Ha NumberDummy: How about this one.1FDNF70796VA07516 DSO 224176 TYPE-GVW F702318A8 TRANS SN AXLE EOM
Thanks

What year is it? Verify that the 10th digit of the VIN is a number.

It could be a G. Not sure about the year. A friend is looking at buying it. I tried to get him on here but said he can't. The vin is Ink and paper. He is thanking early 80,s. Thanks again.

If it's a 6, it's a 2006. If it's a G, it's a 1986. Decode below is based on the assumption that it's a 1986.

VIN printed on the Certification Label, glued to the left door face below the latch & stamped on the VIN tag, located on the left corner of the dash, visible thru the windshield.

Production date printed at the left (upper) on this Certification Label.
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VIN: 1FDNF7079GVA07516 // TYPE/GVW: F702(318A8-meaninless) // TRANS: SN / AXLE: E0M // DSO: 224176

1FD = Ford Motor Company USA - Ford Truck - Incomplete Vehicle.

N = Class N Hydraulic Brakes - 19,501-26,000 lbs. GVWR

F70 = F700 (gas).

7 = 6.1L (370) 2V or 4V - Export and/or 1985/89: Liquid Propane powered. I'd suggest verifying the 7.

9 = Check digit, FoMoCo use only.

G = 1986.

V = Kentucky Truck Assembly Plant.

A07516 = Numerical Sequence of Assembly, the trucks specific serial number.

F702 = F700 (gas), 24,500 lbs. Gross Vehicle Weight Rating.

SN = Spicer model CM4054A 5 Speed Manual Transmission. Like the 'export and/or propane' engine, this is another "odd duck," I'd suggest verifying the SN

E0M:

E0 = Eaton model 16244 Two Speed Rear Axle / 6.14/8.54 / 17,500 lbs. Axle Capacity.

M = Ford 7,000 lbs. Capacity Front Axle with Power Steering.

224176:

22 = Charlotte NC Ford District Sales Office, where the original selling dealer ordered the truck from.

4176 = Domestic Special Order number, truck ordered special by the original purchaser, not "bought off the lot."

Thanks: I will try to get him to fetch that info here himself. That would be a start. Sounds about right for all the questions he has asked me. It is a pump gas burner with a heavy duty wrecker set up. I have not seen it and he is struggling with the paper work.

Hi there,

I'm sure you're a busy man, and I appreciate all the help you've done for folks on here. I posted the following a couple months ago. I figured you just missed it:

"Hello!
I heard about you from "Destroked 450". He told me about your ability to decode the VINs on Fords. I'm really interested to see what you can tell me about this Louisville. We just purchased it a month or so ago and plan to use it for a yard switcher and part-time road tractor. All I know is that it has a Big Cam Cummins, and a 9-speed. I appreciate anything at all that you can tell us. Thank you!"

Since those two months, I've had the truck serviced and started running it on the road a little. I have a few things I need to replace on it. Looking at straight-piping it, replacing the driver's seat (it's painful to drive), and a windshield visor. Wanting to fix this old girl up and keep her running. 795K miles now. All I pull are empty trailers (we run a trailer repair business).

Thanks again. I appreciate your time so much.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...9d6bb63b0e.jpg

VIN decal
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...130ab131ba.jpg

Production date decal, I assume.

I removed the production date (assembled 9/1986) pic, because it makes it easier to scroll up to read all this jazz.

1FD = FoMoCo USA - Ford Truck - Incomplete Vehicle.

Y = Class 8 Air Brakes - 33,001-55,000 lbs. GVWR

R90 = LN900 Diesel (LN9000 is an LN900 w/a diesel engine).

W = Cummins 6 Cylinder 855 cid (14.0L) Diesel (models: NTC230-240-250-270-290-300-444).

7 = Check digit, FoMoCo use only.

H = 1987.

V = Kentucky Truck Assembly Plant.

A02498 = 1987 Numerical Sequence of Assembly, the trucks specific serial number.

9E = Special White.

87 = Sold to a Body Company.

150" Wheelbase.

R90(332-meaningless) = LN900 Diesel; 33,200 lbs. Gross Vehicle Weight Rating.

AL8: AL = Tan/Chestnut Cloth & Vinyl / 8 = Standard Cab.

FE = Fuller model RT-11609-A 9 Speed Transmission.

V5P:

V5 = Rockwell model RS-23-160 Single Speed Rear Axle / 3.91-1 / 23,000 lbs. Axle Capacity.

P = Rockwell/Timken model FF-903 12,000 lbs. Capacity Front Axle with Power Steering.

Wow. Thank you SO MUCH. I sincerely appreciate that.

'87', "Sold to a body company", what exactly would that mean? I'm totally ignorant about this.

All 500 and larger series trucks are sold as a cab & chassis (just bare frame rails - no "back of cab equipment").

So, the body company that purchased it, installed some sort of "back of cab" equipment.

What was there (if present) when you bought it, a box van body? If so, I think it might be referred to as a bobtail.

I can look up part numbers for these trucks, decode VIN's, but I know very little about them, plus I've never driven anything larger than an F350.

It's a road tractor with a fifth-wheel. That's what threw me. Sounded like it was originally sold with some sort of body, and not as a tractor with a fifth wheel. The owner we purchased it from bought it as it is now, when it was only about 4 years old. I dunno.

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...8061579fe0.jpg

This is the tractor.

He could not hardly believe that was possible to do.
I found out the truck was originally owned by a propane company so it has surly been converted to pump gas.
In Georgia you can register a truck 1985 and older with a bill of sale. It just was not a good year, I mean day, for him but he'll work through it.
Just wanted to let you know and Thanks.

The 5th wheel was probably added, maybe by the body company.

Years ago, before I got in the parts biz, I worked weekends at a gas station. A guy came in, told the boss he owned a trucking company, wanted to park some "cabs" there.

He came back later that day, wanted to cash a check for 500 bucks. Boss cashed it, it bounced higher than a kite.

Boss later told me he was suspicious from the get-go, because the guy said "cabs," not tractors. I didn't have a clue, thought a tractor was something a farmer used.

haha!! Great story. There was an elderly lady that I've known all my life who recently passed away, who called them 'cabs'. She said something about the 'cab' parked at my house one day. She was 96 when she passed away. Great lady. I didn't argue the terminology with her, haha! I grew up in a tobacco field myself. I've spent many hours running both types of tractors! I didn't know if fifth wheels were added at the factory, or if those were added on afterwards. Learned something new.

I do appreciate your time and help. So much. I'll leave you alone now. Need to get to bed so I can put a few more miles on that old Louisville tomorrow. Thanks again. Have a good night.

Looking it the photo your truck appears to be pretty much unaltered from it's original build and was probably used to pull the short 28-32' pup trailers.
Most of them had a pantle hitch on the rear to pull the convertor gear on occasion, I also see brackets on the roof for a air deflector.
The truck also has a Fontaine 5th wheel instead of the standard Holland 5th wheel I normally seen on a Ford.
Since any of these add ons where not a factory installed item the trucks where sent to a truck body company to be finished.
If Ford had sold the truck directly to the customer they would have had to warranty any of the add ons so the trucks where sold to a body company that installed the added components and then transferred to the customer as new trucks with Ford's standard warranty and the body company warranting the add ons.

Personally I wouldn't straight pipe a Cummins, they get loud, I did that on my LTL9000 and soon after went back to mufflers, if you want a little more noise find a muffler with a straight thru design.
Also straight pipes on semi's are illegal in many states, got the ticket to prove it.
The seats in those trucks where ether Bostrom or National Seating and the pattern was a Ford exclusive, so I'm not sure if you can get that seat anymore. What ever you get make sure it's one of the thinner designs like the original, the big thick plushy seats will shove you up against the steering wheel and dash, been there, had to chance it out.
The visor for those trucks was made by Lund who still make visors, many of the LTL's came with visors that will fit your model, if a Ford dealer can't help check with a Sterling dealer as a lot of that stuff was transferred to them when Freightliner bought Fords heavy truck division.

Bill: not going to argue over the codes but I don't think that's a 18,000 lb front axle, 18-20k lb front axles normally only came on heavy dump trucks or heavy haulers, the front of those trucks usually set higher for the larger floater tires to clear the fenders. At the height that truck is setting it looks more likely to have a 12-14k lb axle which is more in the line of what a truck like that would normally come with. 12k lb front was pretty much standard on semi's.
Just saying what I seen on the Ford's and Peterbuilt's I drove, owned and worked on for 30 years.