Second fender tag on car when painted, but not installed.

I bought this 1974 Charger roughly 25 years ago, very rusty parts car with a sunroof for $100.00

It had one cool detail, a second fender tag had been laying on top of the inner fender when the car was painted, but that second tag was never installed.

You can see the outline of the second tag including where the paint went through the holes normally used for screws.

Has anyone else seen an example of this?

Very bizarre. You would have thought that the gun air pressure would have blown the tag off the inner fender.

Do you think it was a Special Handling tag because it's a sunroof?

Sunroof installation was 'in house' at this point.

I would love to know what the tag said & why it was there, but I am not going to guess at what it may have said either.

The car was unusual in one other way, it had two broadcast sheets under the front seat.

The odd part is that they were identical except for the print times yet they were tucked inside the same seat in the same place.

Some mysteries we may never have answers too.

Think about why the back of that tag is painted with such good coverage vs so many that are bare or a hint of over spray.

I was thinking the same.
Isn't it possible that the tag you have was unattached on its backside and totally painted on the back and then was realized it needed to be installed and was done so and painted.

I wondered the exact same thing at the time, that is why I removed the tag to check into it deeper as seen in the bottom photo.

The tag has paint on both sides except where it was contacting the body when bent up for paint.

If it were laying flat it would only have paint on one side.

If then mounted & painted again, the over spray would have gotten on the bare area in the 2nd coat.

To me the evidence suggests that a second tag was laying there flat in addition to the tag already screwed to the car.

I'm sure the tag said "Place on inner fender and paint and remove to mess with Barry"

I still don't see how it stayed there.

The two sheets was probably a reprint and then someone found the original.

LOL

Could be on the tag.

I do love a good mystery, I do.

Solving them is enjoyable too.

OK how about this for a WAG

What if whatever glitch that generated your duplicate BS also generated a duplicate tag. Someone then placed it on the car but since one was already attached they did't have it as a CONTINUED tag.

Tags were generated well before the paint phase.

Of coarse. The second tag was matched up to an existing body and just placed there.

Maybe the tag left the factory painted to the car and then fell off later because it was not screwed on.

It's all just guessing

I know not always the case but the googler shows alot of fender tags in sync with the fender paint as far as weathering and looks, at least that style tag.

The back is heavily painted and matches the fender paint color well, the front side of the tag not to much.

Another thing I was thinking, had the car been repainted?

I know the factory let alot of crap pass through but how did that car get past the dealership and ownership with a ugly open unpainted spot and I wonder about that spot itself, it dont look that aged to me.

In the pic, on the support rod, is that black paint or rust proofing? Wondering if it was rust sprayed or spray bombed, again why leave a open ugly spot?

Doesnt that whole inner fender look rough as heck even for factory paint?

Lastly with the pinch stamp above the one FT hole, it dont look like it was made by that tag in some ways as the green made it through the mounting holes, why not the punched out area if it were that tag?


How was the end of the tag damaged?

To me both screws look the same, unpainted, so if it were folded up to paint and never been off, why no paint on that screw.



VERY different and interesting to say the least. Might just never know.

The tag damage is from the tag being bent up before painting.

It was pretty much standing straight up, sitting on the bent area in contact with the inner fender & held with the one screw which is green.

I’m sure they just neglected to screw it down. It was probably the same type of second tag that was on a 74 Charger I once owned.

Mopargem ..The second tag with inspection marks etc. was common on the A code Lynch rd cars, but not usually found on the St Louis cars , like the one in question. Unless you had a CTD situation , or a special handling .

Greg