I just purchased a 1968 f100. Is there anyone that can help me with decoding the my VIN number?? It is F10YRC90924. Any help would be great!! Thanks!!

 

F-100
Y= 360 engine.
R- San Jose Calif.
C90924 is the consecutive build number


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Dennis, how can Identify the engine to see if it is the original one or not??? Are there numbers on the block??? How about the trans. I currently have a 4 speed witch was introduced with the 360 in 1968.

 

I'm not Dennis, but I'll answer as best I can.

You can never be certain whether you have the original engine unless you know every previous owner, and they all swear it was never changed. You can get pretty close to certain, however, by checking part numbers and date codes.

On the bottom front of the block, near the oil filter mount, should be a small flat area with a code stamped into it. The code will be a number, followed by a letter, followed by one or two numbers. The first number is the last digit of the year in which your block was cast (7=1967, 8=1968, 9=1969, etc.). The letter is the month (A=January, B=February, etc., but I is skipped). The last number (or two) is the day of the month. For example, I have a block with the date code is 8F8, which means it was cast on June 8, 1968. The code 9E14 means a block cast on May 14, 1969.

Similarly, you block will likely have a part code on it somewhere. If your block is original to the truck, it will likely start with a "C7" or "C8". For example, my 8F8 block has "C7ME-A" on it. The "C7" indicates it was a design that was released for production in 1967.

Obviously, if your 1968 truck has a date code or block part code that is later than 1968, it's not original. Similarly, if you have a "reverse 105" cast into the front of the block instead of a "352", then you likely have a later replacement.

The next step is to determine your truck's build date. If you don't have original literature, there are sites and books that will at least tell you what month your truck was built based on the VIN (the sequential production portion that Dennis mentioned). Original engine blocks typically have casting dates 4-6 weeks ahead of the truck's build date. If the block casting date is much earlier or much later, it is likely a replacement.

I'm not sure why you'd care, though, unless you are restoring to "councours" spec. 360/390 FE blocks from 1965-1976 are pretty much equivalent, with a few notable (and rare) exceptions. The real question is what crankshaft and rods you have in it. Even if you have the original 360 block in your truck, there's a reasonable chance that it was rebuilt at some point in time as a 390.

 

Furthering the questions, the 390 in my 69 is absolutely not the original, it was pulled from my Dad's 69 LTD to go in the truck. I've checked a lot of the VIN sites and as far as I can tell, the "H" in the VIN indicated that the truck came stock with a 351 in it?!?

The only reason I even care is in regards to the front suspension. Would the springs be the same? Was there every any difference in the front springs based on the engine?

She rolls pretty bad in the turns, and I'd like to stiffen the ride a bit. I figured the 33 year old springs would be a good place to start (although I am open to other suggestions also).

Anyways, the VIN is F10HCF71348 if anyone can tell me more about her.

Thanks!

 

Here's a site you might like.

http://www.jjmoss.net/f100/

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[updated:LAST EDITED ON 08-May-02 AT 11:28 PM (EST)]Jack, the "H" indicates a 390 cid FE, so your truck came from the factory with a 390. The 351 was not available in these trucks. What reference said it was a 351?

The heavy body roll is par for these trucks. My '69 F100 Ranger leans like crazy, too. What you need to do is add an anti-sway bar to the front. They're available from a number of sources for a little over $100.

 

Karl,I went to Stockman's web site and it said the 69's could come with a 351M.
Weird, eh?


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64-Fairlane500 S/C waiting for a 390-4spd.
68-Mustang 289-Sunlit Gold 80,892Mi
78-Buick LeSabre 403 4V [/font]

 

Its really kind of strange, I went to the jmoss website, and the VIN section was for 70+ models.. It said I had a 79 F100, with a 351, 2wd.. I guess there was some play in the VINs across the years.

I guess I was more curious than anything, Dad bought the truck in the late 70's and I was too little to really know what he had done to it. I remember my uncle coming over and helping with the engine swap, but as I was a kid then, I really didn't know what had been in there.

I guess those kinds of memories are a big factor in why I am resoring the truck. Its a piece of family history, and I helped my dad work on it over the years. Good memories, and I think its a great tribute to his memory to restore it.

Thanks for the insight guys! This site is AWESOME and everyone has been so helpful in the answers to questions along the way.

I've been taking photos of the project, and will start posting as soon as I get the parts for my computer to download them from the digital video.

I'll definitely be adding a sway bar, for the stability piece too.

Thanks again!

 

Dennis, that is weird. Stockman knows his stuff, so I can't figure out why his site would have that error. The only engine options in 1969 were the 240 and 300 cid inlines sixes, the 360 and 390 cid FE big block V8s, and the 302 cid small block. The 302 was a midyear addition, so most '69 Ford truck literature doesn't list it as an available option. I don't think that the "M" series engines (351M and 400M) even came out until the mid-70s. My understanding was always that the 400M and 351M were the replacements in 1977+ for the discontinued 360 and 390 FE engines.

 

 

I looked at Stockman's site, and I don't think it says that the 351m was available in '69. Instead, it says:

"Ford installed three different engines in the F-series pick-ups in 1967. The 240 or 300 cid inline 6, or I-6 and the 352 V-8. Starting in 1968, Ford no longer offered the 352, but, rather two similarly designed engines, the 360 and the 390. There were also other V-8's installed between 1968 and 79 (ie., 302, 351M, 400 and 460)."

All he says is that the 351M was one of several engines offered between 1968 and 1979 -- he doesn't say which years it was available in. I'm not sure exactly when they first became available, but it was not until the mid 70s at least. I'm reasonably confident that the 351M and 400M were first offered in 1977 in place of the 360 and 390 FE that had been available from 1968 to 1976.

 

I went back and looked.

You're right ,Karl > My mis-interpretation.

It's all in the wording.



I just peeked through the brochures that I bought on the weekend and it says the 351M/400 was first available in 1977.


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641/2-Mustang 260,Pre-World's Fair Car.
64-Fairlane500 S/C waiting for a 390-4spd.
68-Mustang 289-Sunlit Gold 80,892Mi
78-Buick LeSabre 403 4V [/font]

 

According to what I have been told that I am suppose to have a 360 in my 68. The vin code being a Y. However, The engine that is in my truck is a 302. The part number that is on the manifold is a C8 part number. The engine is also backed up by a 4 speed manual trans. I have yet to look at the block numbers though. It does look like it is the original engine. I am confused now!!!

 

I don't know what you mean by "it looks like it is the original engine." There is no way you could tell just by looking.

In any case, it isn't. The 302 is a small block, and was not available until midway through the '69 model year. If your truck has a 302, then someone dropped it in as a replacement for the 360 big block that was originally in your truck. It is a very easy swap.