Deciphering Ford Part Numbers and Date Codes

Ford part numbers are easy to understand once you know the rules. The part numbers are divided into three sections and have the format xxxx-xxxxx-x. Notice the three separate parts divided by two hyphens.

The first part is called the PREFIX. It tells us the decade and year the part was engineered, the car-line the part was designed for and the engineering group. For example let’s use the code C6ZE. the first character is a C this indicated the decade 1960. The second number is a 6 this tells us that the part was designed in year 6 of decade 1960 or put another way, the first two places tell us the part was designed in 1966. The third position Z tells us that the part was designed for a Mustang. The fourth letter is the engineering group the part belongs to. E is engine, if the part is a service part, then the fourth place-holder indicated the division such as Z = Ford division, Y=Lincoln & Mercury, x=Original muscle parts program and M= Ford motorsport SVO.