Projects I have no place else to go... VIN 32 Ford

I have done all the research that I can. I have a 1932 Ford 5 window. It was registered and the VIN on the frame matches the California title. I even have the 32 CA plates. Seems good so far right....

Here is the issue.... there are no stars and no A's and no 18's.... it starts with a G352#####. It doesn't have any other numbers on the frame. This is the number on the driver side right behind the front tire.

Do you think this is just a number from a different state? Do you think that there is no connection to a Ford frame? Did some state bust out the number stamps and do this?

The frame is in OK condition but if is just an aftermarket frame... I would prefer to buy a used original.

I have attached a picture of the stamped numbers....

Thanks for even reading this.... I really do appreciate it!!

 

It looks to me to be a home made number. Its hard to tell where the number is on the frame, but by your description it seems that it is not in a location Ford used. I am not familiar with flathead numbers, but maybe if the engine is the one that was in the car when you bought the car, it may be worth checking for that same # somewhere on the engine. Could have been a way a previous owner "linked" the two.

If you have a registered car with matching plates what will you gain by changing to an original ford # (and doing a ton of work to swap frames)?

 

I think Id be happy that you have it registered and be cool with your number. It appears to be an assigned number so dont pull the sleeping bulls tail. Your original frame number should be located to the inside edge of the frame rail in the approximate area of the firewall mounting leg and the large hole for the cowl mount bolt on the driver side.

 

What Dick said-if it don't stink, don't stir it.

 

The font is incorrect for it to be a factory stamping. It's registered, be thankful.

 

i agree with dick. the number is along the inside edge of the frame from the factory. if it is legal already, i would leave it alone. tampering with a vin number can be a sticky thing.

-danny

 

I am nort sure that I grasp you problem. The number is out where it can be seen and in the approximate place as the original number, you have a matching title and I assume that the 32 plate is registered to it.

You want to change chassis because there is a problem with that one or???

This is a new pne on me. People usuallty come on here and say I don't hve a title or my numbers don't match my title. I don't think I have ever had anyone come on here and complain that their numbers matched their title before.

 

Drive and enjoy! I remember when that coupe was up for sale on here a while back... cool car!

 

Ever hear the idiom "Let a sleeping dog lie"?

I would think it holds true in this case.HRP

 

Does it lose value not having a A or a 18 as part or the VIN?

Thanks for such a quick response!!

 

Definitely an assigned title, and I do agree don't fight a good title.
There have been some good pics posted on here of '32 serial location for original # so you would know where to explore...the ONLY reason I would even CONSIDER stirring the pot would be to ask CA to change title to a rediscovered original #, but that would be scary...look at the way people have been getting away with titling hotrods! You might excavate the number and discover that someone in Petaluma with an all-repro plastic deuce is using that number from some 50 year old registration he bought on Ebay...
The good thing about assigned# and title is that it is 100% legit because a government put the number there. MANY of the original '32 numbers floating out there are in illegitimate use hand-stamped by an owner or attached to a repro frame, and if the gov tries to tighten rules as it has done in NJ on driver licenses and in California on titles a lot of people will be in trouble.

 

Is it a restoration or a hot rod. Numbers and inspector marks are real important to a certain faction but they are probably not lurking here. Does you title say that it is what it is? I mean it doesn't say that it is a chevrolet or anything right?

 

There IS some value and status attached to 100% real 1932ness, but probably not enough to compensate for getting CA to look into the original stamping if it is recoverable and finding out that sloppy hotrod titling games have turned that number into a snake pit of issues.

 

Down the road if you plan on selling, this could affect a sale.

If the new buyer has done their homework and they don't seeing the correct #'s or #'s are in the wrong place, they may walk or offer a lot less to take the "risk". I am sure some deep pocket restorer would not be interested, but this may not be your intent.

If you don't ever plan on selling it, enjoy. My opinion is this is 100% assigned & 100% legit.

Again, enjoy.

 

Looks like the car has been modified to be a hot rod. And a wicked cool one at that, btw. Are you planning to restore it to factory original? If so, I understand your concern. If the plan is to leave it a modified hot rod, then I wouldn't give it another thought. I'd just drive the piss out of it.

 

This car was supposedly hot rodded in 1954 and put away for a while. I would like to put it back to a safe 1954 hot rod. Keep it pretty much as you see it. I would like to chop it some. Any suggestions for cool attainable hot rod stuff that would be on a car like this in 1954 would be cool.

 

Even if you plan on selling it later, if it's legit, I wouldn't bat an eye. ESPECIALLY since it's a channeled modified hot rod to begin with. Plus, it's not like it's titled as an 82 nissan or something.

I don't think you need to add anything to that car other than some elbow grease, paint and interior. Get some little books and start studying the types of things that were done, I think you'll find you're already in the ballpark.

 

If it's the car in the photo, it looks like it's already a 1954-ish hot rod. What is it that you want to change? Interior? Rear axle? Suspension? Post more pix of it so we can get a better looky. I love it the way it sits, if it's the one in your avatar.

 

my 32 frame has the numbers under the cowl mount also. but they are towards the outside edge of the frame. I can BARELY make out a few of them. anyone have a good pic of factory numbers and spacing?? I see faint #'s on my frame but it looks like they are fairly spaced out and could possibly have #'s in between. I can only make out something like 3-5 numbers after the 18-

 

I added some to my album.... not sure how to point you there : -)

 

The legit frames, I have seen, have always had the numbers stamped towards the outside edge also, but I think it was up to the worker on the line and maybe how much he drank the night before. No government agency, in California, would have stamped that frame. CHP, here, would have "Blue Tagged" the door jamb.

 

I transferred a title for a Model A here in Iowa and it had a weird number. Seems the previous state it was registered in gave it a new number (Wisconsin IIRC) and they used a W and a weird string of numbers. None of which matched a stock Model A series of VIN numbers. The lady at the DMV looked at it and said "oh well", and then gave me my new title. The next owner couldn't care less about the weird numbers.

 

Ford did mfg cars in other countries,....that frame may have come from outside the U.S.A. <the letters in Ford V.I.N. denoted the assembly point, if memory serves correctly> Nothing wrong with that,..and as someone stated it IS titled and registered,......Let sleeping dogs lie, as the saying goes.......

4TTRUK

 

Ps; I believe that a prefix letter designated the assembly location...if memory serves correctly. Again.... Don't disturb sleeping dogs,.........

4TTRUK

 

Personally if the vin stamped in it matches the title I'd just grin and go with it. As the guys said it may be an assigned title and it may have come from some other state years ago.

With the later model spring and axle and the hard channel that car already screams 59's hot rod. That was the way a lot of guys put hydraulic brakes on a fenderless hot rod back then rather than swapping the brakes to an early axle.
I'd drive it a bunch of miles before I thought about chopping it though as I think you are going to appreciate every bit of head room you have now even if the seats are wafer thin.

 

95% of the world's '32's had USA Rouge plant engines and hence serials even if assembled in Argentina as RHD or in Turkey or wherever. Canada also made engines and so had its own serials, which also populated Austaralia/NZ, South Africa. India...
USA ones and British ones are all B-xxx (AB-xxx for early B's) or 18-xxx, with an F to denote RHD chassis or certain GB engines. No marks for the 30 assembly plants or anything like that. Pure serial numbers, from 1 to somewhere in the 200,000 range for 8s, 5,000,000 and up numbers for 4's.

 

The 32 Ford numbers begin with a 5-pointed star, then B-(4cyl), or 18-(V8), then a sequence number of 1-6 digits, then another 5-pointed star. I've not seen any where another digit could be punched in between and other 2 digits but the stars are often faint and crooked and only showing 2 or 3 points.

 

Pretty sure that was an east coast built car in it's earlier years, PA maybe? That would make sense...

 

If your that worried about it, sell it to me, I wouldn;t bat an eye.

 

is it me or are there a lot of folks that cant leave well enough alone?
I mean not too long ago we as hot rodders would never say publicly that there was a questionable title on our hot rod.....we knew better than to mess with anything that was working [registration wise],and kept it private....
there are moles from government agencies of all descriptions searching these forums seeking new revenues -so we should not be helping them out too damn much-right?