Technical Decypher Early Ford VIN

I am trying to figure out the correct year and model of my Ford BB truck. The frame number is BB18-513999. Is it a 1933 or a 1934? I know it is a BB 1 1/2 ton stake-bed, but that is all I know for sure. Can anyone help with this question? Thanks, John

 

It's not a VIN.

It is a serial number.

Ford made the engines at the engine plant, stamped them with numbers, in order (serial), and then shipped them to vehicle ***embly plants.

When the engine was placed in the frame, the number was copied to the frame.

Records were not always kept about what went where, and when.

 

Reading note A is important in this quest http://www.vanpeltsales.com/FH_web/flathead_serialnumbers.htm

 

The BB in your serial number says that the engine/transmission went into a large truck, not a pickup. The 18 means it was a V8 engine. The 513999 says the engine was made in 1934 per the table on the referenced site. The truck serial numbers were mixed with the p***enger car numbers but the prefixes were different which is what you see. As gimpyshotrods says the number is just a serial number for the engine and says nothing about the vehicle it went into. Best of luck and welcome to HAMB.

Charlie Stephens

 

Thank you again Charlie. The BB & 18 I knew. What I didn't know was the year range or where to find it. Since all vehicles prior to 1969 in Florida were registered by engine number or serial number calling it a VIN is what is done here even though it is a misnomer. Would Ford have used this as an identifier for registration at the time it was new?

 

Thank you. I know the "correct" name for the number should have been serial number, but since the state I live in refers to it as a VIN that is what I did. Since the engine has been changed in my truck the frame # is what is used to identify the vehicle for ***le info here since it would tell when vehicle was produced roughly within the range.

 

Thank for the information. I did not know where to find note A and that is what I needed to find out. Now I know my truck is a 1934 and not a 1933.

 

Do you have the cab...? A '34 cab has an extra reveal on the rear compared to a 33....

 

I have the whole truck, but it is 2500 mile away at this time. Hopefully I can post pictures later.

 

Here are a couple of more pictures:



Charlie Stephens

 

Hard to see the back of the cab....has 34 grille tho, looks like 33 hood

 

Cool truck!!! I have a soft spot for stake beds.

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