Wondering about a number on my core support.

[832.3ranger]

My 83 ranger has a number that’s an E2 number on the core support and I’m wondering if that means it’s one of the trucks made in 82 and titled as a 83? But it could also be a number that was the date it was engineered aswell so I figured I’d ask. If this is in the wrong place please move it I’m not

 

[Brain75]

You are talking about the data tag on the core support? Like this:

As I understand it, during assembly before it reached the end of the line and had things like a VIN number or even doors they had to have something on the vehicle to give it some basic definition to how to assemble the thing (what exterior color, interior color, cab length, box length - etc things that happen long before a door gets attached or a VIN riveted on.

About the only 2 things I know is that my VIN ends with 35002 - and you see the next to last line does as well - production number.
and I have a 7' bed - I assume that is what BOX7 means.

There are guys in the mustang world that can decode everything about the 'stang but doubt they would help much with rangers.
Don't know that anyone here worked in an assembly plant or knows them so detailed as to be able to decode..

FWIW, 83 was the first model year of rangers, so even though some parts were made in 82 they all went into a "1983" model.

 

[RobbieD]

The build date on an "83 would be "stamped on the front surface of the radiator support on the passenger side of the vehicle" (source: Ford shop manual).

I could not find one on my '84; I looked hard for it. The truck may have painted in the area in the past, after production.

Early codes are 4 digit with day and month only. Later on the date stamp moved to the top of radiator support and was a small full date. These are how they look on my Explorers (both '94):

(I repainted the support on the white one, and masked the date stamp)

And I think that date code on my B2 is on the firewall (it's been awhile . . . ).

As I understand it, during assembly before it reached the end of the line and had things like a VIN number or even doors they had to have something on the vehicle to give it some basic definition to how to assemble the thing (what exterior color, interior color, cab length, box length - etc things that happen long before a door gets attached or a VIN riveted on.

About the only 2 things I know is that my VIN ends with 35002 - and you see the next to last line does as well - production number.
and I have a 7' bed - I assume that is what BOX7 means.

There are guys in the mustang world that can decode everything about the 'stang but doubt they would help much with rangers.
Don't know that anyone here worked in an assembly plant or knows them so detailed as to be able to decode..

FWIW, 83 was the first model year of rangers, so even though some parts were made in 82 they all went into a "1983" model.

They're also called "buck tags", for the assembly jig, or "buck" that the vehicle starts on.

Unfortunately I've yet to see much of anything on decoding RBV buck tags. On some of the (so called) "classic" cars there's been a lot of work done on buck tags; Mustangs and Camaros being the most comprehensive that I'm aware.

I've tried to dope out what I could on these. This my '84 Ranger's buck tag:

There's the VIN.
I also think BOX7 is 7' bed; mine's a long-box.
I think MIR2 is code for what outside rearview mirrors are to be installed. This truck has chrome swing-away's.
And I think the 114 upper left, is the wheelbase.
Beyond that, I just don't know.

The meaning of the grease-penciled 1398 is unknown; it's not a stamp, and it doesn't fit the 4-digit date format used that year.

There are variances among the trucks I have on where data is on the buck plate itself (and even where it's mounted) but the codes themselves seem to have some consistency.

 

[Brain75]

I too have chrome swing aways (possible the MIR2)... and 114 wheelbase

 

[RobbieD]

It'd be nice if there was some community collaboration on decoding them, but I just don't see the interest out there.

Data plates on the old muscle cars are well documented, which is why there's a cottage industry bootlegging the plates in order to make fake car restorations to rip off buyers.

 

[832.3ranger]

You are talking about the data tag on the core support? Like this:
View attachment 124885

As I understand it, during assembly before it reached the end of the line and had things like a VIN number or even doors they had to have something on the vehicle to give it some basic definition to how to assemble the thing (what exterior color, interior color, cab length, box length - etc things that happen long before a door gets attached or a VIN riveted on.

About the only 2 things I know is that my VIN ends with 35002 - and you see the next to last line does as well - production number.
and I have a 7' bed - I assume that is what BOX7 means.

There are guys in the mustang world that can decode everything about the 'stang but doubt they would help much with rangers.
Don't know that anyone here worked in an assembly plant or knows them so detailed as to be able to decode..

FWIW, 83 was the first model year of rangers, so even though some parts were made in 82 they all went into a "1983" model.

Thank you for your response. My truck has like an oem part number type of number on the left side of the core support as you look at the engine from the front. I think it might just be because it was designed in 82 and used for a few years then they changed the design later on but I’m not entirely sure.

 

[Brain75]

...
The meaning of the grease-penciled 1398 is unknown; it's not a stamp, and it doesn't fit the 4-digit date format used that year.
...

I too had grease penciled 4 digit number, and off the top of my head I think it might have been 1398... that said I completely ignored it cause mine had been in a front ender and the had a bunch of stuff replaced on the front end/passenger corner. I figured it was junkyard inventory part number or some other junkyard scribling (before barcodes and accurate inventory tracking the junkyards around here all just grease penciled the year and model on the front left fender and that was the inventory) - they had a habit of grease marking all kinds of stuff you wouldn't think... and the ones that sold off shelf instead of u-pull all grease marked every single part.

 

[RobbieD]

I too had grease penciled 4 digit number, and off the top of my head I think it might have been 1398...

That's interesting.

It's kind of a shame that codes used in production information on these is lost. A "K" Mustang or a "4L" '67 Camaro gives a gearhead a major woody, but there's just no such love for the poor little Ranger.

 

[JoshT]

I don't know about the grease penciled number, but y'all have me curious about the buck tags. I've got three different 1st gen cabs here. I have 84, 85 and 86, short bed and long, but all are regular cab 2wd. At some point I might see if I can get some pictures of the buck tags to share. Maybe if we can get enough we might have some chance of figuring out what things mean.

Most likely it's reference information for building the cabs out before they got attached to the frame. Obviously you'd need the S/N since that's what all of the build info is tied to. You'd need wheel base and box length to get the correct wire harnesses installed. I'm sure that there is a bunch more there like paint and interior codes, and other stuff that would be specific to building out the cab.

 

[Brain75]

I know on the mustangs if it had a heated rear defroster glass that was in the buck tag, a bunch of stuff but yeah, which "pieces and parts to use" is the gist of it... I googled up a bit on the grease pencil and over in the mustang world they call that the "rotation number" and man you were right robbie they are all over those numbers and their meaning.

 

[Curious Hound]

I teresting. I wonder if Ford still uses that tag system or if they modernized to something else in recent years.

I work in a BMW manufacturing plant. Our cars have a number stamped in the metal just forward if the driver side shock tower in the engine bay. That number, or portions of it, from what I understand, is eventually incorporated into the VIN when the car is completed. But, all through the plant, that number is the ultimate identifier for that car and is tied to all of the build info and options, associated with that customer's order. In the paint shop, we use a simpler, more robust way to identify the body automatically on its way through the shop. Besides, all we care about is the body style (model) and paint color. But our paint shop identifier is linked to the other number I mentioned. And when production control is looking for a particular car in the system, the number by the shock tower is what they ask us to find.

 

[RobbieD]

I have 84, 85 and 86, short bed and long, but all are regular cab 2wd. At some point I might see if I can get some pictures of the buck tags to share. Maybe if we can get enough we might have some chance of figuring out what things mean.

I would really like to see this happen.

I can supply images of mine for the following: 1984 (Ranger), 1990 (Bronco II) and 1994 (Ranger, Explorers). I'll need to get my images together, along with each vehicle's specs.

For those interested, this should be as a new, dedicated thread, say for "Buck Tags", so whoever gets their images and info together first, just start the thread.

Looking at my tags, limited as it is, it appears that coding may have stayed consistent, but the tag layout and its mounting location varied between the years.

I googled up a bit on the grease pencil and over in the mustang world they call that the "rotation number" and man you were right robbie they are all over those numbers and their meaning.

The rich old farts that have all of the 60s muscle cars are anal about this shit. First year Camaros had almost everything on their tags; afterwards not so much. If you're interested, check out this article on the cowl tags on the Camaro Research Group site:
http://www.camaros.org/numbers.shtml

 

[Brain75]

I found something else interesting (idle googling), the rotations number is also on the as built sheet - (at least in the example I saw - mustang see below)

unfortunately this example did not have buck tags to go with, but if that is what the rotations number is all about that explains one item - and a guy could take his build sheet and compare it to the buck tag and decipher a whole lot I bet.

 

[RobbieD]

I teresting. I wonder if Ford still uses that tag system or if they modernized to something else in recent years.

It blew my mind how much QC data gets collected in modern manufacturing.

At the transmission plant I retired from, a raw case casting was engraved with a serial number and bar code early in the machining process. After that, at EVERY freaking step the case number was recorded via barcode cameras, and the equipment would send the completed process data to the great gig in the sky. Hundreds of processes, right down to as it gets loaded into the truck for shipping. I shudder to think at the massive amount of data that's involved.

That was just for a transmission; I bet in the actual vehicle assembly it would be ten fold or a hundred fold in the amount of data that gets collected.

 

[RobbieD]

I found something else interesting (idle googling), the rotations number is also on the as built sheet - and 4 digits include emissions, engine, trans (at least in the example I saw - mustang see below)
View attachment 124928
unfortunately this example did not have buck tags to go with, but if that is what the rotations number is all about that explains one item - and a guy could take his build sheet and compare it to the buck tag and decipher a whole lot I bet.

I actually found the build sheet in my '84. It was stuffed in the springs under the bench seat. Unfortunately, it's pretty deteriorated, but I need to see if I can piece it back together. It looks just like what you posted.