|
Position #2 is the Year
Identification
3 = 1953, 4
= 1954, 5 = 1955,
6 =
1956, 7 = 1957, 8 = 1958, 9 = 1959
|
|
Position #3 is the
Assembly Plant Identification
A = Atlanta, Georgia
B = Buffalo, New York
C = Chester,
Pennsylvania
D = Dallas, Texas
E = Edgewater, New
Jersey (1953 - mid-1955)
E = Mahwah, New Jersey
(beginning in mid-1955)
F = Dearborn Michigan
G = Chicago, Illinois
H = Highland Park,
Michigan
J = Los Angeles,
California
K = Kansas City,
Missouri
L = Long Beach,
California
M = Memphis, Tennessee
N = Norfolk, Virginia
P = St. Paul, Minnesota
R = Richmond, California
(1954 and earlier)
R = San Jose, California
(1955 and later)
S = Somerville,
Massachusetts (through March 16, 1958)
S = Allen Park, Michigan
Pilot Plant (starting in 1959)
U = Louisville, Kentucky
Y = Wixom, Michigan
|
| Positions #5 through #10 are the
Consecutive Unit Number Consecutive Unit Numbers begin at 100001
for Ford cars, 400001 for Lincoln cars, 500001 for Mercury cars, and
700001 for Edsel cars at each assembly plant (where those cars were
produced). This number represents the
scheduled sequence order. When a car was ordered, it was immediately
assigned a VIN with a Consecutive Unit Number. It was then assigned a
scheduled production date based on availability of trim, parts, other
components, and taking into account downtime and production workloads at
the assembly plant.
A scheduled production date was very often out of sequence with the
Consecutive Unit Number. And more often than not, the actual production
date (the day the car rolled off the line) was earlier or later than what
was originally planned. Therefore, a Thunderbird with a Consecutive Unit
Number of 105678 may have actually been produced and ready for shipping
before a Thunderbird with a Consecutive Unit Number of 105432. The
Consecutive Unit Number should be considered to be a unique identification
that shows when the order was received and when it was planned for
production.
|
