Wheelbase discrepancy (?) in the Master Parts Catalog

[FORDification]

As part of the new FORDification.info site, I'm presently putting together of page detailing how to decode the warranty tags on the Canadian-built 1965 trucks. However, I've run into a bit of a snag I hope someone out there can help me with.

For the wheelbase codes listed on the Canadian warranty tags, there's a breakdown in the Master Parts Catalog (MPC) that shows what codes match up to what wheelbases. However, several of the wheelbases for 1965 trucks don't seem to be shown in the MPC chart. There are a couple that are within an inch, but I don't want to list those codes on the tutorial page if they pertain to other truck models and not directly to F100/F250/F350 trucks.

Here's the section of the MPC which shows the codes:



So...I was able to match up the following:

Code 15: 114.8 (F100 SWB pickup)
Code 28: 128.8 (F100 LWB and F250 pickup)
Code 32: 132 (F350)

However, the known wheelbase dimensions for the F250 crewcab (147") and the F350 crewcab (152") aren't shown in this MPC chart. You'll notice that the code 46 shows a 146" wheelbase (one inch short of the F250 crewcab's 147" WB) and there's also a code 53 that shows a 153" wheelbase (one inch longer than the F350 crewcab's 152" WB). There isn't any other codes that come close.

So what am I missing? I know I've found a lot of errors in the MPC in the past, but I'm thinking surely the factory parts manual wouldn't have gotten these wrong. Are the WB figures for the crewcabs rounded up/down?

[Michelle]

The only thing I can tell you is to find the suspect trucks and carefully measure them and see exactly what the wheel base is. I looked in my 65 body builders book and it is not show the crew cab trucks.

[jamesdfo]

After hanging out here on Slick60's, FTE, and even Fordification since 2011 or so, I had come to believe that a SWB truck was 115" WB, and a LWB (twin I beam) truck was 129" WB.
THEN, I received my Canadian Ford Truck Shop Manual, and noticed the Wheelbases listed were as Keith has pointed out, 114.8 & 128.8??
Well, I highly doubt that Ford of Canada has built their slicks with a different WB than the American assy plants, so that only leaves two plausible explanations:

Ford of Canada was very literal in their listing, using the exact measurement.

or Ford USA was simply rounding to the next whole number......

All I know from my body shop days is, on trucks of this vintage, the tolerance on frames was typically +/- 1/4", so I'd say that +/-0.2", or just over 3/16" on the wheelbase would not be an earth shattering variation....

As for the crew cab stuff, Keith: I have some info to run by you, but no *&#%@ way I'm typing it, so a phone call may be in order??

Cheers!
James