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A good buddy sent me a vin off a ford dump truck he saw while he was looking at a loader. The owner had passed and little info other than it ran and hasn’t moved for 15 years was all he got. I tried to look up the number but get conflicting info. F90 i found was 81-82 L900 gas? But the letter followed by 5 numbers for the last 6 digits was only till 1978? Maybe Q is a 5 speed trans? Can anyone decode this for me?
Thank’s
V11803 = 1975 numerical series, August (?) 1974 production. (The MPC and the shop manual samples I use conflict on the starting numbers, with the MPC saying the '75 MY started at U80001 vs. the shop manual saying V25000)
162 = 162 inch wheelbase
No color code. Note the vehicle is a special order, so paint was probably part of that. EDIT: Build sheet (see post 7) shows yellow and black.
F902 = L900 gas, 27,500 lbs GVWR
1 2
1 = Gray upholstery/interior (best I can figure)
2 = Chassis cab, standard cab, with butterfly hood
Q = Dana (Spicer) model 5652 five speed direct transmission
No rear axle code--again, probably part of the special order. Rear axles have identifying stamps, tags, etc.
EDIT: From the build sheet & tag in post 7:
Eaton model 18221 two speed rear axle, 7.17 / 9.77 ratios.
Even though it appears to be a special order item, that model axle was listed in the MPC for this year truck with a capacity of 22,000 lbs. (note correction of axle info)
P = Rockwell (Timken) model FF-903 front axle, 12,000 lbs capacity, with power steering.
27500 = 27,500 lbs GVWR
B10846
B1 = Ford of Canada, Central (Ford) District
0846 = Special order number
There are a few things about this that make it a good candidate for sitting another 15 or more years.
Super Duty gas motor--expect 3 to 5 mpg and low power, especially if a single speed axle or no auxiliary transmission. Still slow, you just shift more.
27,500 lbs GVWR is a CDL truck.
Unknown what brakes but if hydraulic, they aren't big enough and you can't get drums. If air, they might be wedge brakes. EDIT: Build sheet shows "alcohol evaporators), which are air brake components.
Otherwise it was probably an excellent truck in the day.
Last edited by 85e150; May 16, 2024 at 11:57 PM.
Reason: Updates & corrections.
Great, Thanks. I have a couple gravel pits nearby that can be accessed by dirt backroads. Power or speed is not a deal breaker. Going to have a look at it Thursday. What does one do to identify the rear axle? Not sure where to look for tags or stamps on heavy trucks.
I don’t know y-blocks, as we found out. I also don’t know these SD engines. Did a bit of searching and they seem to be like the dinosaurs, just some bones and teeth left if you find them. Can you keep this 401 running if it is in decent shape but just needs basic stuff? Hoses can be cobbled together, carb can be substituted, pertronix…. How bout water pumps and thermostats?
For a water pump, I find e-bay sellers with NOS pumps and rebuild kits.
Can't find a t-stat but didn't look for 475/477/534 units to see if they are the same.
One thing you must do is make sure you're looking at the "401 Super Duty gas V8" as Ford sold a "401" diesel later on, more commonly called the 6.6 Brazilian Diesel.
Fuel pumps are electric in-tank units and those seem to be available.
Box is 12 feet long.
quite unmolested for its age, no broken or cracked glass. Only lights cracked were on the mirrors. Wiring looks very complete and mostly oem. I don’t think the seats had a rip. Engine complete, no micky mouse stuff.
As best I can tell, you have 34,000lbs of axle capacity with a 27,500lb GVWR. Either we're missing info or something is "wrong" with that combination. It would be unusual for a manufacturer to make an error like that as it's so obvious and dangerous. Note correction.
To determine capacity, we need to know the tare weight. We'll again pretend it's 12,000lbs. You will have to take it to a scale to determine the weight.
So, 12,000 lbs of gravel is 3 to 5 yards, depending on wet or dry etc.
Your 12 foot dump is good for 4 to 9 yards, so you could overload it pretty easy.
When we did our driveway, I rode with the guy who brought in the 12,500 lbs of base rock/sand mix. He had a tandem axle KW. Seemed like a decent load for that truck.
How much gravel do you need?
In the time it would take to drag this thing out of it's nest and get it somewhere to work on, a regular hauler could have several 8 to 10 yard loads delivered.
Just curious, where does the 24000 come from? I see the 12000 front, is the other 12 from the axle tag? I see the 27500.
I need a bit of gravel for sure, but might have found some on the property. Might be good for 4 ish cords of firewood?
I couldn’t flip open the hood and never got to give the engine a spin. I get first shot at a deal on it. Going back with batteries and stuff. It’s too nice to get hauled in for scrap, It’ll get used. They want dad’s truck to go to a “good home”. Tires still hold air and have pretty decent tread, very very minimal weather cracking. Carb still has the autolite tag on it. Odometer was at 16488, and the whole frame still had paint on it. That is unheard of up hear, guy did a remarkable job if he painted it. Zero runs or overspray anywhere.
Anyway, if it will run that's great, but do research those brakes and how they work. There are some on-line CDL tests for pretrip and other testing that includes airbrake.
You don't want even a minor issue with the brakes in a truck like that.
Sorry, This stuff always confused me. Looked at trucks like this online and could never figure out what a trucks capacity was. Where do you see the 22000 rear?
The Eaton model 18221 is listed as a regular production option for trucks in the '73-'79 Master Parts Catalog and in the '75 shop manual. The ratios vary, but all are listed at 22,000 lbs capacity.
Your warranty card doesn't show the axle code. Usually that means the axle is special order item. Hard to say why it was done that way.
