Decoding Ford VIN plate info can be tough at times, as they chopped and
changed their "standards" almost with each new model. But in your case
it's fortunately not too bad and the car decodes as such:
XMRHD breaks down into five different descriptors:
"X" - Indicates built in Australia.
"M" - Indicates the model series Ie: "XM" Falcon.
"R" - Indicates Broadmeadows as the assembly plant.
(other options in the day were "S" or Sydney, "B" for Brisbane and "F"
for Freemantle. Jeez, I bet Ford wishes they were building Falcons out
of 4 different plants today :)
"H" - Indicates the month of production, which in this case is August.
"D" - indicates the year of production, which in this case was 1964.
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The serial number of 129291 doesn't indicate anything other than it
being that car's individual sequence number on that line for that year.
There were only 47,039 XM Falcons of all varieties made in total, and
the number in and of itself doesn't make any sense. But each assembly
plant started it's numbering sequence off at different points (such as
35000 rather than zero for example), and they made other things on the
various lines at time such as Cortinas and Compact Fairlanes which were
all numbered according to what order they were spat out.
--
The SIDO number stands for "Single Item Dealer Order" and is an internal
order number that relates specifically to the dealership that placed the
order to have the car built. Back in those days of non computerised
business, dealerships used to have "order books" that had pages with
sequenced order numbers, and when a buyer walked in and ordered a new
car that book was filled out (in triplicate with carbon paper. Remember
that?) and a copy of the order sent off to the factory as the "official"
order to build the car. The VIN plate carried that order number to
identify the car and make sure it was shipped off to the right dealer
when it was completed.
--
The model number is a bit like the serial prefix in that it breaks down
to list the vehicle's particular body and mechanical configuration from
the range of options that were available. In the XM range you could
choose from a sedan, a wagon, a panel van, a ute or a coupe, and in
either standard, Deluxe, Squire (wagon only) or Futura levels of
"luxury". You also had mechanical options in the form of a 144, 170 and
200 cubic inch engine coupled with either a manual or automatic
transmission (apart from the 200 "Super Persuit" engine which was only
available with an auto.
In this particular case model number 32144 decodes as an XM "Deluxe"
sedan (body type "54B") fitted with a 170 cubic inch engine and
"cruisomatic" automatic transmission.
--
Paint codes:
Paint codes cause the most confusion amongst early Falcon owners as Ford
used a 3 digit code that referred to "top" (first digit), "Middle"
(second digit) and "Lower" (third digit). People often think that the
number is read as a "whole" which refers to a single colour, when in
actual fact Ford used a single letter or number to refer to each
individual colour in their range, and each digit in the paint code
refers to an individual colour that was applied to the relevant section
of the car.
In Ford paint terminology of the day, the "top" part of the paint code
referred to the exterior roof, the "middle" referred to the interior
painted steel components (such as the dash and door tops) and the
"Lower" to the exterior body.
For example, you could order a new XM Sedan with an Arctic white
exterior and red trim, and have the "middle" (interior metal parts) of
the car painted in red to match the trim coverings. Like this one:
>
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Falcon_%28XM%29#/media/File:1964_Ford_XM_Futura_Super_Pursuit_%2810323243454%29.jpg
A great many early Falcons were factory two-toned with a coloured body
and a white roof, while others were just all one colour inside and out.
For example, my XP coupe has a paint code of DDD which is "Sunlit Beige"
for the roof, inside and body.
As far as your car is concerned, the paint code of "A22" decodes as
"Arctic white" (A) for the roof, "Bermuda Blue" (2) for the middle (or
interior) and "Bermuda Blue" for the lower body.
--
Interior trim is pretty easy as the number refers to a specific option.
They had a number of options in those days, with some of them being
fairly way out. Your trim code of 3215 indicates the interior was a
"light blue metallic vinyl with blue body cloth" option.
--
So, after all that bullshit, to summarise your car is an XM Deluxe sedan
fitted with a 170 engine and automatic transmission, finished in Arctic
white and Bermuda Blue with a blue cloth and vinyl interior, and which
was built in August of 1964 on the Broadmeadows assembly line.
And, as it happens, I think this is exactly what your car would have
looked like in it's day:
>
http://car-from-uk.com/sale.php?id=54169
For some reason they list that car as being "Velvet green and Polar
white" but it's clearly not a green car and I'm pretty sure that it's
wearing Bermuda Blue and Arctic white paint. The interior trim also
looks to be what yours was 50 years ago.
Hope this helps.
--
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Regards,
Noddy.