1963 Mercury Meteor Identification (Warranty Plate)




Figure 3 illustrates the 1963 Meteor Warranty Plate. The plate is located on the rear face of the left front door. The plate is similar to the one used for 1962. However, the "SERIAL NUMBER" block has been changed to read "VEHICLE WARRANTY NUMBER". Also, included in the 1963 "DSO" space is the two-digit code number of the District which ordered the unit.

The official Vehicle Identification Number for title or registration purposes is stamped on the face of the left front fender apron near the windshield washer reservoir, above the horns (Fig. 2). Do not use the "Vehicle Warranty Number", which appears on the Plate, for title or registration purposes.


Model Year Code

The first numeral of the Vehicle Warranty Number indicates the production model year (3-1963)

Assembly Plant

Code Letter Assembly Plant
F Dearborn
K Kansas City
S Pilot Plant

Engine Identification Codes

Code Engine   Code Engine
F 260 V-8   3 *221 V-8
L 221 V-8   4 *170 Six
U 170 Six   8 *260 V-8
*Low Compression



Model and Body Style Codes

The two-digit numeral which follows the assembly plant code identifies the body series.
This two-digit number is used in conjunction with the Body Type code which consists of a two-digit number with a letter suffix.
The following chart lists the model serial and Body Type codes.

Serial Code Body Code Body Type Model
32 54A 4-Door Sedan Meteor
31 62A 2-Door Sedan
42 54B 4-Door Sedan Meteor Custom
41 62B 2-Door Sedan
43 65A 2-Door Hardtop
47 65B 2-Door Hardtop S-33
48 71A 4-Door Meteor Custom
8-passenger 		Station Wagons
38 71B 4-Door Meteor
6-Passenger
38 71C 4-Door Meteor
8-Passenger
49 71D 4-Door Wood Rail
6-Passenger (Country Cruiser)
48 71E 4-Door Meteor Custom
6-Passenger
49 71F 4-Door Wood Rail
8-Passenger (Country Cruiser)



Transmission Codes

Code Type
1 3-Speed Manual
2 3-Speed Manual W/Overdrive
3 2-Speed Automatic



Rear Axle Codes

Code Axle Ratio   Code Axle Ratio
1 3.00:1   1 3.00:1



Trim Codes

A two-digit number indicates the type of trim and trim color.
If, due to unavailability or other difficulty in production, a trim set is not intended for service (minor deviation from intended trim) the Warranty Plate code will be followed with a numerical suffix - for example: 52-1, 52-2
If the trim set is serviced directly, the Warranty Plate code will be followed with an alphabetical suffix. For example: 52-A, 52-B

Code Number Trim Scheme
  * Rib Crush Vinyl and Crush Vinyl
03 Med. Green Med. Green
04 Med. Beige Med. Beige
04 Red Red
  Hi-Sheen Body Cloth and Crush Grain Vinyl
12 Med. Blue Lt. Blue Met.
14 Med. Beige Pearl Beige
15 Black Red
16 Black Black
17 Med. Turquoise Lt. Turquoise Met.
  Vachette Ribbed Vinyl and Crush Grain Vinyl
34 Black Black
35 Red Red
36 Lt. Beige Met. Pearl Beige
  Kirby Pattern Body Cloth and Crush Grain Vinyl
42 Med. Blue Lt. Blue Met.
44 Med. Beige Pearl Beige
45 Black Red
46 Black Black
47 Med. Turquoise Lt. Turquoise Met.
  Crush Grain Vinyl
52 Med. Blue Met. Lt. Blue Met.
54 Lt. Beige Met. Pearl Beige
55 Red  
56 Black  
57 Med. Turquoise Met. Lt. Turquoise Met.
58 Lt. Gold Met.  
*Police and Taxi



Exterior Color Codes

With two-tone paint applications, the lower body color code will appear first in the Warranty Plate. If the "COLOR" space is left blank, it indicates a special paint.

Code Letter Color "M" Number*
A Presidential Black M-30-J-1724
B Peacock Turquoise M-30-J-1613
D Ocean Turquoise (Metallic) M-30-J-1451
E Pacific Blue (Metallic) M-30-J-1448
I Castilian Gold M-30-J-1459
J Carnival Red M-30-J-1515
H Blue Satin (Metallic) M-30-J-1447
M Sultana White M-30-J-1238
P Scotch Green M-30-J-1454
T Champagne M-30-J-1543
W Pink Frost M-30-J-1555
X Black Cherry (Metallic) M-30-J-1444
Y Cascade Blue M-30-J-1553
Z Desert Frost Metallic M-30-J-1427
(*M-32-J acrylic paint is alternate with "M-30-J")

Date Code

A number signifying the date precedes the month code letter. Second year code letter will be used if 1963 model exceeds 12 months.

Code Letter Code Letter* Month   Code Letter Code Letter* Month
A N January   G U July
B P February   H V August
C Q March   J W September
D R April   K X October
E S May   L Y November
F T June   M Z December

DSO and District Codes Code

Units built on a Domestic Special Order, Foreign Special Order, or other special orders will have the complete order number in this space. Also to appear in this space (1963) is the two-digit code number of the District which ordered the unit. If the unit is a regular production unit, only the District code number (1963) will appear.

Code District   Code District
11 Boston   35 Pittsburgh
12 Philadelphia   41 Chicago
13 New York   43 Kansas City
14 Washington   44 St. Louis
21 Atlanta   45 Twin Cities
22 Dallas   51 Denver
23 Jacksonville   52 Los Angeles
26 Memphis   53 Oakland
31 Buffalo   54 Seattle
32 Cincinnati   81 Ford of Canada
33 Cleveland   84 Home Office Reserve
34 Detroit   90-99 Export



Data taken from 1963 Meteor Maintenance Manual Supplement (LM-7194-63)