Where's my serial number?
- Late 1960s and later: usually on a small plate on the dashboard, visible through the windshield on the driver's side.
- Earlier cars: it varies by make and year. Common places are the driver's door pillar or hinge post, the steering column, the firewall, or near the glove box. Each make's page lists what our sources say.
- Paperwork: your title and registration also show it.
Example: W8UR728469 (an example Edsel serial).
Years we cover
1958.
What a Edsel serial looks like, by year
Each example below is split into numbered groups of characters, with what each group means. Example numbers show the layout; they are not a specific car.
1958
Looks like W8UR728469 (10 characters)
| 1 Engine | W: 361 cu in E-400 V8 unconfirmed [ED58L] |
| 2 Model year digit | 8: 1958 [ED58] |
| 3 Assembly plant | U: Louisville, Kentucky unconfirmed [ED58L] |
| 4 Body series letter | R: Pacer convertible (per one listing) unconfirmed [ED58L] |
| 5 Division digit 7 (Edsel) plus five-digit unit number | 728469 [ED58L] |
- Registry data plate lists plants E, R, U while one record (W8RF705563) names San Jose for plant F; unresolved. All codes here are single-listing readings.
Layout (listing attributed to the Edsel Owners Club): engine letter, year 8, plant letter, body series letter, then '7' for Edsel followed by the unit number. The Edsel registry page lists engine codes W and G, plants E, R and U, and body series C, F, G, H, R, S, T and V but does not explain them.
All engine codes (3)
| W | 361 cu in E-400 V8 unconfirmed The ClassicCars listing text says 261 cid/303 hp, which is evidently a typo; an Edsel registry record for W8RF705563 says 361 cid E-400 (edsel.com registry). [ED58L] |
| X | 410 cu in 4V V8 unconfirmed [ED58L] |
| G | Listed by the Edsel registry among 1958 engine codes (W, G); meaning not stated unconfirmed [ED58] |
All assembly plant codes (2)
| U | Louisville, Kentucky unconfirmed [ED58L] |
| J | Los Angeles (Pico Rivera), California unconfirmed [ED58L] |
What a serial number cannot tell you
It identifies what the factory recorded in the number: typically the model year, assembly plant, series or body and production sequence, and in some years the engine. It cannot confirm a car is original or numbers-matching. Compare stampings, body tags and documentation.