I’ve found this abandoned Econoline 200 in the forest near my house. i’m unsure what year, but i’m almost certain it’s a late 60s model.

 

The first of these were 68's. Could be 68 to around 72 I think when the grill changed. The VIN will tell you the year model.

 

where is the VIN located? it could have rusted away for all i can tell. it’s been abandoned since ‘85. Newfoundland and Labrador weather doesn’t take kindly to metals of any kind. 😂 I still see hope in the thing though. engine turned after i pulled the plugs and manually turned it with a breaker bar. was a bit stiff at first, but some Liquid Wrench fixed that.

 

Check by the driver's side windshield.
If you get the doghouse off, there are numbers in the metal, also I seem to remember on one of the frame horns.

 

the windshield isn’t there. i don’t know what you mean by the doghouse, either. i’m confused 😂😂. this seems to be one of my stupid moments

 

The doghouse is the engine cover. Remove it and under the sticky stuff on the frame, is the number.
The VIN is usually visible in the metal at the base of the windshield, on the inside of the vehicle.

 

The doghouse is the engine cover.

 

the doghouse isn’t there either.

 

I drove an E300 Supervan for 25 years and had it apart many times.
I also owned many 60's era vans.
My current one is a 2002 E350 15 passenger V10 Club Wagon.

There are multiple places where they stamp VIN's in the frame, as well as the VIN plate at the base of the windshield, on the dash,

 

I’ll have to check those places. i can remember there’s a tag with a number stamped on it on the body behind the grill, could that possibly be it?

 

i’ve decoded a part number off of the engine block, and as far as i can tell it’s a ‘68. i can’t find a VIN number anywhere on it. the part number is C8AE-9425-B in case that helps. thank you for all your help. i greatly appreciate it.

 

That's the intake manifold engineering number. Not the date it was produced. The date code will be a number/letter/number(s) on what looks like a rectangular tag cast into the intake. That a V8 or six ? I can't tell in the pictures.

 

VIN was behind the windshield sunken in a slot beneath the dash pad on the driver's side. Might also be on the driver's side door jamb. May also have the last numbers of the VIN stamped onto a flat on the rear of the engine block. If that's a 302, the engineering numbers are above the starter, along with the date code tag.

 

it’s a V8.

 

i’ll have to go check those spots. where is the starter? is it the component placed to the left of the fan? because as far as i know that’s the alternator, are they combined starter/alternator?