1934 Ford Serial numbers were 18-457478 to 18-1234356, with a star before the number and a star after the number. Edit....US built cars
Some (all?) Canadian early Fords had a C at the beginning of their serial number. My little brother has a 1934 frame like that. But I can almost guarantee that they didn't have a Y in the middle of the number. But, maybe some state or weird county reassigned that number to your car. They would have made it up in their own special code. It might still be a 34 Ford, but the number is all brand-ish new.
Only pictures will tell the tale. Whatever it is, it is about a half-century before the VIN became a universal standard. In that era it was just the production numbers, and they were sequential, based on the order that engines came out of the engine plant. Also, where is this number located that you are reading?
That is an original style number. I say style, because the stamps are reproduced. You would need to pull the body to see the other two. That said, this appears to be a Canadian-production vehicle. Ford had a plant in Windsor, Ontario then. As for further identification, this cannot be done from the serial number. This is not a VIN. Decodable VINs did not exist until decades later. The only thing that will help you from here on out would be photographs of the vehicle from all sides. Depending on what it is exactly, and given slight changes, folks here can get you year, model, and even the approximate position in the production run.
Some additional info about serial number locations can be found here: http://www.vanpeltsales.com/FH_web/flathead_serialnumbers.htm As a some-time vehicle verifier for the State of California, I would say that the number is an original, as the surrounding metal is uniform, and appears undisturbed. I am assuming that you have no paperwork on this, or you would not be asking these questions. For some additional clarity, the passenger cars and light trucks used the same frame. Each of the passenger car body styles all used the same frame. In short, it is not possible to tell what it was if it does not have a body on the frame, or you have no matching paperwork, Only the big trucks have a different frame, and you will know when you see one. They are hefty.
I’d say the 13 is really an 18. Ford’s 3 had a point in the top corner. That would be in line with Ford’s usual model number for V8’s of that era. The Y really throws me though. They used a hyphen, or sometimes a short double headed arrow after the 18. But I’ve never heard of a Y. Can you lightly sand it to confirm what that character is?
Hey Rusty Valley, did you sell your frame to an Iowan, and deliver it to his hotel during Back To The Fifties?
This is not a 3. This is an 8. The heavy bias in depth toward the right indicates that the stamp was tilted when it was struck. The upper right is curved, and not swept back, like a Ford 3 is. On the left side, there is too much wrap around for it to be a 3. Contrast this to Ford 3's:
Try drying the area and getting a better picture. The wet surface acts as a mirror. From the poor image it looks like the Y could be an X.
Once it's dry, toss a bit of talcum powder on it lightly, then wipe off the excess. It will highlight the number/ letters.
Regardless of the serial number, if you showed us a picture of the frame, especially the front crossmember, we could tell you the year.
Hmmm, first time poster. Odd request, not heard from again. Anyone else seeing a pattern here? Or has cabin fever got me?
Maybe, maybe not. There were two posts, and they were spread apart. Not everybody lives on this board 24-7.
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