Topic: May 1966 Dearborn Sprint Markings Found

[Twilight65]

Okay Last week I finished dismantling my entire front end to ready the car to go to the blaster. I soaked all parts in Evaporust and documented what I have found. Found a lot. I have included all the pics below. The only one not original to my car is the green and white paint on the drag link picture. I have posted what mine would have looked like as it was my first experience with the Evaporust. When I finished soaking the drag link the paint marks looked great. So I thought I would rinse with water for the picture. Mistake! the water rinsed the paint markings before I took the photo of it. Learn from my mistake. Also I found that the front springs where marked different. The Drive side has a white and green stripe. The passenger side only had a green stripe?? I was real happy with the clean up of the spindles as I was able to keep the original finish.
Dave

This car had a scheduled build date of May 13,1966 @ Dearborn.
Its a Convertible Sprint with 200 and C4.
Has Manual Steering and Manual Brakes.
Does not have AC.
Car was purchased in St. Louis on May 31, 1966,  So couldn't be too far off scheduled build date.

[JKWilson]

Ironically enough, I just finished doing the same thing on my coupe! I had intended to post a few photos of the markings I found (which I will still do...hopefully tomorrow). On my coil springs I found a single pink stripe on both sides. The one marking I found which I've never seen mentioned before was on top of each spring perch. On each side I found a single wide green stripe between the bolt holes for the bottom of the shock. The dark, almost black, color of the spring that Charles refers to frequently was also clearly visible. The areas under the rubber spring insulator, at the top of the spring, protected the finish. I'll shoot some pics and get them posted for others to reference.

This car had a scheduled build date of June 11, 1966, also at Dearborn. It's a Sprint coupe with a 200 and C4 also!

[Twilight65]

John,
Does your June car have AC or Power Steering?
Dave

[J_Speegle]

Thanks for posting


For all - remember these do no good for others unless they include

Assembly plant
Approx or exact build date
Body style
Engine and transmission
PS?
AC?

For spindles I somethings find it helpful to post the casting numbers from the spindles  for reference


Guess I need to put this in FAQs I guess

[JKWilson]

John,
Does your June car have AC or Power Steering?
Dave

Dave, mine didn't have a/c (originally), or p/s. A previous owner did install a/c in it, but it wasn't even close to be anything like a factory install (or even dealer...unless they were terrible at it!).

[Twilight65]

I updated first post with information Jeff indicated. The Drivers Spindle (LH) had cast into it C3D 3106, Fomoco Oval, 69 or 169, a Diamond shape, some other smaller numbers but can't make them out, a "P" stamped between mounting bolt holes. The Passenger side (RH) I could not make anything out as mill scale is so heavy in that area and I don't want to clean it off. It does have a "V" stamped in it though in the same area as the "P" on the LH side.
Dave

[Pete Bush]

Thanks for posting, Dave. It'll be interesting to compare your findings with those of my May/June Metuchen Sprint. It'll be a little while before I get around to cleaning suspension, but I'll post my findings when I do.

It's difficult to tell from the pictures, but is the green the same color on both springs? The passenger side seems more pronounced. I can't account for the white stripe. There is no indication of such a color in the MPC. Thunderbirds used different rate springs on the RH and LH, but I believe that the Mustangs used the same rate springs for both sides.

The MPC indicates that the pink stripe would have been correct for the coupe, and green for the convertible. Looks like these findings confirm that.

[Twilight65]

Pete,
The green is the same color for both springs. The green color also matches the green on the steering stops which happens to be an exact match to a NOS idler arm assembly I purchased for my rebuild. I was able to get some large chunks of paint off the springs and my wife with our friend Karen Mitchell from the Show-Me Mustang Club matched the color at the paint store yesterday. Its an exact match to (of all colors) John Deere Green.

Also intersting was the yellow paint on the steering box. It seems to have been painted before installation as the paint had run down the back side of the gear box. (running up when installed). There was yellow paint between the frame rail and gear box where it was bolted together. You can kind of see it the the first top left picture of the steering box.

The spindles seemed to be the same pattern of markings with the LH having a red stripe and yellow daub on the Tie rod end and the RH have yellow stripe and yellow daub on its tie rod end.

The paint on the spindles at the LCA mounting was a white daub on the LH,  and a green daub on the RH. was wondering if this had anything to to with the white and green stripes on the drag link?

Its also hard to tell in the photo's as some of the paint does come off with the evaporust ,but the yellow on the strut rods was like a thin yellow stripe painted around it. wasn't much left.

[Pete Bush]

From what you're saying then, all the white paint markings were on the LH side? For quick identification during assembly?

[J_Speegle]

The spindles seemed to be the same pattern of markings with the LH having a red stripe and yellow daub on the Tie rod end and the RH have yellow stripe and yellow daub on its tie rod end.

The paint on the spindles at the LCA mounting was a white daub on the LH,  and a green daub on the RH. was wondering if this had anything to to with the white and green stripes on the drag link?

First thanks again for sharing

Could the white be a pale yellow - matching the drivers/passenger side orientation marks found on some other years and examples?

Interesting that you found different marks on drivers verses passenger side spindles - not something I've found on other early cars  and the reason for seeing the casting numbers since we might have different batches of spindles represented  on this car