Ford Part Numbers and Casting Numbers, what do they mean?
Those big long part numbers that you find cast onto some of your parts or that you see while shopping on line at AAPD.NET do serve a purpose other than ordering or checking inventory. The numbers reveal information about what decade and year the part was produced, what vehicle line it was designed for and what engineering department designed it.
Some people are often perplexed by the length of some of these numbers and wonder why they have to be so long, the reason is simple; there is a lot of parts on a Mustang and some of those parts were also shared with the Falcon, Fairlane, and Cougar just to name a few.
All parts have a base number that indicates what the part is and they typically utilize this base number throughout the various years makes and models. For instance this master cylinder part number C5ZZ-2140-CR contains the base number 2140 and if you use the base number to search for parts at AAPD.NET it would return all of the master cylinders available.
If you are having a tough time finding a part for your Mustang and see a similar part available for another Mustang use the base number to search for the part, you just might find what you are looking for.
Decoding Mustang Part Numbers
As an example the master cylinder part number C5ZZ-2140-CR will be used to demonstrate the part number breakdown.
- The first two digits indicate the decade and the year (C5)
- The third digit indicated the vehicle line (Z)
- The fourth digit indicates the engineering group (Z)
- The center digits after the dash is the base part number (2140)
- the last digits are the revision number, "A" being the first revision "B" the second revision and so on. (CR)
C5ZZ-2140-CR
| C | Decade of Manufactured = 1960 |
| 5 | Year within the Decade = '65 |
| Z | Vehicle Line = Mustang |
| Z | Engineering Department = Ford Service Part |
| 2140 | Base Part Number = Master Cylinder |
| CR | Revision Change = Manual Disc Brakes |
Decade Manufacture Code
| Code | Decade Manufactured |
| A | 1940 |
| B | 1950 |
| C | 1960 |
| D | 1970 |
| E | 1980 |
| F | 1990 |
| E | 2000 |
Vehicle Line Code
| Code | Vehicle Line |
| A | Ford full size |
| D | Falcon |
| E | Escort |
| F | Pinto, Maverick, Falcon |
| G | Early Comets, Montego, Cyclone |
| H | Medium/Heavy Duty Truck |
| K | Edsel |
| L | Lincoln Mark VII |
| M | Mercury |
| O | Fairlane |
| R | Capri |
| S | Thunderbird |
| T | Pick-up Truck or Bronco |
| U | Econoline Van |
| V | Lincoln |
| W | Cougar |
| Z | Mustang |
Engineering Department Code
| Code | Department |
| A | Chassis |
| B | Body |
| E | Engine |
| F | Engine Accessories |
| J | Autolite (67-72) |
| P | Auto Transmission |
| R | Manual Transmission |
| W | Axle |
| X | Muscle Parts Program |
| Y | Lincoln/Mercury Service Parts |
| Z | Ford Service Parts |
Decoding Dates
Date codes are sometimes included on parts such as the engine block and exhaust manifolds.
- The first digit is the year; to determine the decade, refer to the part number's prefix.
- The second digit is the month.
- The third digit is the day of the month
| Code | Month |
| A | January |
| B | February |
| C | March |
| D | April |
| E | May |
| F | June |
| G | July |
| H | August |
| J | September |
| K | October |
| L | November |
| M | December |
