Pace Car production number

[PaceFever79]

The VIN on my 79 pace car is xxx481547.

If 48 means Pace Car, does that mean it was the 1547th Pace Car made?

[PaceFever79]

Hmm. No one?

[eeprete]

more accurately, it was the 1547th assigned a vin.

Do you have the car registered with Bill Puck and the Pace Car Registry? They are based in Lakewood, CO.

[PaceFever79]

more accurately, it was the 1547th assigned a vin.

Do you have the car registered with Bill Puck and the Pace Car Registry? They are based in Lakewood, CO.

No I don't have it registered anywhere or Marti/researched yet, both are on my to do list. Now you have me curious, I do know it was assembled in Dearborn and it's a V8 automatic (lowest production). I'm wondering if it's an early production model.

[eeprete]

V8/C4 cars had a total count of 2106 units. I had one years ago, it was #7516 and from what I remember had a production date of May 1979.

[8T6 SVO]

What is the whole vin # - that would help. Did all Pace car's have a 48 in the consecutive unit number? Or did Ford make +-400,000 Mustangs in 1979?

[eeprete]

you don't need to who vin to know its a pace car, he's got the 48 in there right before the sequence number. That's all thats needed to know. Given what he has told us about the car, the vin should be 9F03F481547.

9 - 1979
F - dearborn
03 - Mustang Hatchback
F - 302 V8 2BBL
481547 - sequence number which breaks down further to:
48- pace car designation
1547 - sequence number of pace car

[K PONY]

Where's "FoxChassis" ?

[PaceFever79]

Just checked. Mine says 05/1979 on the door tag.

[PaceFever79]

Is it possible it's an early production Dearborn assembled Pace Car?

The 1547th Ford vehicle made would seem encouraging...

But the May 79 door tag seems otherwise.

Thanks

[eeprete]

From what I recall, Pace cars were only MFG'd in May and June.

[TwisterSpecial]

more accurately, it was the 1547th assigned a vin.

Do you have the car registered with Bill Puck and the Pace Car Registry? They are based in Lakewood, CO.

You're not correct about that !
Pace Cars were produced at San Jose and Dearborn.
They both start counting at 9_03_480001
You correct if you mean it's the 1547th Pace Car from that factory.

[PaceFever79]

You're not correct about that !
Pace Cars were produced at San Jose and Dearborn.
They both start counting at 9_03_480001
You correct if you mean it's the 1547th Pace Car from that factory.

Thanks Ron, that makes more sense.

[FoxChassis]

If that's the way it is, then this one was 9F03F481547 made at Dearborn. There could have been a 9R03x481547 made at San Jose.

No way to know which PC of the total 10,47nth this one is.

[eeprete]

You're not correct about that !
Pace Cars were produced at San Jose and Dearborn.
They both start counting at 9_03_480001
You correct if you mean it's the 1547th Pace Car from that factory.

my apologies, yes, that is what I meant. As FC noted, Pace Cars were also mfg'd in San Jose, and since the 48 is a constant in the vin, it's safe to say since over 10K units were made, that would have to hold true.

[8T6 SVO]

Sorry for my confusion - so the 48 occurs in all Pace car Vins? So the Pace cars were on a different consecutive vin number track from all other Mustangs?

[FoxChassis]

That's correct.

[8T6 SVO]

Thanks - I just love learning these little facts!

[FoxChassis]

As to why 480001 was the starting point, I dont know. I have good idea though...

[white1983GT]

well do tell......if I had to guess your idea would be a well educated one.

[FoxChassis]

OK...

Fact #1: All Ford cars start with 100001 each model year at their respective assembly plant.
(Lincoln and Mercury start at 600001 each model year at their respective assembly plants.)
Fact #2: Ford sold 369,936 '79 Mustangs.

That roughly* puts the last consecutive unit number at 459465 (doesn't include the 10,471 replica Pace Cars).

My educated guess is that Ford considered how many 'regular' '79 Mustangs they were selling, projected that figure through the end of the model year, and then started the Pace Car with a number higher than they thought the regular production run would reach, but not so high as to reach the L/M starting point.

*I say "roughly" because sometimes single CUNs or blocks of them may be skipped and not used.

[white1983GT]

makes perfect sense. While not a "fact" could be some good info to bat around, maybe poll for the highest CUN on a non pace 79 for fun.

[TwisterSpecial]

If you have a Marti Report, like I do, it says for my 9F03F482720:
2720th Pace Car Replica sceduled for production at Dearborn

Highest number I've seen so far is 9F03F487823 for Dearborn
Highest number for San Jose I've seen 9R03F482804

7823 + 2804 = 10627 total
strange, cause there only 10478 build
Maybe I have a vincode wrong

[eeprete]

I might still have some paperwork or pictures on my Pace Car that I sold years ago. It was #7516 from Dearborn. It was also mfg'd at sometime in May, I seem to remember it being possibly the same week as the race itself, which I found intriguing. I am pretty sure I may still have my membership information from the pace car registry as well, which had more details on production etc.

FoxChassis' analysis seems pretty spot on for the numbering (and reasoning) as Pace Cars were mfg'd towards the end of the production for the 79 model year.

[795.0pacecar]

From what I recall, Pace cars were only MFG'd in May and June.

Mine was built in april.