Ok I have read threads for days on Vin location and I dont see anything about 1943 Ford Cab Over Serial Number location, or 40 ,41,42,43,44,45,46. So dont hang me if I missed it.... I have read late 30's and early 50's COE but Im thinking because it was war time and they were only producing military and maybe a few fire trucks etc This might be a different situation. If I go by what I have read (not correct year though) I looked on the top of the drivers side frame rail from front to back by sanding to bare metal. I checked the top of the first cross member after radiator removal....Zilch!. Do I need to start sanding the sides of rails? Inside of rails? Did they skip this during the war? There is a very short one on the bell housing (L xxxxx) and I would imagine that is it but I hope to find one on frame for good clean title purposes. This vehicle was delivered this week and Its in the early stages of a cool hot rod fire truck. I also aquired another cab and lots of parts in the process. If anyone can shed light on this subject I would really appreciate it. Thanks
Being during the war years, and a fire truck, you may not find a VIN tag. As you said, not many private vehicles being produced, but military, fire and police were priority for getting vehicles when needed. It should be fairly easy to get a VIN assigned after a vehicle inspection, as long as you have a bill of sale. Being a fire truck of that era, the highway patrol or state police should not have an issue. As far as a location of where it might be, open the driver door and go all the way around the door and the opening, also look on the panel where the door hinges actually mount. I have heard stories of where they have been found on some of these vehicles.
take the grille off and look look on the frame. i dont remember where. that is where i found it on my 41 ford coe
Willy, Thanks~ I do have a bill of sale. I'm really hoping to find one prior to the DMV fiasco to simplify the process, Yeah right.... I will look further in cab but I believe the Cab Overs only had a sticker on glove box lid -No Lid any more...anything further would be on frame and bellhousing (that I do have). If I find one on the frame I want to be sure it remains for the duration, keep frame or most of it.... but if no such number ever existed on frame I might build a new frame to accomidate the much lower stance I'm after.
Socal, I did that, Even removed radiator to reveal entire first frame cross member. If your refering to the crossmember that is a body suport (between the fenders) that the 2 bolts go thru to tie it into the frame I have NOT sanded that....?
On my 39 it was on the frame, drivers side-side of frame about 4ft from front. The 47 had a tag outside pass side of the firewall,nothing on the frame.
I've got a 41-3 ton standard cab Ford fire truck and the serial # is stamped on the DS frame rail on top....I don't think they put vin tags until 46
Kscarguy, You were right! After nearly polishing to bare metal 90 percent of it prior to this thread I went today and looked at the last 10 percent and found it. Front frame cross member under Rad area but at the lowest lip closer to driver side readable from top and the stamp is no very bold or deap at all. It does match the one on bell housing too. Thanks everyone for the inputand by the way I couldnt find any others on drivers frame rail and I went to almost polished metal. THX
These were 1/4" and very faint. Impossible to see until I ran the emory cloth over it 5 or 6 times then it started to show thru..
That is all the stars are for, to prevent alteration. The numbers are often faint on the frame as they were stamped by a guy with a set of number stamps and a hammer. The serial number was assigned to the engine and trans unit. When the engine and trans was put in a chassis its number was then copied onto the frame by the guy with the hammer and number stamps.
Just curious. Is it actually a '43 model. I've seen firetrucks titled as many as three years later. My brother purchased a 1953 Chevrolet firetruck that was titled as a '56 model. I've seen many on ebay titled wrong also.
Look on the builders plate on the Pump Operators panel which is probably located just behind the drivers position. Also, on that vintage Ford truck it should be on the inside of the frame channel almost dierectly under the drivers seat. Get a high intensity lamp to look. It may be covered by undercoat or just plain grease and oil buildup. Normbc9
That's possible. I had an '86 Ford Tempo that Maryland insisted on titling as an '85 even though the serial number indicated '86 model. Don't know why that was. A year off is understandable since some states used to title by calendar year in which it was sold new, but 3 years is surprising. That would be harder to explain. There is no reason the truck can't be a '43. The Shell Oil distributor in Cartersville GA has a '44 Ford tank truck. They built limited numbers of big trucks through the war years as well as a few cars, they just didn't build them for the civilian market. The cars primarily went to law enforcement agencies, and trucks were built for business and farm use. They just kept assembling the same thing as '42 models from parts on hand. So a '43, '44, or '45 anything would be identical to a '42. On wartime production, any parts that normally would have been chrome were painted.
Thanks guys, lots of good info.. Did they put a ser no on the block? I found one on bell housing. If so where about? Yes its actually confirmed by the Tag in cab by drivers feet from American Lafrance Foamite Co. thru there museum records to be a 43' The bed was removed years ago but the pump is still there. When I do this truck it will be a hot rod fire truck. I want to keep it on the lighter side so I will eliminate the 500 lb (est) pump and put gages and pump hook ups on side of bed. Non functioning. will sit on air bags and might even go with white walls. Still at the stare at it and design faze.
Ford didn't put the serial number on the engine. Ford promoted engine exchange with Ford authorized rebuilders and discouraged dealership garages frpm rebuilding engines They really promoted this with fleet operators as a way to limit down timr.
Thanks 38.... less digging for ser no the better. I might try to find the one under driver seat on inside of rail though.
Today i scoured the frame from my 47 and low and behold found the vin on the frame even with the master cylinder on top of the frame. It matches the tag but the tag lists this number as the code. the number on the bellhousing doesn't match anything on the tag. the last two numbers in the first set of numbers end in 47 which is the year. Maybe the different locations is just production line employees doing there jobs with some picking whatever locations they want. My 47 was built in canada.
Well my last 2 numbers are 63 and its no 63'. It will be interesting to see what other info this Ser no. reveals.
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