OK, my vin says 65...

hotrodredneck · Mar 6, 2007

But the man date is oct 64, so do I have a 64 1/2 or a 65?

Year: 5 1965

Plant: F Dearborn, MI

Body Series: 07 2 Door Hardtop

Engine: T 200 1v I6

Unit: 325215 325215

Miscellaneous Vehicle Data

Body: 65A 2 Door Hardtop, Standard Interior

Color: X Vintage Burgundy Metallic

Trim: 26 Black Crinkle Vinyl, Standard Interior

Date: 20K October 20, 1964

D.S.O: 23 Philadelphia

Axle: 2 2.83:1, Conventional

Trans: 6 C4 Automatic

hotrodredneck · Mar 6, 2007

Nevermind, found out the 64 1/2 only had a 170 CID sixer, mine had the 200...plus it was later in the year, and the first number in the Vin says 65

http://www.decodethis.com/Mustang_VINs.aspx

D.Hearne · Mar 6, 2007

Both the 64-1/2 and 65 are technically 65's. The model year normally starts in August or September, but the Stang was released earlier. An October build would be a 65 regardless of that. Ford called the 64-1/2's early 65's.

zookeeper · Mar 6, 2007

Hearne's right. Some fanatical restorer-types came up with the "64 1/2" thing. The easiest way to tell an easly '65 (64 1/2) from a later '65 is the early ones had generators rather than alternators. I've never put too much stock in some of the restorer manuals as far as what was bult at what date anyway, it's simple too hard to know the facts. Supposedly, the pony interior and the fastback body weren't available until (I think) April of '65 as sort of a one-year anniversary. Yet I had a '65 fastback that was built on August 9, 1964 and it had a pony interior. Do the restoration experts expect me to beleive that particular car sat around until April '65 to be sold? Not likely.

hotrodredneck · Mar 6, 2007

I know the 64 1/2 were techically 65's...It just sounded cooler to tell people I had a 64 1/2 than a 65...lol even though I do have another 65, that is my Wifes..lol

1320stang · Mar 6, 2007

Well, there is also the deal that they were getting rid of parts, so some cars had a mismatch of '64.5' and 65 parts. I've seen an original '65 car that had one '64.5' headlight bucket, even though it had the '65 hood. It was an alternator car.

65fastback2+2 · Mar 6, 2007

zookeeper said:
Hearne's right. Some fanatical restorer-types came up with the "64 1/2" thing. The easiest way to tell an easly '65 (64 1/2) from a later '65 is the early ones had generators rather than alternators. I've never put too much stock in some of the restorer manuals as far as what was bult at what date anyway, it's simple too hard to know the facts. Supposedly, the pony interior and the fastback body weren't available until (I think) April of '65 as sort of a one-year anniversary. Yet I had a '65 fastback that was built on August 9, 1964 and it had a pony interior. Do the restoration experts expect me to beleive that particular car sat around until April '65 to be sold? Not likely.

My January 12th, 65 fastback had every option available and no pony interior.

krash kendall · Mar 6, 2007

There are somewhere in the neighbourhood of 100 differences between the '64 1/2 and '65. They were not all implemented at the same time, therefore some so-called early production may have what is accepted to be a '65 item and vice-versa.

There were no '64 1/2 fastbacks. The prototype was to be used in the movie Goldfinger, but wasn't completed in time.

Another visual cue that you are looking at a '64 1/2 is the front parking lights have clear lenses with amber bulbs instead of the amber lenses with clear bulbs.

zookeeper · Mar 6, 2007

65fastback2+2 said:
My January 12th, 65 fastback had every option available and no pony interior.

How do you know it had "every option available"? My '65 was nearly devoid of options, except it had an A-code 289 (early 5 bolt block) top-loader 4 speed and a deluxe interior, and it was built 4 months prior to your car.

tylerrocks · Mar 6, 2007

hotrodredneck said:
I know the 64 1/2 were techically 65's...It just sounded cooler to tell people I had a 64 1/2 than a 65...lol even though I do have another 65, that is my Wifes..lol

I have a 64.5 that HAD a 260 in it. I got tired of explaning the diffrence to random people at the gas station, now when they ask, its a 65 with a built 306.

zookeeper · Mar 6, 2007

Ain't that the truth? I used to really like it when people liked my car, but some of the questions were a bit bizzare. My all-time favorite was from a guy at the local Chevy dealer. I was buying parts for my Suburban, and the parts guy actually asked my, "is that a real fastback?" I bit my tongue and with as straight of a face as I could, I answered that yes, it was. I wanted to double over laughing in his face and ask if he'd seen any "fake" fastbacks, but I didn't.

RedGTvert · Mar 6, 2007

zookeeper said:
Ain't that the truth? I used to really like it when people liked my car, but some of the questions were a bit bizzare. My all-time favorite was from a guy at the local Chevy dealer. I was buying parts for my Suburban, and the parts guy actually asked my, "is that a real fastback?" I bit my tongue and with as straight of a face as I could, I answered that yes, it was. I wanted to double over laughing in his face and ask if he'd seen any "fake" fastbacks, but I didn't.

You should have said no, but it is a real 2+2.

D.Hearne · Mar 8, 2007

GM parts guys are the best. I was installing a new engine in the wife's 80 Grand Prix and needed new flexplate bolts. Went to the local Poncho dealer to get some and the parts guy asked how many good ones I had left. I told him I had 3 or 4 . His reply was that was enough. One of the mechanics agreed.

zookeeper · Mar 9, 2007

Holy poop. What ever happened to parts guys that actually knew cars? I swear, either parts stores and dealers aren't paying squat to attract people or the talent pool ran dry, but I get tired of answering stupid questions at the parts counter. I had to change the water pump on my '97 Suburban a few weeks ago and they started asking the questions: "what motor?, 2 or 4 wheel drive?, Gas or diesel? Auto trans or manual? Does it have A/C?, etc". I was almost in a coma when they asked, "fuel injected or carburated?" WTF??? I would bet the farm that there are NO carb-equipped '97 Suburbans that came that way from the factory! As far as I know ALL U.S. sold cars were F.I. from 1986 to present. Yet still they ask...

351carlo · Mar 9, 2007

Zookeeper.... obviously I agree with you on the parts guy issue. A LOT of them are really just there for a job and don't know anything about cars.

But I did work with one of those computer system parts finders for 3 years. The systems ask the stupid questions, and you've gotta put in an answer. Those of us with common sense would know when to skip the dumb ones, but the people who don't know any better will just ask all the questions.

Most cars from 1978 or so and earlier, I'd only use my paper catalogs, but when it got busy, computers were much easier for newer models.

My customer base was primarily older car enthusiasts. I'm a young guy, so it took me a while to build a good group of guys that would trust me. But believe me, I hear horror stories when I see them out. Simple items like bolts and U-joints, seals and hoses. They never get them right. Belts were the absolute worst.

Ah well.

D.Hearne · Mar 9, 2007

When I was doing the job on the Grand Prix, that wasn't yesterday. It was a good 15 years ago. The old time parts guys are dying off and a dying breed. The chain stores are not into hiring experienced people, they just want a computer savvy person that can do what the computer tells them to. Experienced people cost money. Burger flippers are the rage now as far as the labor pool goes today. This is also true for many job catagories now. Even when companies claim they appreciate quality people, chances are they could care less. It's just another way to make the employee "feel" good.

Loup-garou · Mar 11, 2007

D.Hearne said:
(snip)
The old time parts guys are dying off and a dying breed. The chain stores are not into hiring experienced people, they just want a computer savvy person that can do what the computer tells them to. Experienced people cost money. Burger flippers are the rage now as far as the labor pool goes today.
(snip)

Sad, but oh, so true. When I first started driving (and turning wrenches, both for fun and to keep my cars on the road), the parts guys were oracles of automotive knowledge, armed only with those big metal racks of grease-smudged parts catalogs. No computers, *maybe* a microfiche reader at the big dealerships. Now, the dealers hire people whose prior "experience" was standing behind the counter at Auto Zone and practicing their "thousand-yard stare" while ignoring customers.

I suspect that we've both darkened the doorways of the same parts stores in Louisiana. There was a wonderful old parts store in New Orleans, Union Auto Supply on Magazine Street. I hope that Katrina didn't put that fellow out of business permanently; stepping through his door was always like finding yourself in the early 1970s once again. Bare concrete floors, a lazy old cat sleeping on the shelf next to the oil additives, the big rack of parts catalogs - and not a computer in sight.

D.Hearne · Mar 11, 2007

I've never been in that parts house, but quite a few like it. I learned a lot doing business with Dimmick Supply, a central and southwest Louisiana parts store. The guys were usually busy, so I just slipped around the counter and looked up the parts I was after. You could learn a lot cruising thru the older parts catalogs. After looking up the part numbers, I'd go back in the store room and get whatever I was after then let the parts guy write it up. This freed him up to wait on the other customers (which usually entailed an all day long on-going B.S. session ) That parts chain is about history now, but I've fostered another similar arrangement with the local Advance Auto store, but instead of looking thru the parts books, I do that now at home on this here computer. Then make the trip to town to order or pickup what I'm looking for. I also used to have a good association with the local Ford dealer's parts dept. But that's no longer carried on since all the dealers got rid of old stock. One of the 428 PI intakes I had was sourced thru there. Back in the early 80's all the dealers were linked by computer and one of the parts guys punched in the part number and came up with two of these intakes at two different New Orleans dealers. I ended up with one for the sum of $230 delivered to my dealer. Box was torn to hell, and the intake was dusty, but it was still a new intake for $200 less than the list price.

OK, my vin says 65...

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