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Ford part numbers have three parts:
-
Prefix — identifies the year, vehicle type application, and
the engineering department that designed the part
(e.g., 1977 truck engine)
-
Main number — identifies the part generically (e.g., engine
block, cylinder
head, carburetor, etc.)
-
Revision code — identifies the revision level of the current
part design.
The part number prefix usually consists of four characters:
-
A letter that identifies the decade (C=1960s, D=1970s,
E=1980s, etc.).
-
A digit that identifies the year in the decade (0-9).
-
A letter that identifies the vehicle application type
(A=full-size
Ford car, T=truck, O=Torino or LTD II, S=Thunderbird, etc.).
-
A letter that identifies either the engineering department
responsible
for the design (B=body, E=engine, W=axle, etc.), or a
“service”
or replacement part (Z=service part).
The main part number usually consists of four digits, but
occasionally it includes one or two letters, and it may have up
to seven characters total.
The revision code consists of one to three characters that
identify up
to three levels of revisions. Revision codes always begin with a
letter, followed by another letter or a number, and sometimes a
second
letter after a number. For example:
B
BA
B1
B2A
Part numbers vs. ID codes
Part numbers identify a part in the Ford parts catalog. When
you buy
a part from the parts department at a Ford dealership, they
identify that part
by its part number. Part numbers can change for reasons that
have nothing
to do with the part itself or any real changes to the part.
Part numbers
are often dropped or consolidated for simplicity in catalog
listings.
Many parts have “ID codes” that are molded or cast into the
surface of the
part to help distinguish it from other similar parts. Sometimes
the ID
code is the same as the catalog part number, and sometimes it
is not. It
can get confusing when the ID code is different, yet similar to
the part
number.
On some cast iron parts, the casting ID code identifies the raw
casting, and
the part number identifies the finished, machined part. Engine
blocks and
cylinder heads are good examples of this. The casting ID code
for an engine
block is 6015, but the part number is 6010. The casting ID code
for a
cylinder head is 6060, but the part number is 6049.
If you find the casting ID code on an engine block, you might
see the 6015
number, but if you order an engine block from a Ford parts
department, they'll
refer to part number 6010.
In the case of flywheels, sometimes parts for several different
applications
(with different part numbers) carry the same casting ID code,
which represents
the original application or design. Usually this happens when
the same raw
casting is used to make several different parts.
In many cases, the main part number (middle part of the
complete part number)
is not used in the ID code. That's because the main part number
identifies the
type of part generically, such as engine block, cylinder head,
exhaust manifold,
etc. If you're looking at the casting ID code on an engine
block, you’re not
likely to mistake it for a cylinder head or an exhaust
manifold, so the engine
block part number (6010 or 6015) is kind of superfluous for
identification
purposes.
Many ID codes use only the application prefix (first part of
the complete part
number) and the revision code (last part of the complete part
number). For
example, an engine block with the complete part number
D7TE-6010-A2B may have a
casting ID code of D7TE-A2B. The combination of application
prefix and revision
code is sufficient to identify a unique part.
Be careful about assuming that the application prefix alone can
identify a part.
In the case of truck-specific M-block parts, most of them carry
the application
prefix D7TE. However, sometimes a seemingly slight variation in
the revision
code identifies a part for a different, incompatible engine.
For example, one
harmonic balancer for the 400 engine has an ID code of D2AE-C,
while ID code
D2AE-A identifies a harmonic balancer for a 351W. Part numbers
are D2AE-6316-C
for the 400 balancer and D2AE-6316-A for the 351W balancer.
Sometimes the ID code has nothing to do with the part number.
An example of this
is crankshafts. The catalog part number for a 351M crankshaft
is D7AZ-6303-A, but
the casting ID code is 1K or 1KA.
When it comes to identifying the parts installed on a vehicle,
the ID code is much
more useful than the catalog part number.
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