Technical Model A serial no question

Are we talking about getting a traditional Hot Rot registered through DMV or getting judged for authenticity at Pebble Beach or Hersey Park?


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We are talking about having enough information in your back pocket to argue when the DMV person says your 1930 Model A is really a 1929 in spite of how it looks because that was when his book says the engine was built. I am sure that you would not want you traditional 1930 Hot Rod registered as a 1929 just because that was when the original engine was manufactured.

Charlie Stephens

 

1. What I think I hear you saying is "the engine that was in the car when I bought it". You haven't established that it is the original engine yet. Likely a moot point with a new frame.
2. I wish you the best of luck. Hopefully, you won't add yourself to the very long list of HAMB threads that go "you know, I should have straightened out the title before I put all that time and money into my car".
3. You might try to track down Titus, from Stillwater. He's built a lot of cars and seems to know his MN stuff pretty well. Just a thought.

 

Insurance companies do forensic analysis and accident reconstruction, all of the time.

Remember, your insurance company is not your friend. If they can screw you out of coverage, they will.

My ex did it professionally. It was her job to make sure that you were presenting a lawful claim, and to alert the proper authorities if you were not.

By buying a policy, you are authorizing the insurance company to inspect your vehicle, and yes, that includes finding a hidden VIN/serial number.

 

To view the frame's serial number and confirm whether it matches the serial number on the title (if required for out of state purchase), does the body have to be taken completely off? Or, can you loosen some bolts on the driver's side and just raise the body up a few inches?

 

In California, it needs to be viewed by an inspector.

I don't make you take the body off, just lift it.

 

I had a written bill of sale for $500.00 on my 28 with no vin number no nothing just the guys signature that was dated 5 years earlier. Iwent to DMV to see what I needed to register the car in NY. Twenty minutes later I was out the door with a few forms to fill out. They had me registering it as a lost registration. All I had to do was supply a Vin number pencil etched on a sticky note and the forms they gave me earlier and I had plates in hand in about 1/2 hour. Here in NY we have a department for special plates that handle personal plates, historic plates, and stuff like that. This is why I couldn’t understand what’s the big deal.


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So what did you receive as a verifier of the VIN you received...just a paper certificate or is there a plate they or you attached with accompanied paper certs.

 

Every state has different regulations. Every DMV office has different employees who enact the rules differently. In "Upstate NY", you obviously got lucky.

 

In the Netherlands and probably many other countries around the world, the number
was stamped in the side of the rails and visable without removing sheetmetal.
The number is mentioned in the title including the place.
No idea if this was done by Ford or the Dutch importer or simply the car dealer.

Hennie

 

It basically comes down to what your state DMV wants. From the factory, engine and chassis numbers matched, of course. Model A's were so plentiful, the motor was basically a throw away when it went bad. Motors back then didn't last very long, with no air cleaner and babbited bearings. "A" engines could be had for as little as $20 in the 50's, so many were replaced. The frame number is a different story. It is located, as others have posted, under the driver side cowl area. The only way to view it is to lift the body. You are lucky that you have a frame without a body, so the number is accessible. As verde states you also need to remove the splash apron to view the number. The DMV probably wants the frame number.

 

Dug this out to show where mine is and why it's not visible with the body on and fully assembled. With a stock floor, this area isn't visible without removing the wood. The webbing on the top rail and splash doesn't cover it if you know where to look.

 

All we get in NY is a 3x5 paper registration with make,year,model,owners name, year of the vehicle, and on the reverse side is a transfer of ownership for the new owner and the cost of course.


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