Locations:
- Reverse stamped (from the rear) into an aluminum Shelby American plate which is pop-riveted to the driver’s side inner front fender panel over the Ford VIN at the notch in the fender. This is the only place the Shelby number is on the car, all other locations are the Ford serial number. Visible when the hood is open.
- Ford serial number is reverse-stamped into the inner fender panel; one covered the serial number plate, the other two covered by the edge of the front fenders. Not visible with the hood open.
- Ford serial number stamped into an aluminum plate riveted to the forward edge of the dashboard. Visible through the windshield.
- Ford serial number reverse-stamped into a piece of sheet metal and screwed to the passenger side of the inner fender. This also carries the build information for use during the initial Ford assembly.
- Ford serial number reverse-stamped into the door data tag and pop riveted to the driver’s door jamb. This also shows the build date, DSO codes and the codes for the body style, exterior and interior colors, engine, transmission, and rear end ratio.
The 1968 Shelby Cobra Mustang VIN Breakdown
8 – Model year
T – Assembly Plant (Metuchen, NJ)
02 – Body Code (02 – 2-door fastback; 03 – 2-door convertible)
J – Engine code (J – 302; S – 428; R – 428 Cobra Jet)
123456 – Consecutive Ford production (each model year, each assembly plant begins production with the number 100001 and continues for each unit built. Shelby bound Mustangs were built in large groups with consecutive numbers but the groups were interspersed with standard Mustangs, Cougars, Comets, and Fairlanes during production.)
00123 – consecutive production number; begins with 00001 and ends with 04450
| FORD VIN | |
| Locations: | |
| 1 | Stamped into the driver’s side inner fender panel; at the notch in the fender; covered by the Shelby VIN |
| 2 | Stamped from the rear onto the Ford identification plate riveted into the instrument panel close to the windshield at the bottom of the passenger corner, visible from the outside. |
| 3 | Stamped from the rear into the top left-hand corner of the warranty plate pop-riveted into the driver’s door rear edge. |
Breakdown on the Ford numbers
Same as the first 11 characters of the Shelby number.
| Body: | 63A – 2-door fastback 76A – 2-door convertible | |
| Color: | A – Raven Black I – Lime Green Metallic M – Wimbledon White Q – Medium Blue Metallic R – Dark Green Metallic T – Candy apple Red W – Meadowlark Yellow X – Dark Blue Metallic Y – Gold Metallic | |
| Interior: | Black 6A Saddle 6F | |
| Convertible Top Colors | Black White | |
| Build Date: | A – JanuaryG – JulyB – FebruaryH – AugustC – MarchJ – SeptemberD – AprilK – OctoberE – MayL – NovemberF – JuneM – December | |
| Order Number: | Ford internal code number signifying the particular order for that build (i.e. those cars going to Shelby assembly location; Shelby cars start with ‘8D’ | |
| Axle: | number designates conventional axle; letter indicates locking axles 1 – 2.75:1 2 – 2.79:1 4 – 2.83:1 5 – 3.00:1 – E 6 – 3.20:1 – F 7 – 3.25:1 – G 8 – 3.50:1 – H 9 – 3.10:1 | |
| Transmission: | 5 – 4 speed W – C-4 automatic U – C-6 automatic |