Ford radios and 8-track tape players

This is a page that I blatantly cut and pasted from  http://www.hammar.dyndns.org/radio.htm and then reformatted slightly to have it make sense on this page. The information came from Hammar, though. They did the research and published the page, not me. It is a very useful source to help you figure out if your car has the right radio in it.  



How to Identify FoMoCo Radios and 8-Track Tape Players


(Note: Though the following information is primarily geared toward mid-1960's Ford/Lincoln-Mercury radios, this coding system was employed on all Ford/L-M units from the 1961 through early 1969 model years. Bendix AM/FM radios continued employing this system through 1972.)



All original Ford sound equipment installed prior to 1969 was clearly marked with a four or five character code identifying the model year, manufacturer and intended application. Following this was a four-to-six digit serial number (for the radio -- NOT related to the VIN!)



These markings will be found as approximately 1/4" characters, stamped into the side or back of the radio chassis. Though they bear some resemblance to part numbers, they in fact have very little, as the following table reveals:



First Character:  Radio Type
(BLANK) = AM

D = Underdash "Hump" Mounted*
E = Electric Retractable Antenna**
F = AM/FM
T = 8-Track Tape (Includes AM/8-Track)
TOB = AM/FM***
(*1968-69 Only)
(** Used only on some Mercury units)
(***1965-66 Thunderbird Only) Last digit of model year (BLANK) = 8-Track*


Second Character: Model Year This a single digit indicating the last digit of the model year, as 5 is 1965, 6 is 1966, etc..

Third Character: Sound Type (?)
Blank 8 track*
T = Transistor Radio
S = Stereo (8-Track or AM/8-Track)
(*1968-up)


Fourth Character: Manufacturer
B=Bendix
M = Motorola

P = Philco



Fifth Character: Model Application

C = Continental


D = Falcon

E = Comet

F = Galaxie

G = Comet

H = Hang-On Tape Player

L = Lincoln

M = Mercury (Full Size)

O = Fairlane

S = Thunderbird

T = Truck

U = Econoline Van

V = Lincoln

W = Cougar

Y = Meteor

Z = Mustang



Sixth Character: Speaker Configuration or additional info

(BLANK) = Front Only

F = Fader for Front/Rear Speaker(s)*
L = Truck**
M = Truck**
U = Econoline**
(* Used on some Continental/Thunderbird units)
(** 1968-1970 Truck Only)



A Few Examples

4TBZ = 1964-1/2 Mustang AM, by Bendix

5TMZ = 1965 Mustang AM, by Motorola

5TPZ = 1965 Mustang AM, by Philco

5TPD = 1965 Falcon AM, by Philco

6TPZ = 1966 Mustang AM, by Philco

F6TBZ = 1966 Mustang AM/FM, by Bendix

T6SMZ = 1966 Mustang AM/8-Track, by Motorola

T6SMF = 1966 Galaxie 8-Track Player, by Motorola

(Beginning in February 1966, Ford marketed this as

a dealer accessory "hang-on" player for all models.)

F7TBZ = 1967 Mustang AM/FM, by Bendix

T7SMZ = 1967 Mustang AM/8-Track, by Motorola

T7SMH/F = 1967 "Universal" Hang-On 8-Track, by Motorola

(Identical to the 1966 T6SMF/T6SMM, with the

addition of a built-in rear speaker fader control.)





Notice that this coding is not based on interchangability -- a 1965 Falcon radio will fit your 1964-1/2 to 1966 Mustang just fine. These markings merely indicate for what year and model a radio was intended.

Here    http://www.hammar.dyndns.org/radiolist.htmis    is a more complete listing of radios used in 1964-1/2 to 1973 Mustangs.




Notes:

The belief that 1965 Mustang AM radio dials start with a "6" while 1966 dials start with a "5" is actually a myth, stemming from the fact that in 1965, Ford used multiple Mustang AM radio suppliers (Bendix on the "Early" 1965's, Motorola or Philco for "Late" 1965 models), but fitted 1966 AM-equipped Mustangs exclusively with Philco sets. All 1965-1966 Philco radios featured dials beginning at "5", while the other makers began their scale at "6."

The Bendix 4TBZ was electronically identical to the Falcon 4TBD, but featured an updated dial free of the Conelrad marks mandated on all US-made AM radios produced since 1953. Though the Conelrad warning system was deactivated in 1963, the decision came too late for design changes to the new 1964 sets. All 1964-1/2-1966 Mustang AM radio models also featured the same chromed pot metal volume and tuning knobs, while the Falcon version used black plastic ones. Because both models were otherwise interchangable, it's possible (and even likely) that some on-hand Falcon radios were installed at dealerships -- nevertheless, the "Conelrad" design would still be technically "incorrect" in a 1964-1/2 Mustang.

Generally, from 1966 onward, factory-installed AM radios were supplied by Philco (a Ford subsidiary), AM/FM units by Bendix, and 8-track players by Motorola.

Some confusion exists regarding 1965-66 Mustang radios featuring with the word "Deluxe" on the chrome bezel. In reality, these were not Ford radios at all, and had no connection with the "Deluxe" (Pony) Interior Decor Group. These "Deluxe" radios were merely aftermarket AM units produced by Boston-based Automatic Radio Manufacturing Company. Interestingly, Automatic Radio later filed a lawsuit over Ford's 1967 switch to the use of Ford-made (and marketed) radio mounting bezels.

Although the Mustang AM/FM is normally thought of as a 1966-up item, it was actually introduced to dealers in July 1965 (as an accessory only -- it did not become available through the factory until the start of the 1966 model year).

Interestingly, the dealer advertising proudly trumpets the use of a "new, unique station selector controlled by five 180-degree turn-over buttons" -- in reality, the Mustang AM/FM used the same type of tuner button as the AM version (though in a more attractive chrome finish), and relied on a simple slide control to switch between the AM and FM bands. Other Bendix-supplied AM/FM radios did use these "turn-over" buttons -- and this "better idea" was adopted for the Mustang sets beginning in 1967.

The first AM/FM stereo radios appeared in 1968 Models - for the Mustang, they were the Bendix-made "F8TBZ". All earlier AM/FM radios are Mono, reproduced in Life-like High-Fidelity through the trusty dash speaker.




The Philco-Ford Story

Ford purchased pioneering radio manufacturer Philco on December 11, 1961, and in 1963 merged in the "Aeronutronic Ford Corporation," acquired by Ford in 1956. Philco Aeronutronic became NASA's primary communications equipment contractor for the U.S. Manned Space effort during the 1960's and early 1970's, designing and supplying control consoles for the newly constructed Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston. Other divisions of Philco-Ford built home appliances and entertainment equipment -- as well as more than a few car radios.



In 1974, likely motivated by the forced divestiture of Autolite, along with the weakness of U.S. auto sales and a general recession in the wake of the Arab Oil Embargo, Ford sold Philco's Consumer Electronics Division to GTE-Sylvania, who in 1981 resold both it and Sylvania to the Netherlands-based Phillips Consumer Electronics (a longtime Philco rival best known in the U.S. for their Norelco shaver -- sold in every other country as the "Philishave", but renamed in America thanks to Philco's skillful trademark protection).



Philco-Ford's Appliance Division was spun off to White Consolidated Industries (formerly White Westinghouse) in 1977, and purchased by Sweden's AB Electrolux in 1986.



Of the original Philco-Ford, only the Aeronutronic unit remained, producing radios from 1975-1989, first as the "Aeronutronic Ford Corporation" and then from December 1, 1976 on as "Ford Aerospace and Communications Corporation". On January 5th, 1988, the company was redesignated "Ford Aerospace Corporation", and less than two years later, on October 24th, 1990, the "Philco-Ford" era ended when Ford sold Ford Aerospace to Loral, creating "Loral Aeronutronic". Loral Aeronutronic supplied radios to Ford during the 1990's before being acquired by Lockheed Martin in 1997.



The Philco name hasn't entirely disappeared from North America, however. Until recently, the Philco name could be found on a line of budget-priced audio/video products sold through K-Mart, and the brand still graces a line of Nordyne home cooling systems. Finally, Polyconcept USA, Inc, now markets several "retro"-styled "Philco" turntables, under license from Philips Electronics North America Corporation.

How to distinguish a factory GT from a non-GT

This is a question that seems to come up on a fairly regular basis. I haven't gotten around to writing anything about this because a nice man named Steve Schwartz at Mustang Dreams asked me to help him out while he wrote something about this, and he did a very good job with the subject. But, it can't hurt to have the information in as many places as possible, so, here goes.

The GT package on a 65/66 Mustang included :
Front disc (non-power) brakes
Dual exhaust with the exhaust trumpets exiting through the rear valence, not underneath it

Special handling package: front sway bar measuring 13/16 in diameter, instead of the standard 11/16,
higher rating front coil springs and rear leaf springs,

heavy duty front and rear shocks:
64 1/2-65 front shocks were the C4ZF-18045-E
66 front shocks were the C5ZF-18045-B
64 1/2-66 rear shocks were the C4ZF-18080-A, -B, or -C

Quicker steering box gear ratio of 16:1 instead of the standard 19.9:1. The manual steering cars will have the HCC-AX tag, and the power steering cars will have the HCC-AW tag. All power steering cars, not just the GTs, have the steering gear box tag of HCC-AW, so, on a power steering car, this tells you nothing.

Rocker molding and quarter ornament delete. The GTs had the no rocker molding or quarter ornament because they had the GT stripes.

No running pony on the fenders, or the small Mustang script. They had the GT fender badge and the Mustang script down lower in individual letters.

GT gas cap on the 66s, standard gas cap on the 65s

Fog lights


The factory GTs, since they had the dual exhaust exiting through the rear valence, did not have the rear bumperettes, or any of the attaching brackets for those. They also have reinforcement plates inside the driver's side rear frame rails for the driver's side exhaust hangers, which a single exhaust car did not have.

The only 65/66 Mustangs that came with the GT package were 'A' code or 'K' codes. There were no 6 cylinder cars or cars that came with a 2bbl carb that also came with the GT package.

The GT package was not available for purchase until mid April of 65, and consequently, any car with a scheduled production date before February of 65 definitely did not come with the GT package. Sometimes, people will have a new door tag made with an unreliable scheduled production date on it, but, the sequential production number of the car in the VIN, the last six digits, are not something that a person could alter without committing a felony. So, you can generally trust that a lot more.

On a Dearborn built 65 Mustang, it would have to have the last six digits of the VIN be a number higher than 620,000.
On a San Jose built 65 Mustang, it would be a number higher than 180,000.
On a Metuchan built 65 Mustang, it would be difficult to argue that the production number was too low, because that plant started building Mustangs at about the same time that Ford started building Mustangs with the GT package. It was a little bit before, but not by much.

Here is the address of that article by Mr. Schwartz that I mentioned, which has pictures and stuff.
http://www.mustangdreams.com/Verify-1965-1966-Mustang-GT.htm

Casting Numbers/ Part Numbers

There always seems to be a little confusion concerning what these numbers mean, and, what the difference is between them. They are, after all, very similar. We'll start with the casting numbers. This is the number which is actually on the part itself. Some have it cast into the part, others have it stamped into the metal of the part, others, like wiring harnesses, have it ink or paint stamped on the part, and some don't have it physically present on the part at all.



Here's how that works. The first digit will be a letter which signifies which decade the part is from. 'A' is the forties, 'B' is the fifties, 'C' is the sixties, etc... The second digit will be a number, which indicates which year of the decade the part is from. So, if the first two digits are C1, this is 1961, D4 is 1974, B9 is 1959, and so on.



The third digit will be a letter, unless it's a part originally intended for something that didn't go into production until after 1970. Then, it could also be a single-digit number, but, not for a Mustang. This tells you which car line the part was originally designed for. This is just what it was originally intended for. They did not use car-line specific part numbers for the same part that was used in several different vehicles. A 66 model 289 hipo engine block will have the casting number of C5AE-6015-E on the side of it. This does not mean that the motor came out of a 65 Galaxie and was put in the Mustang by someone. On the small block V8s, the official "Original Intention" was for the Fairlanes on the 221/260s. That's why the early blocks have an O for the third digit, even though they were also using that motor in other cars, as well. That's why you see some blocks with an A for the third digit, like the 65/66 6-bolt K code motor. That particular variation was designed to be put in the full sized cars, but, was also used in Fairlanes, Mustangs and Falcons. The short version of this explaination is that the third digit tells you what the original drawings had written on the bottom of the page, but, the same part might be, and frequently was, used in several different car lines.But, what those digits actually mean is,

A---Full-sized Ford built after 1957

B---Bronco 70-73, Maverick 75-77, and Fairmont 78-83

D--- Falcon 60-69, Maverick 70-74, Granada 75-82, and, LTD 83-->

G---Comet 61-67 and Montego 68-76

H---Heavy truck 62-82

L---Lincoln 58-60, Lincoln Mark something 61-->

M---Mercury

O---Fairlane 62-68, Torino 69-76, LTD II 77-79

P---Autolite or Motorcraft 62-->

R--- Rotunda 62-69, Ford of Europe imports 70-->

S--- T-Bird

T--- Various trucks and Broncos

U--Econoline van

V---Lincoln Continental

W--- Cougar 66-72, Bobcat 75-80

Y--- Canadian Mercury Meteor 62-73

Z--- Mustang, Mustang II



The fourth digit is telling you what sort of part it is in a very general way.

A-- light truck part

B--Body or electrical component

C--Chassis

E-- Engine/powertrain

F--Electrical/ fuel system

P--Transmission/ axle

R-- Transmission/axle

S-- Truck Engineering

W-- Transmission/axle

X-- Muscle parts

Y Lincoln/ Mercury replacement parts

Z--Ford replacement parts



The first four digits will be followed by a hyphen, and then there will be a string of numbers, some having a letter thrown in just for fun, and then another hyphen. The stuff between the hyphens is what's called a group number. This tells you what the part is. 6015 between the hyphens means that this is an engine block. This might seem a pretty trivial bit of information to the person that is looking at the engine block, since they're looking right at it, but, to the people ordering the parts from the plant making them, which also makes a bunch of other stuff, it is very useful. On many parts, the casting number will not include the group number, because the person looking at the the number on the part would know up front that they have a carburetor in their hand. There's no need to stamp the 9510 on the carb just to make sure that the person with the gasoline dripping into his hand realizes that this is not a front bumper, but, a carburetor. The engineering number will have this, as will the replacement part number, though. The person at the warehouse processing the order has no idea what it is that I need.



After The 4-digit prefix, the group number, and, the second hyphen, there will be a letter. This letter indicates the design change level. That means that they started with a part, say, C5ZE-9600-A, which would be a breather assembly. They then change the design to include a fitting sticking out of the side of it. It becomes C5ZE-9600-B, they change the design again to put a longer, stiffer spring on the snorkel flap. It is now C5ZE-9600-C, and so on. This is purely for the sake of example, and are not actual design changes that are represented by these specific numbers. Let's say, for example, that I am needing a rebuild kit for my 2bbl carburetor, but, I am not sure if it's the original carburetor for my car, and, the I.D. tag for this carb has vanished in the haze long ago. I look at the driver's side of the carb, and, lo and behold, there is something stamped there on the base, near the front, and it says 6 D F. Clearly, this is not the entire part number, so, I will need to start filling in the blanks. I can tell that this carb is an Autolite 2100 from looking at it, so, it was built sometime in the sixties. That gives me C6 D F. I also know that, since this is a carburetor, the fourth digit will be an F, so, I now have C6DF F. Again, since this is a carburetor, the group number will be 9510, so, that gives me C6DF-9510-F, and, that is the complete part number. If my car happens to be a 66 model Mustang that came with a C4 automatic transmission and the thermactor system, this is the correct carburetor for that. The replacement part numbers and the engineering numbers will have the entire number, while, the casting number will frequently leave out the stuff that you can easily deduce by looking at the part itself.