Topic: Help Determining Build Date

[markb0729]

Hi Folks, I would like some help determining the Build date of my 65 Fastback.  My Fastback is a Dearborn built car.  It has many features from the early 65 (64 1/2) Mustangs such as early Eaton power steering pump, cowl with 64 1/2 wiper bezels, one beveled headlamp bezel (one not, go figure), unimproved hood, hood bumpers with visible screw heads, carpet that ended at the rockers, "A" on vent knob to name a few things.  Also, the sheet metal parts have stampings from July 64 (7 25 2C) through August 64 (8 24 2D).  The VIN is 5F09C276991. 

These parts where on the car when purchased from the previous owner circa 1980.  Here are some issues that hurt my cause.  I never found a build sheet and both driver and passenger doors were replaced by the PO with doors from a 66 Fastback.  The replacement 66 driver door had a tag from the 66 donor car (6T09C281749).  Based on the unit number in the VIN and abundance of 64 1/2 parts, I have estimated my build date to be September 2, 1964.  I've checked a couple of VIN registries on the internet and the September 2, 1964 (plus or minus a day or 2) seems to be reasonably accurate.

What are your thoughts?  Am I missing something?  Does my research and analysis seem to make sense?

Thanks,

Mark

[aaatp]

According to the Mustang Production Guide by Smart and Haskell for 1965 Dearborn built cars,
276724, proposed build date was on 01J, or Sept. 1st. 1964
277161, proposed build date was on 02J, or Sept. 2nd. 1964

Your VIN is closer to 277161, so Sept 2nd sounds reasonable.

John

[markb0729]

Thanks John!

[J_Speegle]

Don't think you can get any closer than a range of dates.

I'm hoping that the dates from the sheet metal you provided are from panels welded to the car rather than bolt on parts. If so then I would compare spreads between other Dearborn years (so that travel time between the stamping plant and the assembly plants are consistent as can be)  that we have. Comparing those steel metal dates to the those real build dates, though limited in examples, suggest to me that the car may have been assembled Aug 27-September 11th.

Based just on the VIN and projected build dates around your car would suggest the possibility as early as Aug 11th to  approx Sept 22nd though we know, if the panels are original to the car, the earlier part of that estimate couldn't happen

Not sure if any of the features you mentioned are reliable (can sounds like its been played with) and many continued on for many months 

Hope this helps or adds to the discussion

[priceless]

According to the Mustang Production Guide by Smart and Haskell for 1965 Dearborn built cars,
276724, proposed build date was on 01J, or Sept. 1st. 1964
277161, proposed build date was on 02J, or Sept. 2nd. 1964

Your VIN is closer to 277161, so Sept 2nd sounds reasonable.

John

You wouldn't happen to have another one of those 64.5-66 Mustang Production Guides for sale would you?

[jwc66k]

You wouldn't happen to have another one of those 64.5-66 Mustang Production Guides for sale would you?

Late last year I found a copy of Vol. 1 of the Mustang Production Guide on www.abebooks.com and it was priced at $499.
Jim

[markb0729]

Thanks Jeff. 

I've been posting that my 65 Fastback has a build date of September 2, 1964. I don't want to give misleading info, hence this thread.  As with just about everything with the early Mustangs, there are so many running changes and parts inventory run-out, its impossible to give an exact cut-off date for many parts.  Moving forward, my future posts will be an "approximate" build date as necessary. 

My Fastback was bought by my father with the help of me and my brother back in 1980.  He loved classic Fords.  He bought a 1967 Dan Gurney addition Cougar XR7 around 1984.  He drove that car daily for many years with a smile on his face.    He eventually sold the car and bought a new Cougar XR7 in 1994 which my mother still drives to this day. 

Anyway, as you stated, my Fastback has had some body parts replaced so I can only make assumptions that the other parts I listed are original to the car.  The early 65 parts I listed make sense with respect to the early build date of the car but I can't be 100% sure they are original components without the proper documentation. 

The sheet metal part stampings I listed are from parts that are welded to the car and look to be original.  Here are some pictures.

[markb0729]

Late last year I found a copy of Vol. 1 of the Mustang Production Guide on www.abebooks.com and it was priced at $499.
Jim

Yikes!

[ChrisV289]

I know thisis somewhat ona tangent but does anyone know when volume 1 was published or the years they gathered the information (would have to be before 92)?  They list the second owner on my car and I've never known when he took ownership of it from the original owner's family. Might give somewhat of an idea...Also how did they gather the info?  This was before the days of the internet.  Just curious on that aspect

[carlite65]

there were articles in mustang magazines and pleas to clubs to send in info. i remember gathering info from cars in my area and mailing it to them. it took several years to put it all together.

[jwc66k]

Here's the Acknowledgments to Vol. 1 of the Mustang Production Guide. It was first published in 1994 and was in progress for 14 years, they started around 1980. I got into sending Mustang information from door data plates and VIN's only about that time. The information came from car shows, local Mustang club meetings and me stopping Mustangs on the street. Jim Smart attended one of my Mustang Club's functions and presented my with an autographed copy of Vol. 1, gave me a thanks in Vol. 2. The Registry is sort of still functioning on line here - http://www.insearchofmustangs.org/ but the current operators haven't printed anything, although they should at least for 64 1/2 to 66 Mustangs.
Jim

[Texas Swede]

Car number 281824 has a scheduled build date of 04J and 281120 has 08J.
These numbers have been taken from the book The 289 High Performance
Mustang 4th edition by Tony Gregory.
Texas Swede

[J_Speegle]

Thanks Jeff. 

I've been posting that my 65 Fastback has a build date of September 2, 1964. I don't want to give misleading info, hence this thread.  As with just about everything with the early Mustangs, there are so many running changes and parts inventory run-out, its impossible to give an exact cut-off date for many parts.  Moving forward, my future posts will be an "approximate" build date as necessary. 

Yes its always been a challenge to find the right words to communicate to others the true meaning of what one is trying to describe while at the same time educate. When owners and others use the door tag as the "date the car was built" it can describe their level of understanding of the process and mislead other owners into making assumptions. The reason we've addopted the use of projected build date rather than "date guessed by the factory"  even though it means the same thing

Approximate works for me for your usage
   

The sheet metal part stampings I listed are from parts that are welded to the car and look to be original.  Here are some pictures.

Thanks - a couple more data points for my spread sheet

[markb0729]

Thanks Jeff.  Here are a few more pictures before starting the restoration.  The pictures show some of the features I pointed out in my original post.  You can tell that the car has been diddled with but I'm in the process of straitening things out.

[drummingrocks]

You wouldn't happen to have another one of those 64.5-66 Mustang Production Guides for sale would you?

If you find one, hook me up, I need one too...but not at $499!!!