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Decode your Mustang
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Decode your Mustang

Enter a 1965-1973 Ford Mustang VIN and we’ll read off the year, assembly plant, body style and original engine — straight from the factory codes.

Try one:
9F02Z142891 — 1969 Boss 429 (a real legend — like the one in our lineup)
6R07A100001 — 1966 Hardtop, 289 4V, San Jose
0F05M120000 — 1970 Mach 1, 351 4V, Dearborn

A first-generation Mustang VIN is 11 characters: model year (1) + assembly plant (1) + body code (2) + engine code (1) + consecutive unit number (6). Example: 9F02Z142891 = 1969, Dearborn, Fastback, Boss 429, unit 142891.

Where to find it: 1965-1967: under the hood, on top of the driver's-side fender apron. 1968: top of the passenger-side dash, visible through the windshield. 1969-1973: driver's-side dash, visible through the windshield.

The other plate

Your data plate

The body/warranty plate on the driver’s door carries even more — these fields:

Honest about the limits
  • This tool decodes the 11-character VIN. The separate body/warranty plate on the driver's door also carries paint color, interior trim, axle and transmission codes — those tables are very large and year-specific, so for exact paint/trim/axle codes consult a year-specific Mustang data-plate chart.
  • Horsepower ratings switched to SAE NET for 1972-1973 (lower numbers, not weaker engines).
  • Early vs late 1965 (the '1964 1/2') used some different engine codes; the 1965 table reflects the commonly published set.
  • A handful of mid-year and rare codes carry caveats noted inline (e.g. the 1971 before/after-May 351 variants).

Codes: Public Ford factory VIN codes, reproduced from ClassicIndustries (news.classicindustries.com) and the Mustang registries. Codes are factual factory data, not proprietary.

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