i have a 1938 ford 1/2 ton pickup that is being turned from a nostalgia 1950 flathead "hot rod" into a modern full powered street rod. i am trying to figure out exactly what i have and what might have been cobbled together to make the original 50's style hot rod. it is a titled car that was a running vehicle before we started dis-assembly right after memorial day (it was actually in a show on memorial day weekend, lol). the numbers i got off the frame don't correspond to the number on the title and the ID plate on the outer firewall i so smooth that it is hard to tell anything was ever even on it, so i am a bit lost and trying to get some information going forward. can someone suggest (their opinion of course) the best site to find information regarding decoding old VIN i.d. number, (to determine exactly what one might have), original specs and available or original optional and standard equipment etc. i am looking specifically for information on mid to later 30's ford 1/2 ton pickups and inter-changeability of all parts from mechanical to sheet metal. thanks
I googled "decoding 1938 Ford Pickup Vin" and got lots of hits. Generally speaking, 1938-39 Ford pickup sheetmetal interchanges..
there really is no VIN , just a serial number. the serial number is on the frame and can tell you what year the frame was made. with it being different that what is on the title maybe the frame has been replaced check Vanpelts website for frame info http://www.vanpeltsales.com/FH_web/flathead_serialnumbers.htm
No, they are not the standardized 17 digit federal mandated (in 1981) VIN, but it is a VIN. BTW, Fords (at least in Texas) use the frame number for the ID number from 1932, GMs used engine numbers until mid 50's, Harleys used engine numbers until 70.
I enter vin numbers into a smog machine all day. Even if the vin is only five digits, it's still considered a vin in CA. For those vehicles that have no vin, the CA Highway Patrol may affix a small plate with the new vin. Vin verification on hot rods, classic cars, etc. can be done at the DMV, by a police officer or by a specially licensed DMV specialist. Our little town charges something like $35 at the police station! I personally have had hit and miss experiences with vin verification. When getting this old stuff back on the road, VIN verification can be a major hurdle. I've had nice and mean DMV ladies, hurried police officers, very professional specialists. Some took what I said was the VIN as absolute truth and others questioned everything.
tried virtually all of those hits (which i did before i posted looking for help here, lol) virtually nothing on p/u trucks. lots of passenger car information, nothing not even a listing for p/u trucks. i may be old, but i know enough to do a google search before i ask for some help after hitting a wall. as with most things, a matter of choice. i'm all for nostalgia, but being a corvette guy, i'm more into flash and speed. as nice as that 50's style rod was, it never got much of a look by folks at any of the shows i did with it, so i decided (and really have the need for speed anyway, lol) full blown modern street rod was the way i wanted to go. i believe it will be a real head turner when it is done (it is currently in the frame off position, lol) not to mention it being a heck of a lot safer on the roads with modern running gear, suspension and brakes. certainly quite possible, but i doubt the original engine was still in the truck, but i'll check when i get over to where it is on the stand. you never know. many thanks, i will certainly do that. that's just what i was looking for.
Plate on firewall just had patent information. Your pickup left the factory with its serial number/engine number/VIN whatever you choose to call it in 2 places...power unit was stamped with full number at top of trans bellhousing (NOT on actual engine) when engine was built at Rouge plant, then this number was copied onto left front frame rail when engine was installed at an assembly plant. Frame # may or may not have the prefix, and it is strictly a sequential number from the engine series...if it is 18-2,000,000, your vehicle simply was numbered from the 2,000,000 221 flathead built. There is NO information beyond that, nothing on type of body, color, location of assembly, or anything else. Frame number was often repeated twice more on left frame, but this was frequently skipped on pickups. Van Pelt's site has the range of numbers used year by year...you would have had 18- four million something if it was a 221, 54-much smaller number if it was a V8 60. If number on title is not like that, though sometimes they leave out the prefix, it likely has an assigned number for lost title. If it has a real Ford number that doesn't match frame, something was changed out or they fraudulated things a bit with a purchased title.
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