I have not been able to find a true year model and info on my 196? something F100. I haven’t been able to find the VIN on the truck yet either. I haven’t been able to see it yet on the frame due to the steering gear box being in the way. There was a tag on the truck so I called the tag office and she told me the truck was a 1965. She gave me a VIN, which is F10JL612068. I looked it up on the vindecoder which some people say is not that great, and it told me that it was a 1964. It has a grill of a 1966. I would appreciate it if some one could decode it for me.

 

According to that VIN it is Nov. '64, which makes it a 65.

 

That VIN (F10JL612068) decodes as follows:

F10 = 2-wheel drive F-100
J = 223/1V engine
L = plant not color (of course!)
612068 = early Nov. '64 production (model year 1965)


I wouldn't put too much stock in the grill as it could have been replaced. Having said that, I would trust whatever VIN you find on the actual truck.

 

Thanks for the quick response. When ordering parts should I order for a 65?

 

Yes

- cs65

 

There are 2 stamped VINs

The first is on the top passenger rail just aft of the spring tower.

The second is on the top passenger rail mid point under the cab.

Unless your truck is right hand drive it is no where near the power steering gear box.

Garbz

 

10-4 I have been told all kinds of places to look. I will be able to check those places with ease in the next few days, almost to that point in the restoration. Thanks for the help.

 

L = Michigan Truck Assembly Plant.

The COLOR code is found on the Warranty Plate, between the W.B. (wheelbase) and the MODEL code.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
612068 = 1965, assembled November 1964.

SaltH20: Since new vehicles historically are introduced in September of the previous year, new vehicle production begins in August.

Check out your local dealers, you'll see they have 2011's in the showrooms now.

 

Thanks Bill for the correction, it must have been the Indian food for dinner!

 

Here we go again. The VIN I gave you guys last night was not the same as the one on the frame. The new one it F10A0890231. The #/letter behind the "A" may be an "C". It is hard to tell.

 

Where did you get the VIN from last night?

F10A0890231

F10 = 2-wheel drive F-100
A = 240 (150 hp) engine
C = Ontario Assembly Plant (has to be a letter, and there's no assembly plant code for "O")
612068 = July '66 production (model year 1966; in fact very late in the production run, also explains the grill)

 

I've decoded enough VIN's/Warranty Plates here on FTE (over 700) to know that most trucks assembled in Canada (Oakville Ontario) were sold in the US, many were ordered from the Pittsburgh and Atlanta Ford District Sales Offices.

ALL 1965's came with 1965 grilles as original, none came with 1966 grilles, which were not available until mid-August 1965, then installed on 1966's only, but...

In September 1965, Ford obsoleted the 1965 grilles, replaced them with the 1966 grilles for use as service part replacements (parts sold at FoMoCo Dealers parts counters).

Finding NOS 1965 grilles is almost impossible, since Ford only offered them for 12 months. Finding decent 1965 used grilles is difficult.

When I did a 'frame off' resto of my (purchased new)1965 F100 in the early 1980's, I searched for a NOS '65 grille, put the word out to my scrounger pals (who traveled all over the US looking for NOS Ford parts) to look for one.

One of them found a NOS C5TZ8200B = 1965 anodized aluminum grille at an Alabama funeral home.

 

But based on the sequential portion of the VIN (at least the VIN he found on the frame), this *is* a '66.

 

Now...it's your turn to correct me...cuz I didn't pay any attention to the serial number.

 

No worries, just make sure it never happens again.