Ford Talladega VIN & Data Plate
The VIN is located on the driver side dashboard just under the front windshield. It is a small aluminum plate riveted to the dash. This information contained here only applies to Production Talladegas. Information may vary for Prototypes and Pilot cars.
VIN PLATE
Updated: November 17, 2011
The number should look like this: 9A46Q186566.
The -9- represents the model year; 1969.
The -A- represents the assembly plant for all Talladegas this will be the Atlanta Assembly Plant.
The -46- represents the body series, for all Talladegas this will be “Cobra 2dr Sportsroof.
The -Q- represents the engine, for all Talladegas this should be a Q which represents 428-4V Non Ram Air.
The -186566- represents the production series. The first production VIN number in the series is 186566 and the last in the series is 207117. NOT EVERY CAR PRODUCED BETWEEN THESE NUMBERS IS A TALLADEGA!
DATA PLATE
The VIN also appears on the Data Plate. The Data Plate is located on the drivers side door and is visible on the door lock face portion of the door. If your door has been replaced it is likely you do not have the correct Data Plate for your car.
The -63B- is the Body Code. All Talladegas will have a 63B, 2-dr 500 Hardtop Fastback.
The -M- is for the Color Code. This car is white so the code is M. For a maroon Talladega the correct code is B and for a Blue Talladega the correct color code is X.
Note:
It is now believed that there were 738 Production Talladegas built all in one of 3 colors; 279 Wimbledon White, 258 Royal Maroon and 199 Presidential Blue. However, up until recently that number was 736. Two additional Talladegas have been added to the master list. They were not previously known to exist. They were Registered to this site along with Marti Reports provided to document them as real production Talladegas.
The -1A- is the Trim Code. All Talladegas will have a 1A representing Black Cloth and Vinyl interior with bench seat.
The -21A- is the Date Code. The first two numbers represent the day of the month and the letter represents the month. This car was scheduled to be built on the 21st of January 1969, the first day of production for the Talladega. The last Talladega was built on 28B, the 28th of February 1969. No regular production Talladegas were built after this date. (The Bunkie Knudsen car was built after this date and is not considered a regular production Talladega.) Your build date must be between these two dates for a Production Talladega. PLEASE BE AWARE THAT THE SCHEDULED BUILD DATE WHICH APPEARS ON THE DATA PLATE IS NOT NECESSARILY YOUR CARS ACTUAL BUILD DATE. YOUR CAR MAY HAVE BEEN BUILT DAYS BEFORE OR AFTER. REFER TO YOUR DELUXE MARTI REPORT FOR YOUR CARS ACTUAL BUILD DATE.
The -172500- is the DSO (District Code) designation. All Talladegas will have a six digit DSO. Most other Torinos will only have two digits in this location. All Talladegas will have the same last 4 numbers, -2500-. The first two numbers represent the DSO. These first two numbers could be any of the following:
11 = Boston
13 = New York
15 = Newark
16 = Philadelphia
17 = Washington
21 = Atlanta
22 = Charlotte
24 = Jacksonville
25 = Richmond
27 = Cincinnati
28 = Louisville
33 = Detroit
34 = Indianapolis
35 = Lansing
37 = Buffalo
38 = Pittsburgh
41 = Chicago
42 = Fargo
43 = Milwaukee
44 = Twin Cities
45 = Davenport
51 = Denver
52 = Des Moines
53 = Kansas City
54 = Omaha
55 = St. Louis
61 = Dallas
62 = Houston
63 = Memphis
64 = New Orleans
65 = Oklahoma City
71 = Los Angeles
72 = San Jose
73 = Salt Lake City
74 = Seattle
75 = Phoenix
83 = Government
84 = Home Office Reserve
85 = Red Cross
89 = Transportation Services
90-99 = Export
The -9- is the Axel Code. All Talladegas will have a 9.
The -U- is the Transmission Code and all Talladegas will have a U.
YOU CAN SEE BY THE COMMENTS BELOW THAT NOT ALL DATA PLATES ARE CREATED EQUAL. HERE ARE TWO PHOTOS CONTRIBUTED BY RICK “THE GURU” OCHS.
The “9” for Axle may or may not be stamped on your Data Plate. Because the D.S.O. is so long, it is believed that some at the factory did not think there was room for both the Axle and Tans number. Obviously, on other days the person doing the stamping had no problem with it.
Here is one from a Talladega I once owned. What does your Data Plate say?
Richard,
With regard to the Data Plate on a Talladega – yes, they should all have a 9 in the Axle Code position. However, some (or, at least one) of us have a Data Plate that is missing this particular code.
I believe you already have a photo of the one from my Talladega that is missing the Axle code.
Until you pointed that anomaly out to me, I had never noticed it. I wonder how many of us have errors of omission on our Data plates?
Thanks,
Carl.
Carl, thanks for reminding me. I have looked closely at a lot of data plates and it appears that it is not unusual to have numbers or letters left out. I have a 63H body code car that is stamped simply 63 but there is no 63 body code. Anyone else have a Data Plate with missing or incorrect data?
My vehicle does not have a axle code and the trans code is 9 U ? What does the ( U ) stand for?
Ok, i just seen the info at the top of page in regards to the 9 and the U.
As Carl has pointed out the Axle code was not stamped on the Talladega’s driver door plate. I have been told by people who worked inside Ford back in the day there were two reasons for this :
1. The Talladega build code of 2500 plus the DSO most Talladega’s had stamped on the door tag 892500 ran over into the area where the axle code was to be stamped or where the 9 should have been.
2. The Talladega’s had the stagger rear shocks that were for the Torino a Drag Pack option. Thus if you took the car into a dealership for rear axle repair the service writter would have to look at the axle tag on the rear end housing and see this is a special set up….automatic with stagger rear shocks.
I will forward 2 orginal door plates you can post if you like.
Rick.
Rick, you are the Guru and I received your two photos of VINs without the axle code…but I have seen Talladega VINs with and without the axle code! I have owned cars both ways, I will send you a photo of one of my Talladegas that had an axle code. How about you other owners out there does your Talladega have an axle code stamped on the Data Plate or not? I will post Rick’s and mine on this page any others that send me images and grant permission.
Oh NO ! Guru make mistake…… see I said 892500 and you have 462500 ? Now lets see what the other owners have ??
This could be fun……….LOL……. You have Feb.14th car…..may-be that car got a Valentine……..
I have found a Talladega here in the UK. VIN is 9A 46 Q 200873 and the data plate reads 63B X 1A 13B 242500 9 U although i wrote down L for the trans which I may have misread in the semi dark.
It appears to have had a column gear change at some time though. Any thoughts
Colin, Wow, great to find a Talladega in UK. The VIN is correct for a Talladega. It was sold new from Al Ewing Ford in Winter Garden Florida. The Data Plate info is also proper. It comes back as: Cobra-Blue Color-Black Cloth Interior-Build Date of Feb. 13, 1969-open rear end with 3.25 gears-C6 automatic. Not sure what you mean by a “column gear change”. All Talladegas would have the automatic gear shifter on the column. Is it now on the floor or in a console? Does the car still have a bench seat or converted to bucket seats? Any other changes from what the Data Plate says is original?
Carl, after joining registry im learning a lot more than I thought I new, my door plate is,
9a460192193, 63B,X,1A,31A, 892500, no axle stamp and trans U
Ive known the car from original owner,I was with second owner when he traded a 63 1/2 427 gal for it in 1971,and his son is now married to Kelly Earnhart, I bought the T in 1976 from Wayne so he could put Brett Bodine in a Modified race car, and I have owned it ever since,bought it with 42k on it and it has 48k on it now,
The car has quite a history from the days coming from the races at Chemung speedrome that the Bodines owned back than,Jeff Bodine had a superbird,
so u can figure out what happed after the races,lol
jt