New baby 1953 Merc

[Merc Cruzer]

rotorwrench,,

Thanks for the update. Now at least I know my transmission came form the Warner Gear Division plant. One more piece of the puzzle.

If I can find a good enough one, I can make a decal that will go over the original plate. That, with a couple of coats of clear, and it should look like it just came from the factory.

I know the tag place you are referring to, they did my vin tag, and it looks new.

[Daves55Sedan]

Originally Posted by Merc Cruzer

Does anyone have a nice close up picture of the correct ID tag used on the 53' Ford/Mercury automatic transmissions?

Here is a xerox of a '55 small case Ford-O-Matic tag, but it was xeroxed in black and white. The actual paint color is red.
I also have a '53 Ford small case Ford-O-Matic transmission on the garage floor that I could take a digital photo of if you think it would help, but I don't think there's much difference.

Xmission-tag.pdf

[Daves55Sedan]

Originally Posted by KULTULZ

Look closely at the filter Dave. It has a sheet metal bottom. Only GOD knows (and the guy that services it) what is laying there baked on.
Why would anyone try and clean this filter if a quality new w/ gasket is available for seventeen bucks? I surely wouldn't clean one and stick it back in there if it was mine or a customers.
And that also goes for oil bath air cleaners and oil cartridge filters. All of that is long gone.

I've done my own ATF, and pan gasket changes in the past. The last couple times I did it, the pan gasket was readily available by itself, but a kit including the filter screen was not offered. No problem though, screen was like new after cleaning as I had described. I even tried to get the filter separately but they didn't have it.
Oil bath air cleaners gone now? I am still using the original oil-bath air cleaners on both my '55 sedan 272, 2-bbl and my '55 Courier 223, single bbl. Cleaning them is a drag even though they are never that bad, but ya gotta go thru the motions. They both look and function well.
Oil filter cartridges weren't meant to be re-used anyway. I kept my old cannister and Purolator P48 oil filter cartridges up until about 25 years ago, but if you ask me, I never had any problems with the old cannister type. You may save a few minutes with the spin-on type filter, but I never saw it as reason to gripe about the old style filter.

[Daves55Sedan]

Here is a photo of the '53 small-case Ford-O-Matic tag. This was factory installed behind a 215 I-block 6-cyl engine. The air-cooled torque converter was one of the last of the old design that used a flat gasket between the flywheel plate and converter housing. The newer design included a large o-ring gasket instead of the round flat gasket and the converter housing had a small chamfer cutout from the inner surface to accept the o-ring.
53-Fordo-tag1.JPG

[Merc Cruzer]

Originally Posted by Daves55Sedan

Here is a photo of the '53 small-case Ford-O-Matic tag. This was factory installed behind a 215 I-block 6-cyl engine. The air-cooled torque converter was one of the last of the old design that used a flat gasket between the flywheel plate and converter housing. The newer design included a large o-ring gasket instead of the round flat gasket and the converter housing had a small chamfer cutout from the inner surface to accept the o-ring.
Attachment 466883

Thank you for the photo, any chance you could do it in a larger format?

Based on the post from rotowrench, I am wondering what plant it was built in:

The serial will tell you a little bit. The first digits before the hyphen designate the plant code. A "2", "6", or "10" prefix indicates Cincinnati plant by FoMoCo. A"1", "5", or "9" prefix designates Warner Gear Division. The linear serial number started at 10001 followed by 10002 and so on. This information comes from the 1953 dated revision of the Merc-O-Matic transmission repair and adjustment manual.

I note that mine had 6 digests after the first digit and hyphen, wonder if that means anything?

Thanks again for the PDF/Xerox of the tag.

[KULTULZ]

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Originally Posted by rotorwrench

The ones I've seen are the red type and the application number is large so that it fits the space there better. All was painted on except the serial number. That's why they don't last. Some have a casting number on the case but they are a case number. The 1P-N and 1P-P versions were used on both 239 and 255 applications in 1953 and the linear alpha change was likely done for either a small internal change, a date of manufacture change, or a place of manufacture change but I cant tell you with any certainty which applies. The 1st data plate in the post above is very close in arrangement to the 1P-7000 series. It has the model number first (example 1P-7000-N), the 3-digit date code, month/week/last digit of year are there. The serial will tell you a little bit. The first digits before the hyphen designate the plant code. A "2", "6", or "10" prefix indicates Cincinnati plant by FoMoCo. A"1", "5", or "9" prefix designates Warner Gear Division. The linear serial number started at 10001 followed by 10002 and so on. This information comes from the 1953 dated revision of the Merc-O-Matic transmission repair and adjustment manual.

I can't say they are all red but the ones I've seen are. There is a history of changing colors so nothing would surprise me about that. The manual photos are black and white so there is no help there.

You might try this place for a tag restoration.
http://www.datatags.com/

There may be others that do this but some may only do quantity instead of one offs for new plates.

Any chance of your scanning and posting the pertinent pages?

[KULTULZ]

Originally Posted by Merc Cruzer

Thank you for the photo, any chance you could do it in a larger format?

Based on the post from rotowrench, I am wondering what plant it was built in:

The serial will tell you a little bit. The first digits before the hyphen designate the plant code. A "2", "6", or "10" prefix indicates Cincinnati plant by FoMoCo. A"1", "5", or "9" prefix designates Warner Gear Division. The linear serial number started at 10001 followed by 10002 and so on. This information comes from the 1953 dated revision of the Merc-O-Matic transmission repair and adjustment manual.

I note that mine had 6 digests after the first digit and hyphen, wonder if that means anything?

If your tag was previously posted and the SERIAL NUMBER began with a 9, it is a BORG-WARNER ASSY.

A little more dust has to settle before attempting to have a repro done.

[Merc Cruzer]

Originally Posted by KULTULZ

Any chance of your scanning and posting the pertinent pages?

It is 105 pages long. Is there a certain section or do you want the entire book? You are right, the one shown in the book is Black and White. The one in Red is the best one so far.

[KULTULZ]

No, all I would like to see is the ID page rotorwrench referred to as to how to determine CODE BREAKDOWN from the 1953 TRANS WSM (and any other year WSM you may have that has the same description).

I need exact text/verbiage.

[rotorwrench]

I'll see if I can set up the scanner and get a file for that page.

The FOM for the 215 6-cylinder would not be covered by the Merc-O-Matic manual since it is Ford. It is likely the code for Dearborn since that is listed on the tag but I don't know. Tags can be from anywhere but the transmission could still have been made at a different Ford plant.

Looking at post #108 again and I see that that is the same information that is in the manual I have verbatim in photos 2 and 3 at the top. I have that same green manual at the bottom. I don't have a Ford-O-Matic manual.

The model information comes from the fourth page in Charely Tranny's Ford transmision identification information for FOM/MOM 3-speeds. It appears to be similar to information I've seen in the old Motors Manuals but it could be FoMoCo I don't know. Here is a link to the access page.
https://www.charlietranny.com/FordomaticID.htm

[Merc Cruzer]

Would the numbering system have been the same on both the Fords and Mercurys? The reason I ask, is the serial numbers as described in the book, only had 5 numbers, following the initial digit followed by the hyphen, and mine has 6 numbers.

Or the answer would be, they just made more then they originality thought, therefor the numbers were longer.

Hopefully these pictures (from page 45) are a little easier to read.

I have started calling local transmission shops to see if i can find a good original.

[rotorwrench]

If they serialized by model number then numbers in the tens of thousands may have covered their bases. If they didn't then they may have needed a lot more prefix numbers to cover their amounts manufactured. There just isn't enough info to know that sort of stuff.

[KULTULZ]

Originally Posted by Merc Cruzer

Would the numbering system have been the same on both the Fords and Mercurys? The reason I ask, is the serial numbers as described in the book, only had 5 numbers, following the initial digit followed by the hyphen, and mine has 6 numbers.

Or the answer would be, they just made more then they originality thought, therefor the numbers were longer.

Hopefully these pictures (from page 45) are a little easier to read.

I have started calling local transmission shops to see if i can find a good original.

Yes, the ID SYSTEM would have been basically the same for either line with maybe a few hiccups here and there. The trans were either unique to either line or was cross used in both lines. FORD ID charts will give you that.

What you have copied is exactly what I need. I will cipher on them.

[KULTULZ]

THANX! rotorwrench ...

The ID is not all that difficult if one has the resource material to weed through it. What was posted is what I need hopefully.

You had SERVICE INFO, PARTS INFO and the most I wish I had was SERVICE LETTERS.

But I believe when all the dust settles, his will be a 1P-7003-N BW assembled.

And I can't believe no one is either restoring or reproducing these tags. Most everything else is available.

[Merc Cruzer]

In reality, I am only a digital photograph away from being able to reproduce them. There so many artisans on Etsy that can do just about anything, once you present it to them. Reverse engineering the original process, should not be an issue with today technology.

[Daves55Sedan]

Originally Posted by Merc Cruzer

Thank you for the photo, any chance you could do it in a larger format?

Based on the post from rotowrench, I am wondering what plant it was built in:

I note that mine had 6 digests after the first digit and hyphen, wonder if that means anything?

If you click on the photo, it will enlarge. You will be able to read the ID plate better
The model no of the '53 Ford-O-Matic is 1P-7003-C. The serial number is 4-89996. Note here that the first digit (4) of the serial# is painted on in red paint along with the red background.
But they may have done it differently for Merc transmissions. I assume it was made at the Dearborn plant, as indicated at the bottom of the nameplate.
However, if you looked at the PDF of the '55 Ford-O-Matic, it shows Muncie, Indiana and has a longer serial number with 3 digits before the hyphen.

[cokefirst]

I have FOM in my 1956 F100 The tag was all there and in good condition when I took it in for the rebuild. Unfortunately, most of the red paint came off during the rebuild. If someone make a good decal, I would sure buy one. I know you don't see it unless you are under the vehicle, but I would still like to have it restored.

[KULTULZ]

Originally Posted by merc cruzer

in reality, i am only a digital photograph away from being able to reproduce them. There so many artisans on etsy that can do just about anything, once you present it to them. Reverse engineering the original process, should not be an issue with today technology.

Bingo!

[KULTULZ]

ADDITIONAL INFO

FORD and the Warner Gear Division of Borg-Warner signed a contract in 1948 which entered B-W into a supply agreement wherein they would build half of FORD's transmissions for five years (NOTE: That would be 1951-1954 Model Years), with the other half either being built by FORD or by a different supplier. Because of this agreement, Ford licensed the design themselves and broke ground immediately on an assembly plant to build the remaining transmissions.

The new plant, called Fairfax Transmission Plant (CIN OH), was dedicated in 1950.


SOURCE - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cruise-O-Matic#MX/FX


BW Plant – Decatur, IL

[Merc Cruzer]

Originally Posted by Daves55Sedan

If you click on the photo, it will enlarge. You will be able to read the ID plate better
The model no of the '53 Ford-O-Matic is 1P-7003-C. The serial number is 4-89996. Note here that the first digit (4) of the serial# is painted on in red paint along with the red background.
But they may have done it differently for Merc transmissions. I assume it was made at the Dearborn plant, as indicated at the bottom of the nameplate.
However, if you looked at the PDF of the '55 Ford-O-Matic, it shows Muncie, Indiana and has a longer serial number with 3 digits before the hyphen.

Your photo is good, thanks again, but I want to confirm that the ones on the Mercurys were not different any any way, since mine decodes as: "9" prefix designates Warner Gear Division. I am not sure where the plant was, or if the tag would read differently.

I will probably have to do the same thing for trucks and 6 cylinder cars too, just to be sure.