Factory sheet metal panel codes?

[scenario]

I am doing research on my 85.5 9L and was wondering what the factory codes were that are stamped on the sheet metal. I have come across numerous codes and just wondering.

I know the they usually go month day then letter code for plant and then shift for example 5 22 B2 would be........ May / 22 / Buffalo plant / 2nd shift

From what I understand they dont usually put the year bc it is assumed to be the model year for the build. I am investigating some imperfections on my front header panel and radiator suppot sheet metal that has a few welds where spot welds were apparently missed. The one is March and the other is May and the car is a 6/6/85 Build. The Konis are dates 5/85 as well. I am pretty sure the panels are factory original and had to have been repaired after a QC check on the assembly line. These panels have like a hundred other spot welds holding them together so it is not like it was done at a repair shop. Some of the spots in question are impossible to get to bc of their location...crazy

The respective sheet metal has factory codes stamped which jive with the year and production date of the car. The paint also jives and is factory original paint on the entire undercarriage and has never been undercoated. Bottom of car is as close to perfect as any would hope for.

The header and the radiator support are spot welded together from the factory but a few spot welds were missed and were subsequently fixed with a MIG weld slug at the location of the missed spot welds.
It is mind boggling and you would think "they would never do that"...and I tend to agree BUT when I pulled the carpet I found the build sheet AND I also found a factory QC Repair sheet that showed a problem with the fitment of the header panel. This sheet noted specifically the header and the subsequent sign off for the paint department.

I will admit is is bizarre but it is what it is... I do know for a fact that when QC picked up on things like this they sometimes had to use a mig welder to get into the area bc the spot machine could not etc...

[Erics SVO]

Do you have a Marti report yet? That may clear up the odd dates. They will list the date, bucked, vin assigned, build date, etc. Both of mine weren't build on schedule.

[chalkys_explorer]

They're date codes that show manufacturing date and shift. When you see someone refer to a restoration as 'date code correct' they mean they sourced parts with 'date code' parts within an acceptable window for when the car was produced. This can be a VERY expensive exercise depending on the car you are building!!

It'd be interesting to see some pics of the welds you're talking about. I've come to believe that 'never say never' is a good motto when it comes to the manufacturing process. If you ever seen the interior 1/4's of an '84 where they simply cut the sheet metal with tin snips to get access to the holes for the sails panel nuts, you'll know what I mean!!

[scenario]

I believe all the date codes are correct on the car. They all are either May or end of April. The car has never been hit. The entire undercarriage sports the original gray primer and normal overspray of the body color that peppers all the hard to reach areas. There is no question that the car and the paint is original and not messed with.(at least the underside and engine compartment and header areas...

This is why the repair makes no logical sense UNLESS it was done BEFORE the car got painted at the assembly plant.

When looking at the pics, remember that these are zoomed in pics and in reality they are not very noticeable unless you are looking thoroughly or it is pointed out to you.
The panels that we are looking at are date coded May of 1985. This is a 6/6/85 Build date on the driver door. It is the #11 85.5 SVO produced.

Coincidentally, I have looked over my 86SVO, my 91LX parts car, and my buddies 90LX. They all sport similar MIG beads in areas where spots were missed. The only difference here is that these are on the front header panel. I suggest you look your own cars over and see if you see anything. Most of the sloppiness is more on the unibody fitment areas thruout the cars.

I wish you all could see it in person, pics and my explanation may not do it justice. Have any of you looked at the transmission tunnel from under the car...wow, talk about messy work....jeez BOTH my SVOs look identical in quality....smh

green circle is where the spots should have been and red circle is where the spots were placed. The purple arrows are the respective header panels that are date coded May 11th and 12th 1985. There is no accident damage and the steel bumper is date coded April 23 1985. Everything is right on the car

[scenario]

Here is the build sheet and the repair sheet BOTH were under the carpet. BOTH sheets also are Rotation #5505 on the assembly line. They are legit. I personally found them

[svono50]

I am sure there was all kinds of repair work done during the production process on a day-to-day basis. It is quite amazing you found some pretty clear evidence of that, especially the repair sheet!

I remember seeing Bill Hatfield's 29 mile (I think it was that low, if not lower) 86 2R SVO many moons ago. Looking closely over that car you could see clear areas of paint overspray in the front door jamb area where some sort of paint repair work had happened. The history of that car was very well documented as he purchased the car from the original owner who literally took it from directly off the car carrier at the dealership to his house, where it sat in a climate controlled display room till Bill bought it. So all of us seemed to know that it never saw that overspray outside the factory and guessed that it was some sort of production line repair/touch-up.

As rare as finding a build sheet is with our cars...finding that repair sheet and other items is likely rarer than hen's teeth. You found a very cool bit of history hiding in your car.

Below is all that survived in my 86, which I found under the filler neck in the rear quarter panel. It had obviously come in contact with water/gas over the years. I also included the build sheet I found in my former 80 4cyl NA Mustang, which was behind the driver's seat under the carpet.

Build Sheet_196896.jpg Build Sheet_286155.jpg

[scenario]

I went to the body shop yesterday and the guy is a big Mustang guy (In Bellmore, NY on Long Island some guys on here might know him). He has worked on prob over a hundred Fox bodies over the years. He did not even hesitate a second that the repairs were done at Ford. He did many restoration on the Foxes as well. He knows them like the back of his hand. He pointed out that E-coating is all but impossible to duplicate which is visible where it shows thru on the lightly hit areas of the paint job. The repairs and welds are E-coated....which means they were done before paint...100% not a question.

He is gonna do a little work on the car for some paint issues from ATF or something that dripped on the hood when it was stored for over 20 year and never moved.

He also said the car is in absolute incredible time capsule condition. He did say that the car exterior was resprayed (or a good portion of it) but it was done period correct years ago (single stage paint) and it was done good. ZERO body work. Every panel and part is as it came off the line. He could not believe how perfect the doors and hatch operated and closed. He looked it over for a good 45 minutes and he just eat it up and every minute it got better and better...

also, if you saw what was left of my 86 SVO build sheet you would cry...like I did

I paid 17.5k for this car knowing it was not perfect and I am very happy with it.

None of this really matters bc the car will be with me till I die. I am here and posting to share my experience and the unique history of this particular car. These are very special cars, even if many Fox owners dont agree.

This matter of this 85.5 SVO has pushed my understanding and appreciation of these cars to the next level. I can always learn something and this car has taught me a few things.

[scenario]

here is the undercarriage, I never seen one cleaner and it is all original 100% never undercoated or nothing

https://photos.app.goo.gl/P4jG9eLYzX5orGzU8

[scenario]

I am sure there was all kinds of repair work done during the production process on a day-to-day basis. It is quite amazing you found some pretty clear evidence of that, especially the repair sheet!

I remember seeing Bill Hatfield's 29 mile (I think it was that low, if not lower) 86 2R SVO many moons ago. Looking closely over that car you could see clear areas of paint overspray in the front door jamb area where some sort of paint repair work had happened. The history of that car was very well documented as he purchased the car from the original owner who literally took it from directly off the car carrier at the dealership to his house, where it sat in a climate controlled display room till Bill bought it. So all of us seemed to know that it never saw that overspray outside the factory and guessed that it was some sort of production line repair/touch-up.

As rare as finding a build sheet is with our cars...finding that repair sheet and other items is likely rarer than hen's teeth. You found a very cool bit of history hiding in your car.

What do people think?, like accidents and mishaps dont happen on the assembly line...Maybe that 2R 29mile car had something scratch it. Maybe by a tool that the guy installing the dash or something like that...
Do people think they scrap a car bc there was something that years later and noticed by some MCA judge... Think about it...oh crap Joe scratched the door jamb with the screw-gun...I guess we have to scrap the car bc we could never respray a car or parts of it at the factory...just think how idiotic that sounds...

They are gonna scrap an almost complete chassis bc of a few spot welds that had to get re-done by a MIG welder to complete the areas that the engineering schematics require "X" amount of spot welds at these particular locations...I dont think so.

These assembly lines back then were staffed by regular people and of those people there were jerks as well. People that were very hardcore pro-union, others that couldn't give a rats *** about anything but getting off when the horn sounded and all kinds of other people that fall in between.

I think some people watch to many of these restoration TV shows and think the cars were build to the same standards. It is the same principle when a person has a motor "blue-printed". They go thru that engine with a fine tooth comb and measure and weigh every part to make sure it is perfectly balanced...The machine shop does that, they dont do that when a motor is built new...any way that my comparision


On another note, Did the 29 mile 2R guy look for the build sheet? There might be more in there like I found...just saying...I know it is tough to take a perfect car and get under the carpet, for fear of screwing something up...

[svono50]

<snip>

On another note, Did the 29 mile 2R guy look for the build sheet? There might be more in there like I found...just saying...I know it is tough to take a perfect car and get under the carpet, for fear of screwing something up...

I don't know if they did any disassembly with that car to look for any hidden documentation. Not sure where that car is at now, as the owner passed away and not sure what his son did with it. Paul may know where it ended up, since he was pretty close with them.

As for production line workers, you get the full spectrum, no matter what industry you are in. I have worked in electronics and appliance production over the years and can say I have seen most of the available attitudes and aptitudes for that fact. Some folks would have a tough time fogging a mirror, while others are human robots. Production line workers are driven by meeting the production unit goal number, not whether or not there may be a slight blemish/defect as there is never 100% inspection for most things and stuff gets through. I found a few 'extra' push rivets and screws in my '17 Mini just to prove that it still happens...