Sport version in VIN?

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GRWeldon

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Is there any type of code specified in the VIN that says my 97 is a sport? It has no third brake light, It has rear disc brakes and a spoiler with a black leather interior. Do these things alone establish it as a Sport model? If I knew what size the front stabilizer bar was on a sport, I suppose I could measure it. If it had larger bars as well would this mean it's a Sport?
 
No, unfortunately.

The best way to quickly ID a 97 Sport is to match up the larger 16" front wheels/brakes with the "J" code springs on the door jamb tag with the trunklid spoiler.

Note the rear spoiler was a sold-separately option; so you will find non-sports that have a spoiler (like mine).
 
It's not denotated by the VIN, the most tried and true way to identify a sport is to look at the door jam label look under the part that says SPR and if it has JJJJ or JJEE it's a sport
 
Mine has rear discs and the factory rear spoiler and is just a regular LX. If nobody has changed the front brakes it will have the larger (11.57") front rotors. It should also have the 16" sport wheels that are very similar to the '93-'95 SC wheels.
 
I thought sports all had trac lok too?
The only options info I've found on the cars themselves are limited. If it has a factory spoiler, it will say SPLR on the core tag,, likewise it will have MOON if it has factory moonroof, other than what Matt said.
All the options are on the build sheet, the actual piece of paper from the car as it went down the line. They usually are under the carpet, under the rear seat area, towards the trunk. I had the sheet from lazarus, but I put it with the window sticker and other stuff after the first wreck, and I'll be fucked If I can find it now. If you find it, it will probably be wet, and fragile as hell. (all these cars leak, imho.)

Marti reports are still available, and they do repro door tag stickers.

Marti Auto Works - REP-2 - REPORT - DELUXE

REP-2 - REPORT - DELUXE - This report, in addition to giving you the complete factory option list and door data plate info, includes a simulation of your door data plate. You also get a list of significant dates in your car's history, including the day it was sold. <p> You...
www.martiauto.com
 
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Well, this car has the standard 15" LX rims from 96-97. I was thinking that they might have been swapped due to the desirability of the SC type wheels. I didn't know the 93 SC had them, I thought it was only the 94-95. I don't think I've ever had the trunk open. Engine is out. Wiring harness is still installed. If I hook up jumper cables, will the trunk release work? I'm not sure if I even have a key. I will check out the door jamb sticker.
 
The '93-'95 SC wheels had the updated more sculpted look. They are very similar to the 96/97 sport wheels, but the 96/97 wheels do not have a little notch in the wheel to pop the flat center cap off that the 93-95 wheels have. Also the retaining tabs cast into the wheel to hold the center cap on are slightly different. I have '93 SC wheels on our '97. I've lost two sets of the sport style center caps from the passenger side, but the driver's side stay in place just fine.

The trunk release should work as long as the system has adequate 12V power.
 
I have a 94 SC. I thought the 93 SC rims were slightly different. As you say, the 94-95 are more sculpted. Immaterial in any case. So my #2 is not a Sport. It does not have JJJJ or JJEE under the SPR on the sill sticker. Oh well.
 
The '93-'95 SC wheels are the same; '93 wasn't different.

If the car has 15" wheels on it, and it's able to roll without the front wheels grinding on the calipers, it isn't a Sport (or at least it doesn't have the Sport brakes installed anymore).
 
Grog6 said:
I thought sports all had trac lok too?
Click to expand...
My 96 sport came with an open diff, it is fairly low optioned for a Cougar. Only options on the window sticker are Sport Package, Spoiler, Pearl Paint, and Preferred Equipment which is leather wheel & shifter/floor mats ect...

Here is the window sticker, "sport edition" was apparently a $450 option in 96.
 

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All the 97 'limited editions I've seen have a spoiler, and it's on the core tag. The LE was a dealer applied sticker. I saw them on ebay.
Post your door sticker, I'm curious what it says. blur the vin, there's nothing different except the serial #
 
Grog6 said:
I thought sports all had trac lok too?
Click to expand...

Another one here with a Sport Tbird that only has an open differential. It seems weird that it wasn't standard with that package, but ah well.
 
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My 96 cougar has the 0157 package, which included the trak loc, and a bigger front swaybar. It did not include the jjjj springs, just the std 33gg v8 springs.
 
Grog6 said:
My 96 cougar has the 0157 package, which included the trak loc, and a bigger front swaybar. It did not include the jjjj springs, just the std 33gg v8 springs.
Click to expand...

All 157a is is the V8 package in 96-97, trac-lok was still optional. Somewhere down the line that got conflated with the sport package but sport package was simply the sport package. 155a was the V6 LX. Earlier years 157a was the SC
 
IDK, until the 80's it was expensive to add an auto. All the really good cars we drool over , were manual cars with an optional auto, that only grandma's wanted, lol.
 
There's a bin in the console, and pockets in the door, and some cars had a cubby in the dash.
 
97s had the ash tray, the cubby was the base option in 94-96 with he VMM optional(tbirds!) Lights were eliminated from the door panels for reflectors in 97, it was a downgrade
 
Grog6 said:
My 96 cougar has the 0157 package, which included the trak loc, and a bigger front swaybar. It did not include the jjjj springs, just the std 33gg v8 springs.
Click to expand...
The Tbird I'm speaking of in this thread said 33gg on the door tag...
 
That's the standard 4.6l v8 springs. They are considerably softer than the sc or sport jjjj springs, by feel.
 
Wait; I thought the chrome fanblades were 16", the pic above shows 15". I guess I need to measure them before I order tires, lol.
 
Grog6 said:
Wait; I thought the chrome fanblades were 16", the pic above shows 15". I guess I need to measure them before I order tires, lol.
Click to expand...

Nah Ford decided to make an all new casting of the regular 93-95 fanblade in 16" just for an obscure option in the final year of an unprofitable car line :tongue:
 
I'm happy I looked at the pic, before I humped 4 16" tires down to the tire shop, only to get that call:"What do you want us to do with these?" lol.
Lazarus currently has 16" mark 8 chrome rims on it, for some reason I conflated the two. I need to find another set of those. :)
 
Grog6 said:
Wait; I thought the chrome fanblades were 16", the pic above shows 15". I guess I need to measure them before I order tires, lol.
Click to expand...
They also made regular aluminum fanblades...15". There's a set on my 94 V6.
 
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