Hello all, I am a new member and have been reading for about 2 weeks. I recently purchased a C600 that had an old Prentice model H knuckleboom loader grafted onto the frame. It is ugly but the price was right and as usual nothing was running which was why it was within my price range. I got the ford 2300 hydraulic drive powerplant running and then turned to the truck engine . It was frozen but after soaking and several turn throughs with a large breaker bar it freed up and has good compression. Usual carb and fuel pump cleanup, points and rewiring it has started and runs good except for blown exhaust gaskets. Anyway the clutch is shot and the thing will not move under its own power. I was hoping I could get the usual good information as to what I have so I could start ordering parts (clutch and brakes). The VIN off the driver door tag is:

F61DEF54617 The next line under the VIN reads :
174 / N / F614 / 4B81 / M / 540 Then:
2300 / 164 / 3800 / 25

I have been pushing and pulling it to load some trees and stumps as I am clearing some land. Time to get the clutch and brakes working since I now know the knuckleboom is worth its weight in gold. Ugly but works.

Thanks for reading,
Craig, In the woods of Virginia and retired from the Navy.

 

Welcome to FTE

F61 = F600 (gas).

D = 330 2V Heavy Duty FT Engine.

E = Mahwah NJ Assembly Plant.

F54617 = 1969.

174" Wheelbase.

N = Dark Green.

F614 = F600 (gas), 23,000 lbs. GVWR

4B81: 4B = Black all Vinyl / 81 = 81A Standard Conventional Cab.

M = Clark model 285V 5 Speed Direct.

54C: 54 = Rockwell model H170 Rear Axle / 6.83-1 / 17,500 lbs. Rear Axle Capacity / C = 6,000 lb. Capacity Rockwell-Timken Front Axle.

23,000 lbs. Gross Vehicle Weight Rating.

164 net HP @ 3,800 RPM

25 = Richmond VA Ford District Sales Office, where the original selling dealer ordered the truck from.

I'm a USN historian and volunteer on the USS IOWA (BB-61) now located in the Port of Los Angeles (San Pedro) as a museum ship.

 

Thank you for the information, I rechecked and its a 54C under "axle". Glad that you are able to spend time on that great navy ship. If I remember right I saw it in 91 when I was overseas on the carrier America. There were a couple of battleships alongside us on the way home for a photo op. Anyway thanks for helping.
I have another ford f600 but with no doors and nothing in the glovebox. Is it a secret where the frame number VIN is? That cab is in great shape and has nice dash and no rust. My favorite truck is my 84 ford FMC outfitted firetruck I bought at a fire department auction. I am getting ready to pull off the tank and pump and convert it into a log hauler. It has a gas bigblock and air brakes and great suspension. Cabover and I dont know if that is a ford cab or if FMC put it on when they did the firetruck work. All the fire lights and sirens work and air horn is loud. I let the younger neighborhood kids play when I run it up and down the gravel roads to wash out the culverts in the subdivision. By the way I am a certified firefighter here in my community (volunteer dept).

 

C edited into post 2.

Sorry, don't know where the hidden frame VIN is on 500 series and larger trucks.

F100/350's (might be the same): VIN stamped atop the right (starboard) frame rail either partially under the cab, or in front of it. Could be located as far forward as below the alternator.

I usually type right (passenger) side, but I figured starboard would work just as well.

I believe the Iowa was mothballed in 1992 (Suisun Bay). It had that unfair stigmata attached to it due to the turret explosion. Original story USN put out was a pack of lies.

4 battleships blew up in WWI, another in WWII (none US) due to defective British cordite. Cordite on Iowa dated back to 1936 and defective cordite is what caused the explosion, not a "lovers" quarrel.

So it stayed there among other ships of the Reserve Fleet, unwanted for almost 20 years rusting away, covered with bird poop, lead paint chips dropping into bay.

NorCal 'do-gooder' left wing pols petitioned the USN to remove all the ships due to lead paint pollution. Suddenly 4 CA cities wanted the ship, we got it!

It was actually donated to San Francisco first, but same do-gooder left wingers said no way. Then Stockton and Vallejo wanted it, but couldn't raise the money needed to 'make it presentable.'

 

Not for long.....