1965-1966 Floor panel changes San Jose cars

[SFM6S]

Is there an approximate date/VIN sequence of when the floor pans changed regarding the "hump" for the routing of the parking brake cables? This is regards to the cables going between the floor pan and rear frame rails versus later 66 cars whee the cable was routed under the frame rail.

Thank you. Joe

[98SVT - was 06GT]

You could probably find the date/VIN this change took place on a Mustang forum. There will be no set date or VIN for the change at SA. When the cars arrived at SA they were not finished with any regard to Ford VIN sequence. The lot boy was told to go get X color car. He went and got the closest one. There was no first in first out plan for the cars (or any date coded parts like carburetors, etc). Basically the new stuff got placed in front of the existing inventory and was also the first used.

It might be a fun AI exercise to take all the car VIN arrival dates and colors and match them to the finish dates to see if you could make up a parking lot sequence and how they were pulled for completion. Of course you'd need access to both sets of numbers and that isn't going to happen.

[J_Speegle]

We can provide an approximate date range but since we don't know specifically when each car was completed at San Jose (unlike we have for 67 and up cars) we can't be two exact.

If we had the first four numbers of your cars sequential number (not all of it is needed) we should be able to help with that choice as long as its not during that fuzzy change over period identified.

If you want to give it a try you can PM with the four numbers and we can go from there.

[SFM6S]

This question is posed relating to the Ford VIN.

To be more specific...it would be highly unlikely that late SA Vin 66 GT350 would have the early "humped"
floor plan. Thank you Jeff for you willingness to delve deeper, but I do not have a specific VIN in mind at the moment.

Thank you. Joe

[J_Speegle]

Joe thought I should up date a thread over on CMF where the subject came up in the past. Hope this information is helpful.

1965 San Jose E Brake Routing and Main Floor Relief Change

[SFM6S]

Jeff, thank you for the link. I believe you have answered my question.
So in most, if not all cases a early 66 GT350 should have the hump. Cars produced at SJ after the startup of 66 production would have a transition point. And a very late 66 GT350 will not have the pass through hump.

Thank you. Joe

[Bob Gaines]

Jeff, thank you for the link. I believe you have answered my question.
So in most, if not all cases a early 66 GT350 should have the hump. And a very late 66 GT350 will not have the pass through hump.

Thank you. Joe

I have seen June built carry over cars without the hump. The 65 assemblyline manual page 14 of the Osborn reprint shows the under the frame rail style or common 66 style E brake routing which would seem to indicate that the floor with the hump would have been changed at the same time or at least shortly after the under frame rail E brake routing was used in late 65 production. 

[98SVT - was 06GT]

..... a very late 66 GT350 will not have the pass through hump.

You can not say that with 100% certainty. One (or more) car may have sat at the back of the lot until near the end of production. Doubtful but possible. As with all small manufacturers there is some leeway on how each car was assembled. Even a poll won't answer the question since we don't know the location of 100% of the cars - all it could do is get us the latest known example. If the latest known is under 1,500 it would bolster your statement if it's over 1,500 it would indicate later cars do exist with the hump.

[Bob Gaines]

..... a very late 66 GT350 will not have the pass through hump.

You can not say that with 100% certainty. One (or more) car may have sat at the back of the lot until near the end of production. Doubtful but possible. As with all small manufacturers there is some leeway on how each car was assembled. Even a poll won't answer the question since we don't know the location of 100% of the cars - all it could do is get us the latest known example. If the latest known is under 1,500 it would bolster your statement if it's over 1,500 it would indicate later cars do exist with the hump.

You can apply the "anything is possible" opinion to just about any thing.   In this case it is possible but not probable.

[J_Speegle]

Jeff, thank you for the link. I believe you have answered my question.
So in most, if not all cases a early 66 GT350 should have the hump.

Are you including the carry-over cars or are you referring to 66 Shelbys built from 1966 Mustang bodies. It makes all the difference

 

Cars produced at SJ after the startup of 66 production would have a transition point.

No the transition point had already passed. When you asked your first question you mistakenly included both 65 and 66 in the title when this was a straight IMO 1965 San Jose detail you were looking for,

And a very late 66 GT350 will not have the pass through hump.

1966 Mustangs would not have had anything but the floors without the "hump" as your calling it. So it doesn't matter early or late. Of course you can find "restored" and repaired cars out there that have had their floors replaced. Not long ago I looked at a 69 Shelby with an early 65 main floor with the "humps" for the E brake cable 

[J_Speegle]

You cannot say that with 100% certainty. One (or more) car may have sat at the back of the lot until near the end of production. Doubtful but possible. As with all small manufacturers there is some leeway on how each car was assembled. Even a poll won't answer the question since we don't know the location of 100% of the cars - all it could do is get us the latest known example. If the latest known is under 1,500 it would bolster your statement if it's over 1,500 it would indicate later cars do exist with the hump.

If the car in question (a 66 late Shelby not a carry-over) were built I have not seen or heard of any of them being built with a 5R Ford VIN. Pretty sure that if there was one or more Howard would know it since they have all the Ford VINs and it would finding would have been written about or shared after all these decades. That would be a requirement if it were to have the early floor pan with the pass through depression in the floor.

If it were on a car VINed with 6R your example would need to have be

1- A 66 Mustang built at San Jose would have to have had a "left over" early style floor from 65 production ten or so months before that was discovered at the plant or the supplying stamping plant

2- That same car would have had to be chosen to be built into a K code using that floor but it would have more likely, just based on percentages, more likely it to have been installed in an A, C or T code

3- The floor would have also needed to by random chance be installed on a fastback body. Again much more likely, based on percentages of body types built, much more chance that it would end up installed on a coupe body

4- In addition that 66 body with the 65 floor would have had been chosen or designated as one being sold to convert to a 66 Shelby rather than a K code Mustangs fastback.

Guess it would be time to by a lottery ticket 

I'll leave it to someone else to figure out what the probabilities are of all those things working in a row.

Edited: Tried to clean up my poor wording. Not sure how much improvement took place 

[SFM6S]

Jeff, thank you for the in depth response and thank you Bob. You have both answered my open ended questions. Dave, thank you for your input as well. I just wanted to be totally clear in my mind as to what I have seen recently looking through a lot of on line pics of 65-66 GT350 undercarriages. I appreciate the prompt responses.
Joe