Data plate on 55 t bird

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nathans8
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Joined: Sun Sep 08, 2019 4:26 pm

Data plate on 55 t bird

Post by nathans8 »

Thanks for all the responses to my questions. I just purchased a 55 t bird. The data plate on the firewall reads 40A T C 4X3X93. I can’t interpret the 4X3X93 it does not shows up in my manual or on line. Other production code numbers are written as eg. 13 B SD 154 which I can identify with. Anyone know how to read my code as 4X3X93.?
David Tulowitzky
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Re: Data plate on 55 t bird

Post by David Tulowitzky »

The codes on your data plate are not correct.
The 4X would represent October 4, 1955. However there were no 1955's produced in October 1955.
Is it possible the 3X could be BX?
nathans8
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Re: Data plate on 55 t bird

Post by nathans8 »

Thanks it maybe is a b instead of 3. What other months did they make 55 t birds. What does the 93 stand for on end of code. Why would they run all the numbers and letters together.
David Tulowitzky
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Re: Data plate on 55 t bird

Post by David Tulowitzky »

The 1955's were built starting October 9, 1954 and ended on September 14, 1955.
The production code of 3X is also not correct. Possibly someone replaced the data plate in the past 60+ years?
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Alan H. Tast
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Re: Data plate on 55 t bird

Post by Alan H. Tast »

Would be most helpful if you could post a photo of the data plate showing the codes. Would also be helpful to know the consecutive unit/serial number - this will narrow down the date as well. I suspect that '4X' may be '4K' for October 4th, 1954 especially if a low serial number, and '3X' is 'BX' as Dave notes. But, typically the production codes for the early '55s started with an 'S' during Sept.-early October with a 3- or 4-digit number, so maybe it's '4KS' and the 'X' is actally a number? Dave, what think ye in the scheme of early production dates/codes and the transition from 'S'-#'s to ones with District Codes without more info from the owner?

BTW, we can already deduce that, assuming it has the correct VIN for a '55 T-bird, it starts with P5FH1..... for an early-mid production car (which October '54 would fall under) or P5FH2..... for a later production one (which I doubt based on the date coding if it holds out to be a 'K'.
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
David Tulowitzky
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Re: Data plate on 55 t bird

Post by David Tulowitzky »

Alan, Ford started using the District codes on November 1, 1954. As stated if we had the sequence number or possibly the first three digits we might be able to help solve this mystery.
nathans8
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Re: Data plate on 55 t bird

Post by nathans8 »

Image best I can get of data plate
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BD4FECB7-E318-4F19-B4A7-73DD17E62166.jpeg
nathans8
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Re: Data plate on 55 t bird

Post by nathans8 »

I would like to know what my production number was if total 55 t birds built
David Tulowitzky
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Re: Data plate on 55 t bird

Post by David Tulowitzky »

I am positive the bottom line of your data plate reads 40A T C 4MBX93. If you removed the layers of paint that is what you would find.
The production figures for 1955 were:
September, 1954 - 164
October, 1954 - 858
November, 1954 1218.
Therefore your car would have been approximately the 2,500 built for the model year out of a total of 16,155 built.
My records show this car was located in North Carolina in 2017.
nathans8
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Re: Data plate on 55 t bird

Post by nathans8 »

thanks, you are correct after looking at the numbers again it is 4mbx93......i want thank you for info. what month is m and is 93 the number scheduled to produce.....
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Alan H. Tast
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Re: Data plate on 55 t bird

Post by Alan H. Tast »

nathans8 wrote: Thu Sep 12, 2019 3:37 pm thanks, you are correct after looking at the numbers again it is 4mbx93......i want thank you for info. what month is m and is 93 the number scheduled to produce.....
"M" is December 1954 in this instance. '93' indicates it would have been the 93rd 'Bird scheduled for this sales district - Dave can fill in the details and correct me as to whether it was the 93rd 'Bird destined for the 'BX' district over the course of '55 production or 93rd car built that day for that district.
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
David Tulowitzky
Posts: 136
Joined: Mon Oct 19, 2009 7:09 pm

Re: Data plate on 55 t bird

Post by David Tulowitzky »

"M" is for December. Your Thunderbird was the 93rd Thunderbird shipped to the New York sales district for the 1955 model year.
The code for the months are: A = January, B = February, C = March, D = April, E = May, F = June, G = July, H = August, J = September, K - October L = November, M = December. The September thru December were for the beginning of the model year. The cars produced from Sept. thru Dec at the end of the model year used these codes: Sept. = W, Oct.= X, Nov. = Y, Dec. Z.
nathans8
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Re: Data plate on 55 t bird

Post by nathans8 »

Thank you guys for all your help. This car did come from North Carolina.
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