would go over, and he siad it was multi all right. then they usually do drive them to the next town, which was olny 15 miles away. to test for overheating and highway function, ect. and correct anything else. i too worked for lincoln as a light duty mechanic when i was in my early 20s (1998-04, i know i'm young) but i would help unload them and then after the techs would inspect them, i got to drive them to the next town and back to test, i got to drive some cool cars, navagators. LXs, town cars, all luxury. then i dropped them off to our wash guy for washing and vacume before they called the owner or put them on the lot. but that was then, pretty sure they did the same in my uncles time, the old time days. i can ask

luke

[Pete in NH]

My 71 was built on June 1st at Lynch Road and delivered by the dealer  in New Jersey on June 25th. It wasn't uncommon for cars to sit on a railroad siding for some time on the way. My car was delivered by the dealer cleaned up nicely but with only enough gas in it to make to a close gas station. Back then there were all kinds of stories about cars being delivered with no oil, trans fluid or some other vital fluid. I checked my car over very carefully before accepting delivery. Dealers were supposed to run through a pre-delivery check list, some did others didn't. I had a friend who's father worked in a Ford assembly plant in Mahwah, NJ. The stories he told about what went on on the assembly line were something else. Chrysler plants were no different, boredom, drugs and alcohol.

[hemihead]

Back in the day , not all cars were ordered for a customer . Some were ordered by a dealer just to fill their lots . Chrysler had what was called a Sales Bank . They would build cars everyday and the had a HUGE lot that these cars would be parked in . When a dealer would order 10 cars for their stock , the cars would be removed from the Sales Bank and trucked out . This large amount of on hand , unsold stock was part of what got Chrysler in financial trouble . Sometimes a car would sit in the Sales Bank for months before a dealer HAD to take them . I have also seen , and heard of some of the Mopars with cigarette butts stuck inside Valve Covers . My 73 Charger had an old lunch bag down in the 1/4 after I pulled off the interior panel . People tend to forget how bad these things were slapped together . Leaks , rattles , orange peel paint , runs , hair in the paint . People tend to way over restore these cars sometimes .

[ODZKing]

As Pete has stated, the stories!!!! 
Back in the day a transition from the Michigan plants to New Process Gear here in Syracuse was not uncommon.  MANY of these guys have classic cars and the stories they tell about the plants and what went on.  Purposely putting incorrect parts on a car so a dealer would have to warranty the correction.  Different emblems on either side of a car, most common with the Omni and Horizon cars in the day ... seen that myself.
I also have a friend with a 68 Coronet who when removing the carpet in his car found numerous paper cups from the Chrysler break room ... with "Chrysler Corp" on the cup - under the carpet.  He still has them. 

[flyinlow]

Worked a few months in new car prep before switching to line mechanic at a Chrysler- Plymouth dealer in the late 70's. I think it was about a week after the shipping notice arrived that the car was unloaded from the truck. Sales guys would know more.
Cars where unloaded with the salesmen helping the truck driver. Quick damage check then parked on the back lot. Ordered car went straight to prep. I would get a prep order with keys attached. Find the car, put in 4-5 gallons of fuel on site. Inside fluids where checked ,Freon level, general underhood condition. Torqued wheels , raised on lift, checked for cotter pins, twisted brake hoses, u joint straps tight , etc. Back on the ground checked every door, window, seat, seatbelt and accessory for function. Removed covers, installed loose items like trim rings ,etc. Finally test drove about 5 miles. Standard route in case it broke they would know where to look for you. No cellphones. Tested brakes, drivetrain, listened for rattles, and wind noises. As a 20 year old I  felt it was my sacred duty to verify operation of the kickdown linkage and Thermoquad secondary operation.  

Mostly 360 Cordoba's , Horizon's , and slant six Volaries. Missed the GTX and RR. days.  

Minor mechanical issues we repaired. Engines, trans, body work went to the appropriate department.  Not that much wrong mechanically. Lots of squeaks ,rattles ,water leaks , crappy paint, and poor fitting body's. All short coming where warranty work.

Then the cars where sent to clean up if being delivered.

[66FBCharger]

As Pete has stated, the stories!!!! 
Back in the day a transition from the Michigan plants to New Process Gear here in Syracuse was not uncommon.  MANY of these guys have classic cars and the stories they tell about the plants and what went on.  Purposely putting incorrect parts on a car so a dealer would have to warranty the correction.  Different emblems on either side of a car, most common with the Omni and Horizon cars in the day ... seen that myself.
I also have a friend with a 68 Coronet who when removing the carpet in his car found numerous paper cups from the Chrysler break room ... with "Chrysler Corp" on the cup - under the carpet.  He still has them. 

I found several Chrysler paper coffee cups under my carpet of my '70 Road runner (Lynch Road built). I will try to dig them up and post a picture.

[Baldwinvette77]

As Pete has stated, the stories!!!! 
Back in the day a transition from the Michigan plants to New Process Gear here in Syracuse was not uncommon.  MANY of these guys have classic cars and the stories they tell about the plants and what went on.  Purposely putting incorrect parts on a car so a dealer would have to warranty the correction.  Different emblems on either side of a car, most common with the Omni and Horizon cars in the day ... seen that myself.
I also have a friend with a 68 Coronet who when removing the carpet in his car found numerous paper cups from the Chrysler break room ... with "Chrysler Corp" on the cup - under the carpet.  He still has them. 

I found several Chrysler paper coffee cups under my carpet of my '70 Road runner (Lynch Road built). I will try to dig them up and post a picture.

who ever left them there must have been really proud of their work 

[stripedelete]

As Pete has stated, the stories!!!! 
  Different emblems on either side of a car, most common with the Omni and Horizon cars in the day ... seen that myself.

Me too!

[tan top]

  this is a good , interesting topic for a thread , often thought the same thing  , shame there was not more Chrysler dealer & assembly line guys coming forward with info ,
lot of interesting info guys , thanks for sharing  

as  for mine  ,  SPD of  November 22nd 68  ( Friday  )  & going my the mistakes & sloppiness , think it was a actual Friday afternoon car   )

was sold to the first owner in  June 23rd 1969   , so going by if it was actually built on the SPD , its a 7 month gap , from Hamtramck  assembly plant &   the selling dealer in Arlington texas
could be down to the color  combo with a tan top though  

[rarefish]

Bull,
My Charger also has a built date of 1-8-68. I probably have most if not all of the dealer paper work for the vehicle. Here are the dates that I have.

12-16-67: Dealer's hand written order sheet filled out by the salesman with the buying costumer.
12-19-67: Dealer's "blue" factory order sheet with ordered option codes checked.
  1-8-68:  Built date on fender tag
 1-15-68:  Chrysler Motors Corp. Invoice sheet.
 1-31-68:  Dealer's Vehicle Invoice sheet.
 1-31-68: Vehicle delivery date,  taken from dealer installed warranty sticker on drivers door jamb.

[bull]

Cool, this is good stuff! I guess I figured things would have been moving faster with the '68 Charger model since the demand was up 500% over '67.

Bull,
My Charger also has a built date of 1-8-68. I probably have most if not all of the dealer paper work for the vehicle. Here are the dates that I have.

12-16-67: Dealer's hand written order sheet filled by the salesman with the buying costumer
12-19-67: Dealer's "blue" factory order sheet with option codes.
  1-8-68:  Built date on fender tag
 1-15-68:  Chrysler Motors Corp. Invoice sheet
 1-31-68:  Dealer's Vehicle Invoice sheet
 1-31-68: Vehicle delivery date,  from dealer installed warranty sticker on drivers door jamb

Nice. I'm always jealous of you guys who know so much about your cars.

[bull]

Bull,
My Charger also has a built date of 1-8-68. I probably have most if not all of the dealer paper work for the vehicle. Here are the dates that I have.

12-16-67: Dealer's hand written order sheet filled by the salesman with the buying costumer
12-19-67: Dealer's "blue" factory order sheet with option codes.
   1-8-68:  Built date on fender tag
  1-15-68:  Chrysler Motors Corp. Invoice sheet
  1-31-68:  Dealer's Vehicle Invoice sheet
  1-31-68: Vehicle delivery date,  from dealer installed warranty sticker on drivers door jamb

Forgot to ask, where was your car shipped to?

[resq302]

Granted, this isnt a charger but my 2005 Ram 1500 quad cab was lost for over 3 mos somewhere on a railroad siding supposedly. When I got the truck, there were so many issues with it, you' swear it fell off of a loading dock or something.

[rustafarian]

I know a guy who bought a brand new Road Runner in1968
On the drive home,  when he got it up to about 70mph both back
Windows popped out and flopped in the wind. The locking mechanisms
Were never installed.   Seen a pic of a 1st gen Camaro resto
He found the source of a front end rattle was an empty can of
Burgermeister beer.    I worked at the GE Hotpoint refrigerator
Plant summers in college. Those folks partied. One rarely used RR
Dock stunk so bad of urine it was ridiculous.  In the parking lot,
Cans and bottles everywhere,  some standing up in rows between
Parking spaces which was a sight to see when the lot was nearly empty

[flyinlow]

Had a Le baron with a rattle. Repeat warranty comeback. Finally the Service Manager told me find it no matter how much time it took and the dealership would take car of me pay wise. (Warranty paid about 40% of what customer pay did) 

Ended up driving with the hood off, hanging out the passenger side window with the Service Manager driving.  Found a cut off bolt inside the fender brace after we cut the brace open.
I thought it was just a fluke. The S.M. suspected sabotage. Within a few months we had an epidemic of fender brace rattles.

Someone on the assembly line was not happy.

[HeavyFuel]

3 days.

My car had a scheduled production date for late Jan '68 (don't remember the exact day) and actually had final inspection on Feb 2, 1968, based on the date that was written on the firewall and rad support.  It was made in Hamtramk.

It was a sold car, and the first owner took possession on 5 Feb '68 in Tulsa, OK.  I have the original owners manual with the little card that the dealer filled out when the owner picked it up.

So....that was a quick delivery probably due to it being a car someone specifically ordered.

[bill440rt]

There's a good article/interview in this month's MCG about this very same topic. It discusses what happened from the moment the order was placed until delivery.
Trucks were sometimes unable to deliver vehicles to a certain dealer unless there were enough cars for a full load.
The article stemmed from the "last HEMI produced" controversy involving the two '71 Hemi Chargers.
Interesting read.

[bull]

There's a good article/interview in this month's MCG about this very same topic. It discusses what happened from the moment the order was placed until delivery.
Trucks were sometimes unable to deliver vehicles to a certain dealer unless there were enough cars for a full load.
The article stemmed from the "last HEMI produced" controversy involving the two '71 Hemi Chargers.
Interesting read.

Is that articel online?

[ODZKing]

Here is the link to the Hemming blog.
http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2013/03/11/is-this-the-last-hemi-ever-built-by-mopar/
and the link to the thread on the third gen forum.
http://wichargerguy.proboards.com/thread/17637/last-hemi-built-mopar

[rarefish]

Bull,
My Charger also has a built date of 1-8-68. I probably have most if not all of the dealer paper work for the vehicle. Here are the dates that I have.

12-16-67: Dealer's hand written order sheet filled by the salesman with the buying costumer
12-19-67: Dealer's "blue" factory order sheet with option codes.
   1-8-68:  Built date on fender tag
  1-15-68:  Chrysler Motors Corp. Invoice sheet
  1-31-68:  Dealer's Vehicle Invoice sheet
  1-31-68: Vehicle delivery date,  from dealer installed warranty sticker on drivers door jamb

Forgot to ask, where was your car shipped to?

The car was sold by Barry Dodge in Brockport,  NY