What is a Dodge build sheet?

A build sheet is the factory's own record of how one specific vehicle was assembled. For a Dodge it lists every sales code — engine, transmission, axle, paint, packages, and options — tied to the VIN.

It's the most reliable way to confirm how a used Charger, Challenger, or Durango was originally configured — far more dependable than a badge or a listing.

What the build sheet shows

Powertrain, trim, exterior and interior colors, wheels, option packages, and dealer-installed-at-factory equipment — the details that explain why two cars with the same model name can feel completely different.

On performance models it separates the genuine hardware — Scat Pack, SRT, Hellcat equipment — from appearance packages that only look the part.

Sales codes explained

Stellantis / FCA vehicles use 3-character factory sales codes on the build sheet. One package code can bundle several smaller features, so reading the sheet carefully tells you what the car actually carries.

Factory data is the baseline, not proof of current condition — wheels, audio, and trim may have changed since delivery, so use the sheet alongside photos and an inspection.

How do I decode a 1970 Dodge VIN?

Classic Dodge · 1970 Dodge Charger · 783 views · 3 replies Solved

U13 — Represents a legacy identification entry used on early factory documentation. Browse Sales Code codes →

Tina M. Jun 13, 2026 · Texas

Dad and I are deep into our 1970 Charger restoration and we have hit the paperwork stage. The VIN on this car is thirteen characters, not seventeen, and every modern decoder we try either rejects it outright or mangles it. I gather the seventeen-character standard came later. How do I decode a 1970 Dodge VIN properly? Is there a structure to the old thirteen-character format we can read ourselves, and do any tools handle the classics, or is this a books-and-forums era of the hobby?

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3 replies

Walt G. Jun 16, 2026 Accepted answer

Books-and-forums era, and welcome to it. The 1970 format reads positionally: car line, price class, body style, engine, year, plant, then sequence. You can decode it by hand in five minutes with a reference chart, which classic Mopar clubs and registries publish. Modern seventeen-character tools will never accept it, so stop feeding them.

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Gary O. Jun 17, 2026

Also decode the fender tag while you are there, since on cars of that era it carries the option story the VIN cannot. VIN for identity, tag for equipment, broadcast sheet for glory if you find one.

8 likes

Tina M. Jun 21, 2026

Decoded by hand tonight with a chart from a registry site: numbers-matching engine confirmed and Dad did a small dance in the garage. The fender tag is next weekend's homework. This hobby is the best.

6 likes

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