# Of VIN plates and data plates
**URL:** https://59plymouth.net/t/of-vin-plates-and-data-plates/3223
**Category:** Tech Support
**Created:** [January 26, 2019, 12:01am UTC](https://59plymouth.net/t/of-vin-plates-and-data-plates/3223 "2019-01-26T00:01:19Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Faulkner](https://59plymouth.net/u/Faulkner)
#### Post date: [January 26, 2019, 12:01am UTC](https://59plymouth.net/t/of-vin-plates-and-data-plates/3223/1 "2019-01-26T00:01:19Z")
I received a phone call today from a Plymouth Owners Club member, who recently purchased a '59 Savoy. The car has a data plate on the cowl, but the VIN on the driver’s A pillar is missing. There are two holes, but he says it’s clean as a whistle - as if no VIN plate had ever been installed.
Could that be? I know that some plants didn’t install data plates. Could some have installed data plates, but no VIN plate? Or was the VIN pirated?
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### Author:  [@Faulkner](https://59plymouth.net/u/Faulkner)
#### Post date: [January 26, 2019, 2:48pm UTC](https://59plymouth.net/t/of-vin-plates-and-data-plates/3223/2 "2019-01-26T14:48:02Z")
And the answer comes, of course, from Poortvliet!
> [@Matthew Keij](#):
>
> The holes were there on all cars. It all depends on where it was made. The VIN numbers were installed on the door jamb, top of the cowl or even on the data plate.
Matthew went on to say that VINs began with Mxyz, where the letter M designated the model year (1959), “x” was 1 for 6 cylinder and 2 for 8 cylinder (no distinction between 318 cid or 361 cid), “y” designated the model, and “z” where it was built. These are the values for “z”:
3 - Evansville
4 - Los Angeles
5 - Newark
6 - Detroit
> [@Matthew Keij](#):
>
> I just can’t remember if it was 5 or 6 that never got the shiny vin plate _[on the door jamb]_. Every car got a VIN plate though. Evansville never used the data plates.
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### Author:  [@william0431](https://59plymouth.net/u/william0431)
#### Post date: [January 27, 2019, 8:18am UTC](https://59plymouth.net/t/of-vin-plates-and-data-plates/3223/3 "2019-01-27T08:18:36Z")
I have a question that ties in with this. I know the LA plant was really just an assembly plant, meaning that the parts were brought in by train in the form of “knock down kits” i.e parts. then assembled. I have a video of this process and it shows them off loading complete engines, rear ends, transmissions, doors, roofs ect. and the car being assembled.
So i guess it would make sense that if the door pillar panel was stamped at the Detroit plant where most the components were “made” the panel would have the two holes drilled there and it would be on the individual assembly plant to pin the vin tag in place.
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### Author:  [@Faulkner](https://59plymouth.net/u/Faulkner)
#### Post date: [January 27, 2019, 2:06pm UTC](https://59plymouth.net/t/of-vin-plates-and-data-plates/3223/4 "2019-01-27T14:06:45Z")
That makes sense. Faulkner was assembled in the Maywood plant (LA), and he’s got a VIN on the driver’s A pillar.
I digitized that tape of the Maywood plant years ago, you can find it [here](https://59plymouth.net/ephemera/video/Commercials%20and%20Promotionals/slides/Maywood.html) - It’s in Windows Media Format, though, you’ll have to use Internet Explorer to view it. And be patient - it takes some time to load. One day, I’ll convert it to MP4 format and it will “stream” (meaning, you can watch it while it’s still loading). I hope you enjoy the cheesy soundtrack I added!