Master Parts Catalog

[WNC Bird]

Hello all,

There's a million mentions of the Master Parts Catalog here, MPC.

Is the pic below the MPC I should buy? If not, what is reccomend?.

Happy Motoring

Ken

[ICON 1956]

That's for 1965 to 1972, Do you have a 1961-1963 Thunderbird ?
This is what you need if you have a 1960-1964 FORD ?Thunderbird also there are other models included in the
Master Parts catalog AKA as the "Blue Bible.......

[OldRusty1]

Here is the info on where you can obtain an electronic copy. It's where I got mine.

https://www.forelpublishing.com/estore2 ... .html#1962

Product #D10042

Regards,
OldRusty1

[ICON 1956]

I'm partial to hard copy publications, It's just me.....

[WNC Bird]

Icon, I'm with you. And, Hard copies don't disappear when a hard drive crashes.

I have a 62. And I already have the manuals you posted. So it sounds like what I pictured is unnecessary.

Thanks for opening my eyes to the obvious.

Ken

[Rusty57]

Please excuse me if I am hijacking this thread. I am interested in obtaining sufficient literature for my ‘57 so this is a great learning thread.

What is the difference between the “Illustrations Catalog” and the “Text Catalog”? Does one only have pictures and part numbers and the other has part descriptions and part numbers?

Thank You!

[Alan H. Tast]

Please excuse me if I am hijacking this thread. I am interested in obtaining sufficient literature for my ‘57 so this is a great learning thread.

What is the difference between the “Illustrations Catalog” and the “Text Catalog”? Does one only have pictures and part numbers and the other has part descriptions and part numbers?

Thank You!

BINGO! There are several things to be aware of, though:
1. Not all parts are listed in the 'Blue Bible' 'Text' catalogs as they represent a snap-shot of what was still in Ford's parts inventory as of their printing date (1964 for the '49-'59 version, 1969 for the '60-'64 copy)
2. Only the 'basic' numbers are shown in the Illustrations. The full part number has to be found by first using the basic number and going to the specific section that it's listed in in the 'Text' catalog. They go hand-in-hand.
3. There are some basic numbers that were changed or altered over the course of the mid-late '50s-early '60s, which can lead to some confusion. In the late '50s-early '60s Ford began to use an extension number with a letter added in the middle of the basic number to expand parts descriptions/ID within a number range appropriate for the part.
4. A fair number of the part numbers listed in the 'Text' portion may be service replacement parts that, while the fit and function like an original part, may have some differences from the production version.

To get a better representation of what was available when new, a person has to be willing to go back to loose-leaf editions of the MPC, which were updated on a quarterly basis or more/less frequently, as parts were added and dropped from inventory. I've been attempting to compile a lot of these original books over the past few decades and still have a long ways to go to be able to have THE definitive library to figure out how a part changed/evolved over the years. The "Blue Bibles" are the best starting point for most people, but for serious restorers/researchers like myself, I find I need to dig deeper with MPCs, annual issues of parts books, service bulletins, etc., but that's another subject altogether.

[Rusty57]

Hi Alan,

Many thanks for that clarifying explanation of these 2 documents, especially the relationship.

This is the type of in-depth information that is available via forums such as this.

I also appreciate your comments regarding the tracing of the history of a service part. Most of my career was working for companies that manufactured various types of machinery and had a long term service parts obligation. We got into the nuances of backwards and forwards substitutions, obsolescence, and exemptions to maintain safety parts for an extremely long period.

I agree that for your interests and analysis you need to be able to trace that evolution. While updating hard copy parts manuals was a real pain it did provide a traceable record. In today’s digital world I am not sure a person will ever be able to trace that history unless they have access to the internal documentation that supports the changes

Take care,

[ICON 1956]

I agree with you Alan, Trying to find all those different Form #'s for the 1955-57 thunderbirds is enough to drive you crazy.
Let's see I have from 1955-1956 Chassis parts accessories catalog form 7516, then there's Passenger car and thunderbird body parts catalog September 1956 form 7422. Passenger car and thunderbird body form 7515, Passenger 1956 car and thunderbird body form 7597, Passenger car and thunderbird body 1957 form 7637, 1955-56-57 Passenger car and thunderbird bodyform 7516 (yellow cover) Then there's at the bottom of some of the pages "refer to group Number" or "revised". then there's a 1956 passenger car,Thunderbird , Truck Soft trim parts catalog form 7597. and to add to the madness of this don't forget the Monthly "the Ford Mechanic" series 1-10 I have 1956 # 3 The servicing the 12 volt ignition starting systems.
I'm sure the printing department would be very busy updating all the catalogs Ford has....

[RAVEN]

AND WE ALL SHOULD BE THANKFUL FOR GUYS LIKE ALAN, WHO HELP WE ALL GET SOME ANSWERS.
This is why to support this FORUM, we all should be members of the VTCI. As it is part of the dues that make it happen.

[ICON 1956]

Well put Raven, It's on account of Alan that I wanted to seek the answers to these classic cars. Now I'm soaking up all the info I need to know about what I had on a 61 to knowing all about my 56..... Thank You Alan. !

[WNC Bird]

Alan,

Thank you for explaining how the two manuals work together. These two always confused me. I've taken a screen shot of your post for reference the next time I dig into them on a hunt for a part.

And I absolutely agree with Icon, Raven and others. You and your peers are invaluable assets to the rest of us and the 'hobby'. I would be completely lost without your extensive experience and willingness to jump in when needed.

On a side note you assisted me in finding the proper numbered Autolite carburetor a few months back. I rebuilt it over the winter and installed it yesterday. It started right up and sounds awesome. Noticably better than the Holley. I haven't test drove it yet as the convertible top is more of an umbrella than a roof and it's been raining.

Ken