1968 Vin # on engine block

[cool68]

Tell me are vin numbers stamped in engine blocks ? And where can I find the vin on the block ?

 

[BOSS3024ME]

Vin

Should be stamped on the very back of the block on the top of the engine in the middle just above where the bell housing would bolt up. There is a flat pad between the back of the manifold and the bell housing on the block

 

[68sunlitgold]

Here is a picture, the top piece you see is the intake manifold.

Doug

 

[Powell]

Can anyone here help me decode a block with a vin stamp of: 9J166319? Thanks for any help in advance.

Ralph

 

[68sunlitgold]

9J166319

9 - 1969
J - Plant of manufacture
166319 - Production number, should be the same as on your VIN


Doug

 

[dalorzo_f]

Doug, yours is far neater than mine....!!!

 

[cool68]

thank you

hey guys thank you so much ....I do see my vin # on my engine block...wow.. I never knew ford stamped vins in engine blocks.....I love this GT/CS :smile:

 

[J_Speegle]

Now that you found it - you can start looking for the one on your trans

 

[dalorzo_f]

Should look about like this...

 

[Tim_morrison82]

i still think that '8' looks like an 'S' Richard... definately on the block at least

 

[dalorzo_f]

It does a bit, but its just skewed and there is very light marking on the block when you see it up close and in person...

Interesting they missed a digit in both, but both exactly the same string... I chalk it up to a line error, as I can't see a PO stamping an almost correct number on both, but ya never know..

 

[Ruppstang]

Same thing on the 68 Shelby I am working on. I do not think it was a error, they just did not use all of the characters.

 

[Mosesatm]

Well that's certainly odd.
Here is a photo of the engine VIN from one of my old cars and it shows all the digits.

 

[Ruppstang]

Well that's certainly odd.
Here is a photo of the engine VIN from one of my old cars and it shows all the digits.

I have reconsidered my earlier statement. I think it was ideally suppose to be the full number but given the rate the cars were being built and the time to preform each task I am certain short cuts were taken and errors were made. 68 was the first year for identifying the engine and transmission with the VIN and I have to wonder how seriously it was taken by the workers. Even though It may not be a complete VIN if it matches the transmission perfectly I am pretty sure that it is original. I have see a number of errors in VINs like a 67 convertible stamped a Coupe R701Cxxxxxx instead of R703Cxxxxxx. On another a 67 they stamped the last digit a 7 then made it the star and squeezed a 1 in between it and the preceding digit. In those day quality was not number1 building large numbers of cars was.

 

[dalorzo_f]

Yep, they dropped one digit. Would seem very odd for someone to have pulled or repalced them and stamped the partial wrong the same way on replacements..

Just one of those things.... was posted more to show locations.

As noted they were cranking these out at a high rate and it would be very intersting to have a time machine and be able to go back and inspect a couple hundred cars sitting at the factory lots awaiting shipment...

 

[somethingspecial]

Yep, they dropped one digit. Would seem very odd for someone to have pulled or repalced them and stamped the partial wrong the same way on replacements..

Just one of those things.... was posted more to show locations.

As noted they were cranking these out at a high rate and it would be very intersting to have a time machine and be able to go back and inspect a couple hundred cars sitting at the factory lots awaiting shipment...

I think it was Midnight Special who once said "If you could go back in time and take a GT/CS off the line, cacoon it, and open it today, someone would nit pick it to death and find all kinds of things incorrect about the car". Just how we have evolved in making our cars so correct, we question what we find when something is "incorrect", but is factory installed. Would it be wrong to remove the build sheet from a car or the coffee cup and donut wrapper from the trunk well, it was factory installed? Just saying, I believe no matter how much we look, we will always find something incorrect. The guy stamping engines and transmissions those days may have heard the break buzzer and/or the line shut down for some other reason and he/she as a habit skipped digits. If only one digit is missing and it is still spot on with the VIN, I would be willing to bet it is numbers matching as after 45 years, if the engine had been changed, the numbers would not even be close. JMHO.

 

[Ruppstang]

If you car was delivered with a piece of bailing wire holding the deck lid closed it is ok to restore it that way as long as you have original documentation of the defect. It was Ford's desire to build each car to assembly manual perfection. We all know that did not happen but that is no excuse for a sloppy restoration with no documentation.

 

[rvrtrash]

I think it was Midnight Special who once said "If you could go back in time and take a GT/CS off the line, cacoon it, and open it today, someone would nit pick it to death and find all kinds of things incorrect about the car". Just how we have evolved in making our cars so correct, we question what we find when something is "incorrect", but is factory installed. Would it be wrong to remove the build sheet from a car or the coffee cup and donut wrapper from the trunk well, it was factory installed? Just saying, I believe no matter how much we look, we will always find something incorrect. The guy stamping engines and transmissions those days may have heard the break buzzer and/or the line shut down for some other reason and he/she as a habit skipped digits. If only one digit is missing and it is still spot on with the VIN, I would be willing to bet it is numbers matching as after 45 years, if the engine had been changed, the numbers would not even be close. JMHO.

The last digit of my engine and transmission are off by two numbers from the VIN, but match each other. The car was parked in 1979 with 51,000 miles on it. I'm convinced it's "original" and someone just goofed during assembly.

Steve

 

[dalorzo_f]

Yep, the problem with any listing of "correct" is it is a static list... should really be advertised as "as suggested by Ford planning" as I've seen some really wild stuff from the factory that is so "incorrect" its amazing....

 

[jochlela]

Hi Richard,

I hope all is well with you.

I looked at your photo of the engine number and my CS does not have an engine number where it should be....actually there is no flat section there to put a number. The engine was replaced with a new Ford factory engine. I can find 8C21 stamped near the front on the engine block...will that be it?

Thanks,

John