Hey Everyone, fng here. I may have a line on this truck: I took the picture last summer so the details are a little fuzzy. Looks like it has the two piece running board so 1930? No grill shell, I forget what's inside. Thanks. Will
30 or 31,,some of the splash aprons were carry over so without a shell it's hard to tell,,,what's the title say? BTW,,It looks like there has been a few deposits made on it! HRP
Looks pretty nice, Will! If you need someone to go look at it, I'm about an hour north of NYC every night.
Hard to say for sure on one of these without the serial number, after 80 years who knows what's been swapped around even with the grille on it.
solid roof is usually 1931. the 1931s also usually, but not always, had the indented firewalls and wide beds.
Vin number on the frame under left side cowl also on the engine if it is original to the truck. You can track down the build date to within a month with a good vin. Late '31's had the indent for the fuel shut off.
Thanks everyone. Ill try to get another look at it this weekend. Can I get to the frame VIN with the body on the frame? I should be able to get the engine #. Where is it located?
To see the VIN you need to lift the body. It is located on the top of the left frame rail a couple of inches back from the front of the body. This site will show you more than you ever wanted to know: http://jmodela.coffeecup.com/numbers.html. There is a good chance the engine has been replaced over the years so that number is not reliable but you might as well get it. The comment about the solid roof from the factory is correct. I thought of that but I couldn't decide from the pictures if it was solid or fabric. You should check. Also photograph the tail gate, that will enable someone to tell if it is a "wide bed" (late '31) or a narrow bed (1928-mid '31). Charlie Stephens
This is a mid 1930- mid 1931 Model A Ford Pickup, 82-B. The bed is a narrow bed. The "rounded" cab style went into production in May/June of '30. Indented Firewall was put into production in May of '31. Steeltop was put into production in September of '31. -Tim
Looks like 31 solid top. I have one myself. Looks like it has the nail dimples right above the visor just like mine. Not sure if the fabric tops have those?
It looks like there are the six screw holes just behind the visor but hard to tell with all that birdshit on the roof. If you follow the link just above the photo in the original post you can see a few other pictures of the truck. It isn't the original color which suggests it has been worked on in the past. If it is a steel top, it isn't original to the cowl. The indented firewall was introduced in May of '31 to satisfy a law in, I believe, Pennsylvania that required any fuel shut-off to be located outside of the passenger compartment. This meant moving the fuel shut-off that was located under the dash/gas tank near the passenger's knee to the engine compartment side of the firewall. Typically, Ford used up every last remaining obsolete part but on the remaining flat firewalls (like the one on this truck) he actually brought them back to be re-stamped. There are a few threads on the Fordbarn about it like this one... The original late '31 Steeltops have a different back body panel than the fabric-clothed predecessors. You should also check to see if there are two stamped steel bows that go across the roof from door to door. These were unique to the steeltops, a lot of times they are missing and people have rigged up wooden bows to support the roof. I know, all minor minutia from not just a newb, but a restoration minded newb! -Tim
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