Anyone knows if there is 1932 Ford VIN, that starts with A and then digits? I know of AB, but on this its only A followed by digits
Well, to start the inquiry, what is the actual number after the letter? If it is a USA '32, a four cylinder number would be 5,000,000 and up, a V8 one could be anything from 1 to somewhere in the 200,000 range. If the number is very low, like in the low thousands, it is more likely to be a state assigned number than an early production V8, but this could be checked somewhat by looking at specific frame changes. In the USA, regulation of titling cars is a state matter, not national, so there is currently a LOT of variation and over the last 80 years a lot more! Generally, if a car has no original title with it and the state decides you really own it, they assign a number and put that on the car...this number is whatever the state uses, usually a fairly low number. It is more commonly put on a rveted plate than stamped in frame. A serial number can only be legally put on a car by a state authority or the original manufacturer. Other low number stuff...if frame is Canadian, they made the '32's in small number batches with a letter prefix... I think if British or German, serials would be from USA or Canadian sources as the V8's were not actually cast in Europe untillater.
Early B's only... But remember there remains a possibility this is a real number, as theire are plenty of oddities out there and it could even be a slightly fragmented Canadian number. Start is to see if digits are within a reasonable range to be of Ford origin or whether number has to be of nonford origin.
1,600,000 range would be too low to be a B number and too high for a '32 V8 number. Where is this...on your frame or on transmission?? Not only the A but the number itself looks odd...the number seems more and more wrong for Ford origin, and too high to be like most of the state assigned numbers I have seen. A picture would be very useful as Ford used special shapes for some of the numbers... for privacy, just tape over a few digits but be sure to show first several
Bruce is right with his question. Where is the number? A possible answer, depending upon where the number is located, is that someone replaced the engine with a Model A engine (a bad idea but with a little work it can be done) with that number and the DMV ended up using it (if it is on the paperwork). Charlie Stephens
Only early B's were stamped AB, later were B only, number sequence did not change. Early truck B's were AAB.
i just inspected my 32 it has the orig frame and was off the road since 1954 i have the orig paperwork from 1954 but i cant recall any letters before the numbers ill check tonight and ill let you guys my info if that might help
My frame is *AB50##435* originally a 4 banger... No chance the number after the A is actually a letter? Mine were so hard to read.. It wasnt until after I blasted the frame that I could verify the number on the other two frame stampings, however they only had the number.. The AB prefix was not there..
Prefixes (AB, B, or 18) should always be on trans/bellhousing, the original number. The frame number was copied from powerplant at assembly time, and frequently lacks prefix. The numbers for the 2 engine series in 1932 (and also for the several engine groups used 1933-48) are different enough that there was no chance of confusion between the engine number groups.
Would a vin starting with *19XXXXX be a V8 is I have just got a 32 frame with the star and numbers 19
I have never heard of a number starting with 19. If you are looking at the numbers that were under the body they were stamped without a prefix but the number you show is too high for a '32 V8 and too low for a '32 four cylinder. Are you sure it is a '32 frame and where are the numbers located? Note '32 frames had "K" members for center crossmembers and the later ones had "X" center crossmembers. Charlie Stephens
Its a 32 Frame and this number is the 2nd one back of the three the 1st number has the star and and the 1 missing and i can barely read the 9 and thats after i seen the 2nd set of numbers down the frame. Hope this helps you thanks for your reply charlie
What does the third number say and do the numbers look like they were stamped by Ford (size, shape)? Charlie Stephens
The Numbers under the front of the firewall are where i can barely make out the 9 it is a 9 though after seeing the the 2nd set of numbers are definetly readable and the star is there with a *198XXX* It is a ford stamp from what i have seen and the other i have. It could be a badly stamped 8 i guess but it dont look it to me.
Does the rest of the number fit into the '32 sequence, which would be from just "1" (the Ford museum has that one) to very low 200,000 area? The 9 has to be an assembly plant screwup if it is real, as no engines had a 9 in their prefix designation until 1939. The way it worked was that prefix indicated engine family, the 18 designating the 221 was used through 1942 in civilian production, and the number following it was just the sequential number of the engine production at the Rouge plant. The 18 series cumulated at least through '42 with the same series of numbers.
So an 8,000 range deuce...that would be pretty early. Details of all the changes in deuce frames are in the resto book from V8 club...I think you would likely have a single-thickness frame at rear kickup, with no doubling plate on the inside covering kickup and rear crossmember area.
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