I finally decided to run the VIN on my Falcon and now I have a question. What does the DSO stand for and/or what is it? Here are my results:


Model Year = 1963
Model Series = Convertible
Engine = 170 Cu. In. 6 cylinder
Body Type = Falcon Convertible with Bench Seat
Exterior Color = Red (Rangoon Red)
Upholstery Color = Red Crush Vinyl
Date Born = 31May 1962
Transmission = 4 Speed Manual Transmission
Axle = 3.50:1
DSO = Washington
Assembly Plant = Lorain


That is exactly how the car stands today. So whats the DSO? Also, I thought all Falcons came out of Dearborn? I didn't know Ford had a plant in OH at the time. I was hoping to get a production numbers list along with this but it wasn't available. I've posted a thread about that before but so far there is no way I can find out what number my car is with these options/engine/tranny.

 

The DSO is basically the distribution point. Distribution Sales Office. The factory sends the cars to several distribution points, and the dealers get their cars from the closest distribution points.

 

A DSO can stand for several things, but for SSP Mustangs, it means 'Dealer Special Order'. Items can have an RPO(Regular Production Option) or DSO status. The DSO is a way for a dealer to order a non-standard group of items for a given vehicle. For example, all SSP cars could have a collection of Police only items i.e. DSO 1 for VASCAR 2-pc speedo cable, DSO 2 for Silicone hoses, etc. Since it's much easier to package these into a group and specify a single group number than listing many items, this is where the DSO code comes in. Looking at the VC label on the driver's door jamb, you can see a 6 character DSO value, with the first 2 identifying the District Sales Office (another DSO value-don't get confused!) placing the order, and the last 4 the DSO group number (for a VC example, see the Door stickers page). It's this all important DSO that helps us distinguish these cars from non-SSP versions; on the regular vehicles, the DSO value will be 2 characters only, indicating simply the District Sales Office through which the vehicle was ordered(see the DSO page for more info on DSO's). DSO's were used on many types of Ford vehicles, including other Police package cars, and special edition civilian models.