How do you decipher a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) for a vehicle manufactured before the VIN codes were standardized?

The current 17 digit VIN codes started being used in 1981. Prior to that, each manufacturer had their own vehicle identification standards. A patron with a 1964 Ford Ranchero wanted to decipher the 11 character VIN: 4H27F117787. Our trusty reference sleuths tracked down the coding information in the Catalog of Ford Truck ID Numbers, 1946-1972 (1992). The VIN breaks down as follows:

• 4: model year (1964)
• H: assembly plant (Lorain, OH)
• 27: model or body style (Ranchero)
• F: engine information (8 cylinder...)

The last 6 digits "identify the consecutive unit number," meaning that this is the 117,787th vehicle made in that plant that year.