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What's not covered here

 

Pictures here are from various sources on the web, mostly from eBay advertisements.  In some cases the information provided by those sources has been verified; in others it has not.  You should do your own research to determine the correct application for your item.  A good place to do this is Google Image Search where you can do a broad search by make, model and year, or a more narrow one by using the advanced feature to add tags such as "dash dashboard interior instrument steering."  And don't overlook eBay Motors as a source of information.

 

Using this site   

 

Choose the most likely decade for your item then select the appropriate category.  Within each decade the pictures are arranged first by make then by year.  (Emblems are not segregated by decade.)

 

Clues

 

Design characteristics

 

1930s.  Early instrument panels are usually flat; dial faces are either plain and industrial-looking or highly ornate with fine markings and simulated filigree.  Later instrument panels are vee'd at the top to fit the new split windshields; dials assume a "Streamlined Modern" look often associated with Art Deco.  Speedometers from the late 1930s-early 40s may be marked "Safety First" (General Motors) or "Drive Safely" (Nash).  Electrical systems are six-volt.  Radios are tube-type and usually have control heads separate from the chassis.  Push button radios arrive mid-decade.

 

1940s.  The streamlined look continues; plastic appears on some bezels and knobs, replacing the more durable Bakelite.  Late instrument panels may be curved at the top to fit below the new curved windshields.  Most OEM radios have controls integrated with the chassis, but many aftermarket sets and a few OEM sets have separate controls until the mid 1950s.

 

1950s.  The Deco look is replaced by jet aircraft and rocket themes.  Dial faces run the gamut from round to rectangular, with every odd shape in between.  Chrome abounds; colors are often bright and gaudy.  Wraparound windshields arrive mid-decade, requiring instrument panels that wrap back to meet dog-leg A pillars.  Padded dashes become optional.  Electrical systems change from six to twelve volts.

 

1960s.  Designs are simpler; colors are more subdued.  Instrument panels get shallower again as wraparound windshields disappear.  Padding becomes standard; plastic starts to replace metal for bezels and trim.  Radios get transistors in place of tubes.

 

	6 Volt to 12 Volt
	Electrical System Conversion Schedule
	1953	1954	1955	1956
	Buick Super, Roadmaster	Buick Special	Chevrolet	GM trucks (most)
	Cadillac		Pontiac	Ford Motor Co (all)
	Chrysler Crown Imperial		Packard	Chrysler Corp (all other)
	Oldsmobile			Hudson, Nash
				International
				Studebaker
				Willys(?)
	Most car makers changed from positive to negative ground when they converted from 6 to 12 volts.
	But Packard and Chrysler Crown Imperial remained positive when they converted, and did not change
	to negative until 1956.

Data courtesy Steve

 

Logos and brand names

 

AC (for Albert Champion, founder of Champion and AC spark plugs) and Delco (Dayton Electric Company) are General Motors brands found mostly on GM products (Chevrolet, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Buick, LaSalle, Cadillac, and GMC) but also on independents like Kaiser, Studebaker and Packard.  Sonomatic is a name found on many Buick radios.

 

FoMoCo is a Ford Motor Company brand found on Ford, Comet, Edsel, Mercury, Lincoln, and Continental.  Autolite and Philco are names found on Ford products in the 1960s, but previously on other makes as well.

 

DPCD (1930s-mid 60s) and the Pentastar logo (mid 60s-up) are Chrysler Corporation (Mopar) trademarks found on Valiant, Plymouth, Dodge, DeSoto, Chrysler and Imperial.  DPCD stands for Dodge-Plymouth-Chrysler-DeSoto.

 

Dates

 

Clocks and radios are often tagged or stamped with a build date that may or may not coincide with the model year.  Thus, a build from late in the year could indicate either late production for the current year, or early production for the next year.  A date of September 1947 could be for late 1947 or early 1948, for example.  A further complication is that parts for replacement stock may be manufactured and dated long after production of the vehicles for which they are intended has ceased.  The only way to assure proper identification is to do your own research.

 

Make and Model Minefield

 

 

Note:  For convenience, we refer to all Ramblers made between 1967 and 1969 as AMCs.  In the mid-1960s, AMC management felt the Rambler name had acquired a stodgy image and had become a hinderance to sales, so, in 1966, they began de-emphasizing it in favor of the AMC brand.  Lower-priced offerings (American and Classic) were advertised as "Rambler by AMC;" higher-priced models were branded "AMC Ambassador" and "AMC Marlin."  When the Rebel replaced the Classic in 1967, it too was branded "AMC," and in 1969 the Rambler American was rebadged as "AMC Rambler."  The Javelin, AMX, Gremlin, and Hornet were never called Ramblers in the U.S.  See the Rambler and AMC articles on Wikipedia for more information.

 

 

 

There is nothing for sale here  -  Please do not ask for prices