Oil Level Indicators 1958-1966 352-390-428

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Alan H. Tast
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Oil Level Indicators 1958-1966 352-390-428

Post by Alan H. Tast »

Questions come up time and again about dipstick length. Did the car have A/C or not? A longer oil level indicator/tube was used on cars with A/C to clear the compressor/bracket for '62-'66s. As for dipstick width, I'm running into an issue as I need to find a dipstick for my '63 Roadster with A/C - replacements I've tried are too wide and bind up in the tube, and I haven't taken time to research part numbers/dimensions yet. The following part numbers show up just for T-birds: would appreciate it if people can add information to this thread to document what's out there.

(6750 is the basic number for the oil level indicator, 6754 is the basic number for the oil level indicator tube)

From Master Parts Catalog FD-7635, Dec 1960, Sec. 66, pp. 16-17 :
Oil Level Indicator
C0SE 6750-A - '58-'59 T-bird, '60 T-bird 352 (after April 1, 1960) - (No length given)
C0AE 6750-C - '60 Ford & T-bird (before April 1, 1960) 352, 24" long
C1SE 6750-A - '61 T-bird 390 - 21.92" from shield to Full mark; 23.14" from shield to Add mark; 24.50" from shield to end

Oil Level Indicator Tube
B8A 6754-A - '58-'61 Ford & T-bird 332-352, '61 Ford 390 (No length given)
C1SE 6754-A - '61 T-bird 390 - 14 63/64" long w/ bracket

Engineering/P&A numbers from Master Cross-Reference List-Vol. 2, April 1966, pp. 177-178:
Oil Level Indicator
C1SZ 6750-A - Kit (Implies indicator and tube together)
C2SE 6750-A/C2SZ 6750-B
C2SE 6750-B/C2SZ 6750-A
C2SE 6750-C/C2SZ 6750-A
C5SE 6750-B/C5SZ 6750-A
C5SE 6750-D/C5SZ 6750-A1
C6SE 6750-A/C6SZ 6750-A
C6SE 6750-B/C6SZ 6750-B

Oil Level Indicator Tube
C2SE 6754-A/C2SZ 6754-A
C4SE 6754-A/C2SZ 6754-B
C5SE 6754-A/C5SZ 6754-A

From Obsolete/Supersede Interchange Catalog, June 1967, p. 78:
Oil Level Indicator
B8A 6754-B, r/b C0SE 6750-A
C0AE 6750-C, m/w C2AZ 6750-B, r/b C5AZ 6750-D
C1SE 6750-A, r/b C1SZ 6750-A
C6SZ 6750-A, r/b C6SZ 6750-B

Oil Level Indicator Tube
C1SE 6754-A, r/b C1SZ 6750-A - 14 63/64" long (call it 15") w/ bracket
C2SZ 6754-A, r/b C2SZ 6754-B
Alan H. Tast, AIA
Technical Director/Past President,
Vintage Thunderbird Club Int'l.
Author, "Thunderbird 1955-1966" & "Thunderbird 50 Years"
1963 Hardtop & 1963 Sports Roadster
User avatar
Alan H. Tast
Posts: 4214
Joined: Wed Aug 20, 2003 10:52 pm
Location: Omaha, NE

Re: Oil Level Indicators 1958-1966 352-390-428

Post by Alan H. Tast »

Follow-up: Checked replacement tube-type handled indicator I purchased in 1982 from Ford against broken indicator in my '63 Roadster, along with another one on hand with a riveted flat-blade handle that was the same length, and came up with following measurements:

#1 - Handle - Tube style; blade 3/16" wide with wavy upper end to center in tube, blade pressed into tube end, shield crimped onto tube;
Length - shield to Full mark - 23.75"; shield to Add mark - 25.625" (approximate), shield-end, 27.00" (approximate);

#2 & #3 - Handle - Flat, riveted to blade with split/raised portion between shield and rivets to center in tube, shield held in place with deformed tangs ; blade 1/4" wide, straight, blade riveted to handle; Length - shield to Full mark - 24.00"; shield to Add mark - 25.625"; shield-end, 27.00" (approximate)

If you're finding indicators wider than 1/4" they won't work well in OEM tubes. The 1/4"-wide indicators are a little tight. Need measurements of blade widths for '58-'60 indicators.
Alan H. Tast, AIA
Technical Director/Past President,
Vintage Thunderbird Club Int'l.
Author, "Thunderbird 1955-1966" & "Thunderbird 50 Years"
1963 Hardtop & 1963 Sports Roadster
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