So I stopped at carquest today to pick up new front pads ('04 screw) and got asked the old "Uh...what's your 11th VIN character?" Mine happens to be F, which of course doesn't match anything they have so they whip out the book. There is nothing listed for 'F'! The guy tried to tell me I have '05 brakes because of my late production date...but I don't buy that. Any clue? Or...anyone have the right part number for the "Blues" I need? Shanks-

 

The 11th position = Assembly Plant

F = Dearborn

 

Yeah...I finally figured that out. But, they list like C,B, and K or something. Pads should be pads regardless of where the truck is assembled...right?

 

I think what he was referring to, is, mid -year, Ford increased the size of the caliper. It was then the same caliper as used on the 2005 and probably even now. The early 2004 had a smaller caliper. As an aside, there are some aftermarket wheels out there that were made right after the 2004's came out and will not fit on the later 2004 as there is not enough room for the calipers.

 

Ahhh- thanks Bluejay. I will get an '05 set and see what happens. My build date was 08/2004...makes sense. I just got my AS and AAL...I am getting ready to order rims/tires. I will look twice at rims to make sure nothing is goofy there.

 

I guess they were looking for the 12th VIN position if it was a mid-year change.
First build model starts with 'A' then a sequence number 00001-99999
Then the 12th position goes to 'B' and the sequence number resets to 00001. etc...

 

If you're looking for 17" wheels, that's where it can get a little tricky. 18" & bigger, you should be ok.

 

Also, if the vehicle had the TSB done for brake problems, it is a good possibility that the front calipers were replaced with the larger version, so it would not matter when or how it was built.

 

I thought it was during the 2005 model year that Ford changed the calipers.

 

I bought some 05's today. I'm going to see how they fit Saturday morning. I hope they work...brakes aren't supposed to be this hard.

 

what does the 11th letter tell you? i know the 10th is for the year of the car..i worked at a ford dealership in san antonio for years and they never taught us bout the 11th lol..oh well

 

Just to close this...

The 05 pads fit just fine. They were 1083 Carquest blues. I think all 04-08's take 1083s now that I think about it...so I'm not sure why you even need to know your 11th digit anyways.

Next weekend is AS and AAL. I'll try to get some pics on here...finally.