I'm in the process of buying a 1965 F100 Ranger with bucket seats. Here is the issue, the door tag shows the body code as E81, which my information tells me that the truck did not have buckets seats. The DSO # is 260126, which indicates a special order truck from the Washington DC Sales Office. The gentleman that owned the truck was the second owner, who owned it since April of 1971. I new him since I was a kid, and I know the truck was always black exterior, with red interior bucket seats. It had chrome trim around the windshield, chrome grill, and chrome front and rear bumpers. All of which are still on the truck. The truck also as the red vinyl door panels, carpet, factory console, and inside tank cover. Truck was originally 3 speed on the column, but was later converted to a top loader 4 from a 67 Fairlaine. Truck also has the original 352 FE engine. It does have a Holley 4 barrel and dual exhaust. As far as I know the truck has all the original body panels. I am 100% positive the truck had bucket seats when this man bought it. I know of the gentleman that special ordered it, but he passed away. He does have a brother and sister that are still living. I may try and contact them to see what they know about the truck. Just looking to see what you all think. Here is the VIN and info off the door tag that does match the title. The VIN tag still has the factory rivets.

VIN# - F1ODL639620
Original Va Title Issued - 04/27/1971
Title states year as - 65
Empty Weight - 3000
Gross Weight - 5000

Door Tag

F10DL639620
WB - 115
Color - A
Model - F100
Body - E81
Trans - A
Axle - 07
Max GVW - 5030
Cert Net HP - 172
RPM - 4000
DSO - 260126

Any thoughts or help would be greatly appreciated.

Troy

 

I sounds like the bucket seats have been there a while from what you describe - problem is it doesn't decode to a Ranger so you've got yourself a bit of a question mark there. It could have been a dealer install of the carpet, seats and console - that is not unheard of. Or the Warranty Plate was not stamped quite right. I don't think there is any way for us to know for sure.

To make things worse, people have been cloning the Rangers for a long time and it is tricky to tell.

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His wife said that he bought the truck from the original owner in 1971, and was told it was a factory Ranger that was special ordered that way. I honestly do not believe this is a clone. I am more to the opinion that it was stamped incorrectly on the data plate. Maybe someone else has an opinion on it.

 

One other thought - I also wonder if you went in to buy one at a dealer - special order - if something/someone in the ordering system might have balked at the red bucket seats in a black truck when they offered the black bucket seats. So they might have ordered it as a black truck with a red bench seat and then swapped everything to the Ranger package in red before the original owner took possession or knew what they did. A behind the scenes sort of thing.

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I wasn't suggesting this one is a clone. Sorry if it came out sounding that way. Sounds like something original. And we have seen, I think, two other cases of an E81 looking like it had a genuine red Ranger package so it might have been someone stamping it that was making the same mistake. 1965 was the first year so not all may have been on the same page.

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Here's another one. My best guess is there were some mis-stamps going on in 1965 as relates to E81 and Ranger package. I can't say for sure, but if you like the truck it sounds like a winner. Almost more cool because it invokes stories. Convincing other people would be the trick as you can imagine.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/7...-decoding.html

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This is how I see it, you have NO proof that its a Ranger, no matter how many stories are told, its still not proof that its a Ranger. I say buy it and enjoy it

Robert

 

Maybe a better example. It still has pictures up, at least.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...y-f-100-a.html

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And one more that was mentioned - I will point out that while he says his bubble was burst just a little, it was not I that was doing the bursting. Just a side note I wanted to make in case it sounds like he was taking my name (TA455HO) in vain in another post. I'm pretty sure he was just referencing my thread, not me personally.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...l#post13851450

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I'm thinking since this was an early production, January 65, and special order truck that someone in the factory didn't stamp these right. Maybe it was an error that was corrected in house, but not before some of these trucks were stamped incorrectly. If you look at what made the Ranger, this truck has it all. I need to get some pictures and figure out how to upload them on this site.

 

I would also be interested in knowing if there are any specific things were done to these trucks at the factory, that would be hard or near impossible to produce outside the factory. I am going to be taking this truck apart and would like to know what to look for. Some other things this truck has, the sweep style gauge cluster with a round gauge on each side. Has two sun visors. It also had the white headliner with the small pin holes in it. That mans son, who I have know since we went to elementary school together, said they had the headliner redone, the seats, and tank cover redone back in the early 80's.

 

F10 = F100 2WD

D = 352 2V

L = Michigan Truck Assembly Plant.

639620 = 1965, assembled January 1965.

115" Wheelbase.

A = Raven Black.

F100 2WD .. 5,000 lbs. GVWR

E81: E = Red Crush Vinyl & Red Ladder Pattern Woven Plastic (bench seat) / 81 = 81B Custom Cab.

A = Ford type 3.03 3 Speed Manual all Syncromesh Transmission.

07 = Ford 9" Rear Axle / 3.25-1 / 3,300 lbs. Rear Axle Capacity.

5,000 lbs. Gross Vehicle Weight Rating.

172 net HP @ 4,000 RPM

260126:

26 = Washington D.C. Ford District Sales Office, where the original selling dealer ordered the truck from.

0126 = Domestic Special Order number, truck was special ordered by the original purchaser, not "bought off the lot."

Domestic Special Order: Something was installed that was not an RPO (Regular Production Order).

Since whatever was installed was not listed in the parts catalog, if it was defective, dealer contacted FoMoCo with 6 digit DSO, FoMoCo looked up the order number, told the dealer where the part can be found.

Since all the Ranger related parts were RPO's, I doubt that any of the Ranger installed parts had anything to do with the 6 digit DSO.

However, there's no way...today to determine what was special, as FoMoCo THREW AWAY all the records for 1961/66 trucks decades ago.

1965/66 F100/250 2WD Custom Cabs & Rangers came with anodized aluminum grille, dual padded sun visors, plastic inside door panels, sweep speedometer instrument cluster bezel, horn ring, padded dash.

Rangers came with all the parts that made up F100/250 2WD Custom Cabs, plus bucket seats, cut pile carpeting, drape over the fuel tank. The console was optional.

Upper body side mouldings, R & L zippered door pockets, chrome front and rear bumpers, outside mirrors, oil and amp gauges (both: except Camper Special) were optional.

Basic truck was an F100 2WD Standard Cab 115" wheelbase Cab & Chassis, 240 I-6 w/3 speed manual. Everything else was optional.

The lists of all the factory installed options and dealer installed accessories for these trucks is mind boggling.

 

OMG!!! Are we really implying that this did not come from the factory this way? My father in law worked at the Mahwah plant in Jersey, if you asked for it and paid for it, it was made to your desire.
I don't care if N.D. or anyone else disputes this, it happened!!!!
The "Suits" would have a truck/car made the way they wanted because they could afford it. Guy's on the line would have a base model built and have all the goodies tucked inside. Once home they would assemble the truck with the goodies that were tucked.
I for one would not suggest that the guys back then did illegal things, but they did get over on the "Suits"
These trucks were not a number matching thing, they were not build perfectly according to some spec sheet, THESE WERE FARM TRUCKS!!! Come on guys think about it. Question it all you want. Does that increase the value? NO!!!!
Most of you waste to much time trying to think "Numbers Matching", "E" code "V" code. bottom line, do you want it? Are you willing to pay for it?
The past is just that, "The Past"
Most of the guys here who knows numbers are educated from the book, none and I mean none of these guys were at every plant watching every truck that came off the line.

 

Thanks NumberDummy for the reply. Based on what you have given me, this truck has everything except the padded dash. Door panels, instrument cluster, upper body molding, chrome bumpers, grill, dual sport mirrors, etc. I have found out that the original owner has a brother and sister still living, and several kids. They are all local, and the truck remained local its entire life. I was 7 when the current owner bought it, and remember it being as it is today. He actually worked with the guy he bought it from. So he knew the truck. The original owner sold it to the guy I am buying it from when the truck was 5 years old. I can't see someone trying to make all the changes necessary to make this truck appear as the Ranger with bucket seat option. Not to A truck that was less than 5 years old. I'm going to try and get in touch with the original owners family and see if they have any photos or info on this truck. Something is odd, and I believe it may have been a factory error. Just my thoughts.

 

Just another note. I have a 1965 Ford service manual that list the "D" engine code as a 352(4V), not a 2 barrel.