Topic: 1965 mustang body and sheet metal stampings

[65fastbk]

Hi,

I'm looking at a gt fastback this weekend and wanted to know how close the sheet metal and body stamping so should be compared to the build date... I have one original mustang that's build date is May 15th, body, under rocker march 11, trunk lid march ish, doors 4/29 fenders 5/11, why is the body made so far in advance?  Trying to figure out what to look for:)

Thx!

[CharlesTurner]

There could be sheet metal dated within days, weeks or months before or after the scheduled build date.  Most typically, the dates are within a few days, up to about 1-3 weeks.  It is not unusual for a car to have missed the scheduled build date.

Inspecting all the sheet metal date stamps and date markings of individual components will give an idea of how close the car was made to the scheduled build date code on the warranty plate.  Remember that a high degree of parts were dated... instrument clusters, heater boxes, heater motors, heater plenums, wiper motors, drive-train parts, wheels, etc...

BTW, I have an oddball car, a '68 convertible made on Dec 6th.  As some know, there was a UAW strike in the Fall of '67.  This car I'm restoring has August sheet metal dates and lots of late November sheet metal dates.  Remember to consider what, if anything, was going on when a particular car was made... to try and make sense of oddities.

[J_Speegle]

I'm looking at a gt fastback this weekend and wanted to know how close the sheet metal and body stamping so should be compared to the build date... I have one original mustang that's build date is May 15th, body, under rocker march 11, trunk lid march ish, doors 4/29 fenders 5/11, why is the body made so far in advance?...........

A couple of thoughts. First we have no idea when your car was built - could be on that date or three weeks earlier or later. The longest period between the projected build date and the real one (on a later car where we know exactly the date) was eight months but that is no where near "normal"

In some cases parts were not set up in the stamps so that a specific panel could be made when ever they needed one, depended on the demand and other issues. In those cases workers would  would have to remove heavy male and female shapes from the large machines, replace them and re - align them before they went back to stamping. In those cases we believe they did those panels in batches then removed the molds and made other panels for other models

Also consider that the part needs to be stamped, in many cases attached/welded to another part that needed to be stamped then, loaded, in some cases into rail cars and shipped across country to be inventoried and distributed out to dealerships and plants.

As for comparing dates I've found the only way I've been comfortable with this is by collecting a large number of data from other Mustangs built at the same plant same time (so that supply, shipping and other issues are equally reflected for that time period) then go from there 

Since we don't when or where you car was built can't be any more specific in my assistance

[65fastbk]

A couple of thoughts. First we have no idea when your car was built - could be on that date or three weeks earlier or later. The longest period between the projected build date and the real one (on a later car where we know exactly the date) was eight months but that is no where near "normal"

In some cases parts were not set up in the stamps so that a specific panel could be made when ever they needed one, depended on the demand and other issues. In those cases workers would  would have to remove heavy male and female shapes from the large machines, replace them and re - align them before they went back to stamping. In those cases we believe they did those panels in batches then removed the molds and made other panels for other models

Also consider that the part needs to be stamped, in many cases attached/welded to another part that needed to be stamped then, loaded, in some cases into rail cars and shipped across country to be inventoried and distributed out to dealerships and plants.

As for comparing dates I've found the only way I've been comfortable with this is by collecting a large number of data from other Mustangs built at the same plant same time (so that supply, shipping and other issues are equally reflected for that time period) then go from there 

Since we don't when or where you car was built can't be any more specific in my assistance

Thanks! the I going around and looking at the dates!  Is there a guide on where to look for all of the stampings.  My car is a fastback and was built on July 12 in San Jose.

Thanks again!

[J_Speegle]

Thanks! the I going around and looking at the dates!  Is there a guide on where to look for all of the stampings.  My car is a fastback and was built on July 12 in San Jose.

Nope haven't made/published a guide on that yet. It's a pretty big task with the hundreds of locations each year and they were in different places depending on year and the specific stamping plant that made the panel in many cases.