How do I tell what chassis I have

[Ghrasshopper]

Hello I have a 1983 28 foot ford with a Thomas body. It has a Detroit deisel 8.2 liter in it. I am trying to find parts for it and can’t tell anyone what chassis I have. How do I figure this out. Thanks in advance.

[cowlitzcoach]

Somewhere in the front of the bus there should be a data plate with the information from Ford as an incomplete chassis with a build date, model number, and usually some pertinent info like GVWR, GAWR, and other important info.

There should also be a data plate with all of the bus body info on it.

Also, as the old saying says, a picture is worth a thousand words.

At a guess I would say it is an F-600.

[CHEESE_WAGON]

Originally Posted by Ghrasshopper

Hello I have a 1983 28 foot ford with a Thomas body. It has a Detroit deisel 8.2 liter in it. I am trying to find parts for it and can’t tell anyone what chassis I have. How do I figure this out. Thanks in advance.

Originally Posted by cowlitzcoach

As the old saying says, a picture is worth a thousand words.

Agree. There is a sort of shortcut here. Fords based on 2-ton chassis and up will have a badge on either side of the cowl or on either side of the hood nearest the cowl, which will say B600, B700, etc., like so....

Substitute 'F' for 'B' and you have your chassis. B(x)00 is the 'BUS' equivalent of the F-series, minus the 'B'. One of the few things about Fords that are simple. LOL

The body build tag is another way, in absence of this cowl/hood badge. And the body build tag will be more specific to your particular bus. Most Blue Birds had this tag on the interior roof cap, right side as you face the windshield. I'm thinking Thomas bodies had the tag to the left of the driver's seat, looking up to the ceiling. If memory serves, they were usually red.

I doubt the 8.2 was available in the van-based buses, but if this is a van-based bus... likely it will be an E250 or E350, possibly E450, but I'm not sure these existed that year. For these, there will likely be a similar badge on the fender. Ford dealer may be able to tell from the VIN. If you know what engine / trans / rear combo, that can help you figure it out as well, some engines weren't available in 250-series, and some rear diff ratios might not be available in one or the other. If it is SRW, it is likely an E250.

[Ghrasshopper]

Thanks. Since I’m not the original owner I don’t have the cowl plates or the inside plaque but I called the dealership gave my vin and have established I have a B600 chassis. Thanks for the info and the suggestions. It helped a lot.