The Ford Barn - View Single Post - Early Production '57 Ford Data Plate Questions

KULTULZ · 12-15-2021, 10:22 AM

- UPDATE ON ONGOING SAGA -

I come to you with a heavy heart. I have discovered that the early PATENT PLATE PRODUCTION CODE does not include TRANS/REAR info but only the BUILD DATE. The rest of the coding is unexplained for now.

This discussion - http://57fordsforever.com/smf/index.php?topic=5454.0 - will illustrate what I misinterpreted as someone else did also.

Now, this does not answer the 2 in the EXT PAINT CODE or the variances in differing ASSY PLANT PLATES. I am still working on it.

If the needed decode is not found in the 55/57 FORD PARTS CATALOG, then the info was not available to the field. I know that when I was in it (1970-1990), any car that came through with a DSO CODE and wasn't described fully in the MPC, one had to contact DEARBORN cataloging for the the build info. I have a feeling this is the explanation (but then again, I have been wrong before).

The TRANS was identified easily by the assembly tag, the REAR was a crap-shoot as not all came through with tags in all years (1954-57). And there is not REAR TAG info decoding in the 49/59 MPC.

12-15-2021, 10:22 AM	#55
KULTULZ Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: IN A 'GALAXIE' FAR FAR AWAY Posts: 6,479	Re: Early Production '57 Ford Data Plate Questions - UPDATE ON ONGOING SAGA - I come to you with a heavy heart. I have discovered that the early PATENT PLATE PRODUCTION CODE does not include TRANS/REAR info but only the BUILD DATE. The rest of the coding is unexplained for now. This discussion - http://57fordsforever.com/smf/index.php?topic=5454.0 - will illustrate what I misinterpreted as someone else did also. Now, this does not answer the 2 in the EXT PAINT CODE or the variances in differing ASSY PLANT PLATES. I am still working on it. If the needed decode is not found in the 55/57 FORD PARTS CATALOG, then the info was not available to the field. I know that when I was in it (1970-1990), any car that came through with a DSO CODE and wasn't described fully in the MPC, one had to contact DEARBORN cataloging for the the build info. I have a feeling this is the explanation (but then again, I have been wrong before). The TRANS was identified easily by the assembly tag, the REAR was a crap-shoot as not all came through with tags in all years (1954-57). And there is not REAR TAG info decoding in the 49/59 MPC. __________________ *** - MULTI-VEHICLE SYNTHETIC TRANSMISSION FLUID - Multi-vehicle transmission fluids are becoming more and more popular in the marketplace. Oil marketers design these fluids for a wide range of automatic transmission types. While they are not licensed by any specific auto manufacturer ... ??? ... enough said ... DIAGNOSED CDO** - (OCD In Correct Alphabetical Order)