just bought a 51 shoebox and was going over the ***le....firewall was smoothed and Mustang ll front end installed before I got it. Anybody tell me exactly where the serial no. is stamped on the car? Everything I read indicates that the numbers are gone since they did the firewall and the front end. thanks in advance
I thought you were supposed to find the number on the car, and see if it matches the ***le, before you hand over the money? (sorry for sounding like a smart ***)
@squirrel makes an excellent point. How do you know you didn't buy a stolen vehicle? "On the frame ahead of the main front crossmember. There is a piece of channel about 45 degrees going to the frame horns that the bumper brackets bolt to. It's on the top of that 45 degree piece and I believe it's on the p***enger side." If that area is gone, so is the serial number. Not to be a total pedant, but in this era, it is not a VIN, it is a serial number.
No serial numbers can be a can of worms when you try to get the ***le in your name,you did get a ***le didn't you? HRP
Check on top of the rear cross member. The one closest to the rear bumper. I'm told it is on top and you need a mirror to see it. Make sure you clean the area well, the stamping is very light.
As an old Autoshop teacher: There is no such thing as a VIN number. (or VIN NO.) VIN stands for Vehicle Identification Number. So a VIN number would be a Vehicle Identification Number Number. And they weren't VINs until the late 70's.
Ok. While this subject has been mentioned here. What is the difference between Serial number and VIN? When I fill out insurance forms or registration forms they all ask for VIN. Serial number identifies a vehicle according to them. I understand the terms changed about the time the numbers went to the dashboard of cars.
Serial numbers were not standardized, and often yeild no vehicle information. Vehicle Identification Numbers are standardized, contain a serial number, and have decipherable vehicle information.
Chevy started calling the Vehicle Serial Number, a Vehicle Identification Number, in 1972. But it was the same number, they just changed the terminology....and added a little more info, like body style and engine type. It's a confusing subject, so most of us just make up what we want, and pretend that's the way it really is.
Ok Gimpy. Now I understand. The VIN number will tell you if it a Chevy or Ford ect. Along with year and model. The serial number is a sequential number that you had to know that car it was on first.
If DMV calls it a vin and thats what they check then they win..You are correct on the top of the 45° p***enger side brace and the stamped tag [that is towards the p***enger side] riveted on the firewall right under the horizontal lip...Frames I have are from CA,CT,NJ,NY and all have the tag and on the 45° brace but not on top of rear crossmember... I have seen a few shoeboxes that have the number stamped right above the lip in a bout 3/4 " size stamp across the center of the firewall along with the prime two places; maybe depends on area of ***embly..Got stamps?..
Sometimes body style, engine, and other things, as well. A serial number, serial meaning one-after-the-next, is just that, incremental numbers. The cl***ic example is the Model A. Ford stamped the engines for these in numerical order at the engine plant. When the engine was mated to the ch***is in the various ***embly plants, that number was copied to the frame. About the only thing you can determine from that number is roughly when the engine was made.
That's where it was on a '54 Ford I had, and it was a ***** to find and read since you're reading through a mirror.. Mine was just right of center.
The Jalopy Journal
