!!! DAMN !!!
I don't know how you did it but it is greatly appreciated.
KULTULZ standing in a bread line and asks for toast -
M-144 refers to M-144A for additional info. Is it possible you came across that copy also?
How did I do it? I've been collecting this kind of information in part for researching and helping develop Concours/Judging Rules / Original Factory Specifications as part of my Editor/Tech Director positions for VTCI since the 1980s. And people keep giving me old copies of service bulletins once they find out what I do with the information - in fact I just had a VTCI member ship 6 boxes of TSBs and other service publications from the '60s-'80s to me rather than throw them into the dumpster.
As for the production codes on the pre-April '57 data plates and differences between assembly plants, about the only way to answer that is to actively collect/examine plates and corresponding car information. The date coding at the beginning of the string should be the same for all plants. The use of sales district coding (used on T-birds in late '55-'57, which were all assembled at Dearborn Assembly Plant (i.e. the "Rouge") except for cars in 'knock-down' condition for final assembly overseas or in Mexico, for instance) is known - in fact, the MSL issued for 1956 data plate decoding has a separate listing for the district codes used on the T-bird data plates.
What's murky is the production number, which the MSLs and PSLs state state was the number of units built in one day at an assembly plant. This varied in use, such as to consecutively tally the number of T-birds sold within a sales district (this was discovered by people collecting this info for 'Birds), and the letter code found at the end of the production code string on '57 plates (A,B,C,P, etc.) indicating type of order. T-bird researchers over the years have narrowed the letter codes at the end of the string down based on study of invoices retained by CTCI to identify special order, dealer-specified order, dealer- or district- group order, unit scheduled for regular production or other, with consensus that the 'P' code - which shows up the most in the collected information - more than likely indicates a regular production order. Again, this was used at the Dearborn Assembly Plant. These were used prior to the axle-trans codes being added in April '57, as noted in MSL M-155.
Collection of information from plates of cars built at the other final assembly plants is needed. I would have to believe that the International Ford Retractable Club (IFRC) has a leg up on this, but I don't recall if Skyliner production was limited to specific plants. And I want to believe that IFRC is just as stingy as the collectors and keepers of data plate information with the Crown Victoria Association (CVA), which I've noted and commented on in a previous post on this topic.
M-144A? I have it. M-144A gives info on manufacturer and date codes for parts and assemblies. No info on data plate-related items. Be thankful I'm feeling generous today - copy of M-144A is attached.
