Ford VIN decoder, 1950-1980

1950-1952

Looks like B1LB123456 (10 characters)

Old Cars Weekly: from 1950 the Ford passenger-car serial is an engine letter, the model-year digit, a two-letter plant code, then a six-digit unit number starting at 100001. Numbers were issued when the order was received (cars were "scheduled for assembly"), so they do not run in build order.

Plate location per Old Cars Weekly: patent plate under the hood on the firewall in 1950-51; relocated for one year only to the front passenger-side door in 1952. Sale listings show B0.. (1950) and B2.. (1952) prefixes consistent with the year digit.

Only the Long Beach (LB) plant code is stated by a source. Other two-letter codes seen in listings (DA, CH, SP, RH) are not decoded because no plant table was found.

Sources: [OCW] [CL50] [HG52]

1953-1957

Looks like B3FC123456 (10 characters)

Layout: engine letter, model-year digit, one-letter assembly plant, one-letter body code, six-digit unit number (Old Cars Weekly). Old Cars Weekly says the numbers were 'scheduled for assembly' numbers assigned when orders were received, so they do not always follow build order.

Engine letters changed meaning between years (for example A is a 223 six in 1954-55; U is read as a 239 V8 in 1954 but a 272 V8 in 1955; M is read as a 292 V8 in 1956). Our sources do not give a per-year table we can verify, so engine letters are deliberately not decoded.

Trim series (Mainline, Customline, Fairlane and so on) is not encoded in the serial; it is on the body/warranty plate (DecodeThis 1955/1957 notes).

Data plate location: driver's door hinge pillar in 1953, driver's door dogleg 1955-1956 (Old Cars Weekly). 1950-1952 Ford cars used an engine letter, year digit, plant letters and a sequence in a different layout and are not decoded here.

Mercury and Lincoln of this period used a different serial layout (Old Cars Weekly: model year, plant, unit number, then a make letter) and are not decoded here.

Sources: [OCW] [DT55] [DT57] [JJ56] [JJ54]

1958-1959

Looks like C9FH123456 (10 characters)

Old Cars Weekly: the ten-character system (engine letter, year digit, plant letter, body letter, unit number) ran 1953-1959, and Mercury, Lincoln and Edsel adopted it in 1958. Only the year digit is decoded here because no verifiable engine, plant or body tables for 1958-59 were found.

Late 1957 on, a smaller plate added transmission and axle codes and a date code replaced the production code (Old Cars Weekly).

The Lincoln 1958 and Edsel 1958 formats below use an extra division digit and are separate.

Sources: [OCW]

1960-1962

Looks like 0E54Y112345 (11 characters)

Eleven characters: year digit, plant letter, two-digit series/body, engine letter, six-digit unit number (Old Cars Weekly, who give 0E54Y112345 as a 1960 Galaxie). Only the codes in that one example are decoded; Falcon, Fairlane, Thunderbird and the rest of the 1960-62 code tables are gaps.

Sequence ranges used to tell makes apart: sources say each plant starts a model year at 100001 for Ford, 500001 for Mercury and 800001 for Lincoln/Comet. The upper bound of the Ford range [1-4] is our assumption, not a sourced limit.

Sources: [OCW]

1961-1967

Looks like E10SH131518 (11 characters)

Econoline.org: the warranty number is the series code (1st to 3rd characters), engine (4th), assembly plant (5th) and serial (6th to 11th). Serial 100001 to 205000 is 1961, 205001 to 325000 is 1962 and A00000 to B99999 is 1967; its monthly tables are anticipated assembly dates. Canadian-built (serial ending in A) and Mexican-built (MEX in place of H) Econolines use other layouts and are not encoded.

Only E10 is listed as a series code by the sources read here; a forum post mentions E24 for an E-200 van but no table was found, so other series show as not listed. H = Lorain, Ohio is from the site's example record; no plant code table was found.

Econoline 1968-1979 is not encoded: no readable engine or plant table was found (the 1973 and 1980 truck manual scans lost the letters).

Sources: [ECV] [ECE] [ECD]

1963

Looks like 3S63X100001 (11 characters)

From the page's Warranty Number description (example 3S63X100001). The page says the warranty number is not the official VIN; the title/registration VIN is stamped on a tab on the engine-compartment dash panel. Each plant starts each model year at 100001.

Only the Galaxie-page model codes are listed; Falcon, Fairlane and Thunderbird 1963 codes are gaps.

Sequence ranges used to tell makes apart: sources say each plant starts a model year at 100001 for Ford, 500001 for Mercury and 800001 for Lincoln/Comet. The upper bound of the Ford range [1-4] is our assumption, not a sourced limit.

Sources: [MS63F]

1964

Looks like 4H19F100001 (11 characters)

Source: the Falcon section of the Ford "1964 Comet and Falcon Shop Manual" (warranty plate on the rear face of the left front door). The official title number is stamped on the left cowl-to-front-spring pocket strut; the manual warns not to use the warranty number for title or registration.

Each plant starts each model year at 100001 for Falcon (Comet starts at 500001). The pattern uses [1-4]\d{5} to separate Falcon from Comet; that range is an assumption.

Several body codes are the same as Comet 1964 codes; the unit number tells the lines apart.

The example is built from the manual's worked example "4H19F 100001".

Sources: [SM64]

1964

Looks like 4Z61X100001 (11 characters)

Full-size 1964 Ford (Custom, Galaxie). Falcon, Fairlane and Thunderbird 1964 tables are gaps. The page lists body styles (for example 54A) separately from the two-digit warranty-number model code shown here; the two do not map one-to-one. Each plant starts at 100001.

Sequence ranges used to tell makes apart: sources say each plant starts a model year at 100001 for Ford, 500001 for Mercury and 800001 for Lincoln/Comet. The upper bound of the Ford range [1-4] is our assumption, not a sourced limit.

Sources: [MS64F]

1964-1965

Looks like 5F07U100001 (11 characters)

Mustang only (single owner/parts-seller decoder: Classic Industries). Unit numbers: 1964-65 Dearborn 100001-250000 and San Jose 100001-125000 then continuing (Dearborn 250001+, San Jose 125001+ for 1965), Metuchen from 100001 in 1965; from 1966 every plant starts at 100001 (same source). Falcon, Fairlane and Mustang were numbered together at each plant (decoder snippets; unconfirmed).

Cars built from March 1964 (the 1964.5 cars) carry year digit 5; the 'years' span reflects that.

Sources: [CI]

1965

Looks like 5H62Z100001 (11 characters)

Full-size 1965 Ford (Custom, Galaxie). The page's plant and engine lists cover Ford and Mercury together. The page says the official VIN is on a tab on the top right weld flange of the engine-compartment dash panel. Mustang, Falcon and Fairlane 1965 have their own tables (Mustang below; Falcon/Fairlane are gaps).

Sequence ranges used to tell makes apart: sources say each plant starts a model year at 100001 for Ford, 500001 for Mercury and 800001 for Lincoln/Comet. The upper bound of the Ford range [1-4] is our assumption, not a sourced limit.

Sources: [MS65]

1966

Looks like 6R02T100001 (11 characters)

Source: 1966 Ford Cougar, Falcon, Fairlane and Mustang Shop Manual (warranty plate on the rear face of the left front door). The official title number is stamped on the top upper flange of the left front fender apron (Falcon, Comet, Mustang) or on the vertical face of the left front fender apron near the top (Fairlane); the manual says not to use the warranty number for title or registration.

Each model year, each plant begins at 100001 (Falcon, Fairlane, Mustang) or 500001 (Comet). The [1-4] leading-digit range that separates Ford lines from Comet is an assumption.

The engine table in the manual is shared by Falcon, Fairlane, Mustang and Comet; the manual does not say which engines each line offered. The example is built from the code tables (not a recorded vehicle).

Sources: [SM66]

1966

Looks like 6U42C100001 (11 characters)

Source: 1966 Ford Cougar, Falcon, Fairlane and Mustang Shop Manual. The model labels for the hardtop and convertible rows (500, 500 XL, 500 GT) were read from a two-column scan, so the alignment of rows to labels is OCR-derived.

The engine table in the manual is shared by Falcon, Fairlane, Mustang and Comet; the manual does not say which engines each line offered. The example is built from the code tables (not a recorded vehicle).

Sources: [SM66]

1966

Looks like 6F07T100001 (11 characters)

Mustang only (single owner/parts-seller decoder: Classic Industries). Unit numbers: 1964-65 Dearborn 100001-250000 and San Jose 100001-125000 then continuing (Dearborn 250001+, San Jose 125001+ for 1965), Metuchen from 100001 in 1965; from 1966 every plant starts at 100001 (same source). Falcon, Fairlane and Mustang were numbered together at each plant (decoder snippets; unconfirmed).

Sources: [CI]

1966-1969

Looks like 7F02C100001 (11 characters)

Structure only: Ford, Mercury and Lincoln of 1966 (Ford), 1967 and 1969 use the same eleven-character layout (Old Cars Weekly; the 1967 Lincoln page describes it for Lincoln), but no readable body/engine/plant tables were found for these years except Mercury 1966, Lincoln Continental 1967 (below) and Mustang/Cougar (separate formats). The 1967 and 1969 shop-manual scans on MercuryStuff.com were too garbled to read reliably.

Lincoln 1967 sequence has five digits starting 00001 (Lincoln Continental page).

Sources: [OCW] [MS67L] [MS68]

1966-1977

Looks like U15SLAE0010 (11 characters)

BroncoZone thread (a forum summary, the only source for these tables): series U13 roadster, U14 pickup, U15 wagon; engine in 4th position; plant in 5th; the production sequence follows. The early Bronco was built at Michigan Truck (L) in the example; the thread lists the general truck plant letters.

Serial ranges per that thread: 1966 numeric 732,001 to 914,000; 1967 A00,001 to B82,000; 1968 C00,001 to D82,000; 1969 D82,001 to G30,000; 1970 G30,001 to J70,000; 1971 J70,001 to M30,000; 1972 M40,001 to Q00,000; 1973 Q00,001 to S60,000; 1974 S60,001 to V00,000; 1975 V00,001 to X40,000; 1976 A00,001 to C75,000; 1977 "00,001 to C75,000" (as printed, evidently garbled).

The thread's worked example (U15SLAE0010) is used to test the pattern. It has a two-letter plus four-digit sequence, which does not match the thread's own 1976-77 letter-plus-five-digit ranges, so treat it as illustrative.

Bronco 1978-1980 are full-size, F-series based, and are not covered here.

Sources: [BZ] [SM73T]

1967

Looks like F10YKA12345 (11 characters)

Layout (FORDification page; the 1973 Ford Truck Shop Manual text describes the same order): the first line of the rating plate is an 11-character number, series (letter plus two digits), engine letter, assembly plant letter, then the consecutive unit number. There is no model-year digit; the year is inferred from the unit-number letter range. Page: units run from A00,000 (Aug. 1966) to B81,999 (Aug. 1967); the page says published ranges conflict.

Every plant starts at the same number, so the plant letter is part of the identity. The rating plate is on the rear face of the left front door; the manual says the official title number is a separate stamping.

The example is built from this year's code tables and is not a recorded vehicle. F-series pickups and chassis only: Bronco, Econoline and heavier trucks use other series codes.

Sources: [FD67] [SM73T]

1967

Looks like 7F01T100001 (11 characters)

Mustang only (single owner/parts-seller decoder: Classic Industries). Unit numbers: 1964-65 Dearborn 100001-250000 and San Jose 100001-125000 then continuing (Dearborn 250001+, San Jose 125001+ for 1965), Metuchen from 100001 in 1965; from 1966 every plant starts at 100001 (same source). Falcon, Fairlane and Mustang were numbered together at each plant (decoder snippets; unconfirmed).

Sources: [CI]

1968

Looks like F10AKC14523 (11 characters)

Layout (FORDification page; the 1973 Ford Truck Shop Manual text describes the same order): the first line of the rating plate is an 11-character number, series (letter plus two digits), engine letter, assembly plant letter, then the consecutive unit number. There is no model-year digit; the year is inferred from the unit-number letter range. Page: C00,000 (Aug. 1967) to D81,999 (Aug. 1968); the page says sources disagree on some numbers.

Every plant starts at the same number, so the plant letter is part of the identity. The rating plate is on the rear face of the left front door; the manual says the official title number is a separate stamping.

The example is built from this year's code tables and is not a recorded vehicle. F-series pickups and chassis only: Bronco, Econoline and heavier trucks use other series codes.

Sources: [FD68] [SM73T]

1968

Looks like 8F54Y100001 (11 characters)

Full-size 1968 Ford. Fairlane/Torino, Falcon, Thunderbird, Mustang (own format) intermediates are gaps. The page lists these engine codes for 1968 with no per-make split. The official VIN tab is on the passenger side of the instrument panel for 1968 only (page; also Old Cars Weekly).

Sequence ranges used to tell makes apart: sources say each plant starts a model year at 100001 for Ford, 500001 for Mercury and 800001 for Lincoln/Comet. The upper bound of the Ford range [1-4] is our assumption, not a sourced limit.

Sources: [MS68]

1968

Looks like 8F01T100001 (11 characters)

Mustang only (single owner/parts-seller decoder: Classic Industries). Unit numbers: 1964-65 Dearborn 100001-250000 and San Jose 100001-125000 then continuing (Dearborn 250001+, San Jose 125001+ for 1965), Metuchen from 100001 in 1965; from 1966 every plant starts at 100001 (same source). Falcon, Fairlane and Mustang were numbered together at each plant (decoder snippets; unconfirmed).

Sources: [CI]

1969

Looks like F10GLE52001 (11 characters)

Layout (FORDification page; the 1973 Ford Truck Shop Manual text describes the same order): the first line of the rating plate is an 11-character number, series (letter plus two digits), engine letter, assembly plant letter, then the consecutive unit number. There is no model-year digit; the year is inferred from the unit-number letter range. Page: D96,000 (Sep. 1968) to F63,999 (Aug. 1969); a 1972 Ford bulletin lists D82,000 to G29,999 and a 1975 parts catalog D82,001 to G30,000; owners report F91709, F94511 and F95994.

Every plant starts at the same number, so the plant letter is part of the identity. The rating plate is on the rear face of the left front door; the manual says the official title number is a separate stamping.

The example is built from this year's code tables and is not a recorded vehicle. F-series pickups and chassis only: Bronco, Econoline and heavier trucks use other series codes.

Sources: [FD69] [SM73T]

1969

Looks like 9F01T100001 (11 characters)

Mustang only (single owner/parts-seller decoder: Classic Industries). Unit numbers: 1964-65 Dearborn 100001-250000 and San Jose 100001-125000 then continuing (Dearborn 250001+, San Jose 125001+ for 1965), Metuchen from 100001 in 1965; from 1966 every plant starts at 100001 (same source). Falcon, Fairlane and Mustang were numbered together at each plant (decoder snippets; unconfirmed).

Sources: [CI]

1970

Looks like F10GLH30001 (11 characters)

Layout (FORDification page; the 1973 Ford Truck Shop Manual text describes the same order): the first line of the rating plate is an 11-character number, series (letter plus two digits), engine letter, assembly plant letter, then the consecutive unit number. There is no model-year digit; the year is inferred from the unit-number letter range. Page: G30,000 (Aug. 1969) to J89,999 (Aug. 1970); the page says it conflicts with the 1975 Master Parts Catalog.

Every plant starts at the same number, so the plant letter is part of the identity. The rating plate is on the rear face of the left front door; the manual says the official title number is a separate stamping.

The example is built from this year's code tables and is not a recorded vehicle. F-series pickups and chassis only: Bronco, Econoline and heavier trucks use other series codes.

Sources: [FD70] [SM73T]

1970

Looks like 0F62H100001 (11 characters)

From the 1970 Car Shop Manual page (scanned, read by OCR; plant and engine lists legible, body tables too garbled to use, so body codes are a gap for 1970 except Mustang). Manual: year digit, assembly plant letter, two-digit body serial code, engine letter, six-digit consecutive unit number. Starting numbers: 100001 Ford, Fairlane, Falcon, Mustang, Thunderbird, Maverick; 500001 Mercury, Meteor, Montego, Cougar; 800001 Lincoln Continental and Mark III. The official VIN is on an aluminum tab on the instrument panel near the windshield, driver's side.

Sequence ranges used to tell makes apart: sources say each plant starts a model year at 100001 for Ford, 500001 for Mercury and 800001 for Lincoln/Comet. The upper bound of the Ford range [1-4] is our assumption, not a sourced limit.

Sources: [MS70]

1970

Looks like 0F01T100001 (11 characters)

Mustang only (single owner/parts-seller decoder: Classic Industries). Unit numbers: 1964-65 Dearborn 100001-250000 and San Jose 100001-125000 then continuing (Dearborn 250001+, San Jose 125001+ for 1965), Metuchen from 100001 in 1965; from 1966 every plant starts at 100001 (same source). Falcon, Fairlane and Mustang were numbered together at each plant (decoder snippets; unconfirmed).

Sources: [CI]

1971

Looks like F10YLK80001 (11 characters)

Layout (FORDification page; the 1973 Ford Truck Shop Manual text describes the same order): the first line of the rating plate is an 11-character number, series (letter plus two digits), engine letter, assembly plant letter, then the consecutive unit number. There is no model-year digit; the year is inferred from the unit-number letter range. Page: J70,000 (July 1970) to M29,999 (Aug. 1971); Ford Oct. 1972 Shop Tips lists J90,000 to M39,999 and the 1975 Master Parts Catalog J70,001 to M30,000.

Every plant starts at the same number, so the plant letter is part of the identity. The rating plate is on the rear face of the left front door; the manual says the official title number is a separate stamping.

The example is built from this year's code tables and is not a recorded vehicle. F-series pickups and chassis only: Bronco, Econoline and heavier trucks use other series codes.

Sources: [FD71] [SM73T]

1971

Looks like 1F58H100001 (11 characters)

From the 1971 warranty-plate page (U.S.). Layout: year digit, plant letter, two-digit body serial code, engine letter, six-digit consecutive unit number; plants start each model year at 100001 (Ford), 500001 (Mercury) or 800001 (Lincoln and Mark III). The official VIN is on a metal tab on the instrument panel near the windshield, driver's side; the Vehicle Certification label is on the rear face of the driver's door.

Codes marked with two style codes (Thunderbird 83, 84, 87) appear twice in the source table with different style codes; both readings are given.

Sequence ranges used to tell makes apart: sources say each plant starts a model year at 100001 for Ford, 500001 for Mercury and 800001 for Lincoln/Comet. The upper bound of the Ford range [1-4] is our assumption, not a sourced limit.

Sources: [MS71]

1971

Looks like 1F01L100001 (11 characters)

Mustang only (single owner/parts-seller decoder: Classic Industries). Unit numbers: 1964-65 Dearborn 100001-250000 and San Jose 100001-125000 then continuing (Dearborn 250001+, San Jose 125001+ for 1965), Metuchen from 100001 in 1965; from 1966 every plant starts at 100001 (same source). Falcon, Fairlane and Mustang were numbered together at each plant (decoder snippets; unconfirmed).

Sources: [CI]

1972

Looks like F10GKN40001 (11 characters)

Layout (FORDification page; the 1973 Ford Truck Shop Manual text describes the same order): the first line of the rating plate is an 11-character number, series (letter plus two digits), engine letter, assembly plant letter, then the consecutive unit number. There is no model-year digit; the year is inferred from the unit-number letter range. Page: M40,000 (Aug. 1971) to P69,000 (July 1972); the BroncoZone table lists M40,001 to Q00,000.

Every plant starts at the same number, so the plant letter is part of the identity. The rating plate is on the rear face of the left front door; the manual says the official title number is a separate stamping.

The example is built from this year's code tables and is not a recorded vehicle. F-series pickups and chassis only: Bronco, Econoline and heavier trucks use other series codes.

Sources: [FD72] [SM73T]

1972

Looks like 2F01L100001 (11 characters)

Mustang only (single owner/parts-seller decoder: Classic Industries). Unit numbers: 1964-65 Dearborn 100001-250000 and San Jose 100001-125000 then continuing (Dearborn 250001+, San Jose 125001+ for 1965), Metuchen from 100001 in 1965; from 1966 every plant starts at 100001 (same source). Falcon, Fairlane and Mustang were numbered together at each plant (decoder snippets; unconfirmed).

Sources: [CI]

1972-1980

Looks like 5A27H108410 (11 characters)

Structure only. Old Cars Weekly: the eleven-character VIN (year, plant, series/body, engine, unit number) continued on domestic Ford, Mercury and Lincoln cars through 1980; a 17-character VIN starts with model year 1981. No readable body or engine tables for 1972-1980 (Pinto, Maverick, Torino/Gran Torino, LTD, Granada, Mustang II, Fairmont, Thunderbird, Cougar, Montego, Versailles, Continental and Mark series) were found, so those positions are not decoded.

A 1972 Mustang is also covered by the Mustang 1972 and 1973 formats, which give body and engine codes (single source).

Year digit 0 here is 1980; the same digit in the 1970 formats is 1970, so a number starting with 0 shows both readings.

Sources: [OCW] [MS71] [CI]

1973

Looks like 3F01L100001 (11 characters)

Mustang only (single owner/parts-seller decoder: Classic Industries). Unit numbers: 1964-65 Dearborn 100001-250000 and San Jose 100001-125000 then continuing (Dearborn 250001+, San Jose 125001+ for 1965), Metuchen from 100001 in 1965; from 1966 every plant starts at 100001 (same source). Falcon, Fairlane and Mustang were numbered together at each plant (decoder snippets; unconfirmed).

Sources: [CI]

1973-1979

Looks like F10YLS60001 (11 characters)

FORDification: the first three characters are the truck series, the fourth the engine, the fifth the assembly plant, then the sequential serial, which also indicates the model year. Through 1977 the serial was one letter plus five digits; from 1978 it was two letters plus four digits. The 1973 and 1980 Ford truck shop manuals describe the same order (series, engine, plant, unit number).

Year from the unit number, per FORDification (exact changeover numbers cannot be known): Q00,001 to S60,000 = 1973; S60,001 to V20,000 = 1974; V20,001 to X40,000 = 1975; A00,000 to D25,000 = 1976; O00,001 to O99,999 = 1977; X80,001 to Z25,000 and AE0,001 to CK9,999 = 1978; DC0,001 to FK9,000 = 1979. The page says numbering was irregular in 1976-77 and that the table does not apply to E-series vans.

The engine chart covers F-100/150/250/350 light-duty trucks. The 390 and 460 engines were not available from the factory in 4WD trucks.

The example is built from the code tables (not a recorded vehicle).

Sources: [FD73] [FDSER] [SM73T]

1975-1976

Looks like 6S63H100001 (11 characters)

Source: Ford 1975-1976 Car Shop Manual, Part 10-01 (Vehicle Identification), which says the information applies to both model years. The official VIN is on a metal tab on the driver's side of the instrument panel, visible from outside, and the Vehicle Certification Label on the left front door lock face or pillar carries the same number.

Unit numbers begin at 100,001 for Ford, Torino, Elite, Mustang, Thunderbird, Granada, Maverick and Pinto (Ford lines per this format's leading digit) as the manual groups them: 100,001 for Ford, Torino, Elite, Mustang, Thunderbird, Granada, Maverick and Pinto; 500,001 for Mercury, Meteor, Montego, Cougar, Comet, Monarch and Bobcat; 800,001 for Lincoln Continental and Continental Mark IV. The leading-digit ranges in the patterns are derived from those starts and are an assumption.

The manual has a Body Serial and Style Code table, but the two-column scan text is too garbled to align codes with models reliably, so body codes are shown raw. The engine table is one list for all makes; which engines each make offered is not stated.

Example 6S63H100001 is the number shown in the manual's own Vehicle Certification Label figure (1976 shown).

Sources: [SM75]

1980

Looks like F27GLGA0001 (11 characters)

Structure only. 1980 Ford truck shop manual: the first letter and two numbers are the truck series code, then the engine letter, then the assembly plant letter, then the sequential serial and warranty number. 1980 serial ranges run from GA0,000 (August 1979) to KE9,999 (August 1980) for Bronco and F-100 to F-350.

The example F27GLGA0001 is the number on an incomplete-vehicle label figure in that manual. The engine letters in the 1980 scan are incomplete (Bronco rows E 300-1V, F 302-2V, G 351-2V were readable; the light-truck and van letters were lost) and differ from the 1973-79 letters, so no engine letter is decoded.

Serial letters overlap the 1973-79 format (G.. serials); the 1979 range in FORDification ends at FK9,000.

Sources: [SM80T] [FD73]