I have been trying to help my son find the ID# on his 27 coupe project. I have been told that it is an 8 digit number that starts with a 1, the second number will be a 2 or 3...and that the third number will be a 2 through 5 for the model (coupe, roadster, truck and so on). I have also been told that it will begin with the letter "T" then have the 8 numbers. I have been looking (pealing the rust back from the frame with a fine brush) in the area on the top of the frame rail on the driver's side just in front of the firewall. I have also been told that the number was not put on the body anywhere (it has a tag at the bottom of the inside of the firewall, but it has no number on it that I can see). Any help out there? Where did you find your ID# and what did it look like. PM me if you prefer...a photo might really help us to locate it. Thanks for your help.
I looked in a Model T Ford Restoration Handbook from the sixties and it states that the only place the serial number was stamped, was on the engine. I know on the Model A's the engine and frame was stamped (under the cowl). There are body number on Model A's, which do not relate to the serial number, but to the body manufacturer. There may be a similar number on a Model T body.
I am by no means an expert but are you sure that there's a "ch***is" number? I have always gone by the engine serial # that is right above the water inlet on the block. I'd image yours would be 14,---,---. For the most part, engine serial #'s were the VIN # through at least 1925. Not sure of 26/27 having never owned either of those. Somewhere in my mess, I remember having a chart that told you what date your motor was built on according to the serial #. I look around for it.
The serial number on the engine is simply a sequence number from first date of mfg of the Model T's. The first two are important, as the '26-'27 were numbered in the high 10's of million, so your motor number above the water inlet on the block should be from 12million, (8 digits) as the improved 1926 T was built Aug 1925 (12,222,529) until July 1926 (14,049,029 and the 1927 should have engine numbers form 14,049,030 until end of model run inJune 1927 as 15,007,033. Begining aboutJan 1926 the p***enger side frame was stamped with the engine number just forward of the running board brace on the top side of the frame member,the VIN is the engine no., stamped on the block just above the water inlet. Many 1926 and most 1927 Ts have the same no. stamped on the frame under the floor boards on the p***enger's side. If the numbers do not match it indicates that the engine has ben changed
Plus, replacement blocks came with a blank pad for the mechanic to transfer the number to. Also, the made replacement T engines for industrial use until the 40s.
I found the VIN number stamped on the frame of my '26- it was on the P***ENGER side, underneath the floorboards, on top of the frame rail, about even with the front edge of the door. According to my VIN number, I have a (approx) March, 1926, Model T. BTW, Godzilla, I gave up on those "abandoned" cars. They can go to the crusher for all I care. I'll help them load them up.
That is some good info thanks you guys for putting it up here, but I stull have to get a bill of sale or a ***le for my car so I can register it. as there is no stock frame to get the #'s from.
Man...I was hoping things would go your way on at least one of them! Looked like it was actually...What happened???
Thanks for the info...hell I guess it would help to be s****ing on the "right" side of the frame. We are learning a lot about T's in this process. (as a side note...we are using a fabricated frame to hold my son's 468 BBC...but the original T frame came with the body - so once we find the appropriate T# on the fame rail on it will go). Again...thanks for all your help.
I wonder what that ch***is and engine block # stamp looked like? Sure couldn't have been able to afford to have a guy hand stanping things at the speed the ***embly line was running. There were ***embly plants all over the world, keeping track of all the numbers must have been quite a task.
Odds are you WILL find the number on the frame (p***enger side) if the frame is truly 1926 or 1927. No frames before 1926 were stamped, but almost all of the 26 and 27 frames were. I have had a dozen 27/27 frames go through my hands over the years, and all but one had the engine number stamped on the p***enger side rail as others have described.
I have numbers on my T sedan on the p***enger side of the subframe. What number is this, just the body number? I've had 2 other T's with a number on the subframe, so I know it isn't a fluke. Could I use the body number to register the car? What difference would it make to the DMV?
The number on the body would be from the body manufacturer. All model T and Model A engines were built at the Rouge plant, then shipped to the ***embly plants. When the engine arrived at the ***embly plant and went into a ch***is, then the engine number was stamped into the ch***is. Depending on which plant it was, they may have stamped them in slightly different locations. There was a guy on a Model A web site several years back collecting body numbers, and car info and trying to decifer what they meant and to tie them to specifuic plants or manufacturers. I don't know if anyone has done that with Model T's.
Down under we didnt get numbers until late 30s so most guys will punch their phone number or date of birth into it (easy way to remember your ch***is no.)
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