Chrysler History

Someone asked in another thread about three painted digits on a transmission casing. This number should correspond to the last three digits on the broadcast or "Build" sheet. It was likely a seven digit number and these were the last three. So why paint them on though? Because one could easily identify that transmission when receiving it, off the truck, and also by a production worker, on the assembly line. I worked there and we nearly always spoke in the last three digits. The engine tags, later, on the valve covers had the full part number AND the last three were larger for a reason. So if the last three were 890, then if I were running out of 890's, I would tell managers that "I need 890's". I could check the broadcast sheets to see when we would run out, if the sheets were coming regular. But it was too late to stop the process. There were nightly inventory counts so those "890's" were supposed to be on the premises and the broadcast group, aka. scheduling, assumed they were available, hence the ticket. Missing an engine or transmission was a big deal because these vehicles were pushed off the end of the main line before the rolls and an engine installed in the repair hole. Lots of important people "the suits", came out of their cube farm or window offices to find out why.