model A vin decoder

Picked up the frame this morning. Got it for $150, they used it as a trailer back in the day, so that is what the hitch is. Has five lug hubs and is pretty solid.

What do you guys suggest for the rearend? I want something that will go down the highway decent. I'm going to have a lot more questions as I get more into this. First time building a car from the ground up, so bear with me. I'm going to go get the ***le work started Monday as well.

 

Here is a picture of the body I got for $800. I'm $950 into the project now, not too bad.

 

Your rear axle ratio would be 3.78 unless it was from an early '29 open car; they got 3.54s for a while. Whether you change the rear depends on what you want for power. Banger or FH V8? I'd leave the original rear, and put an OD behind the motor for the best of both worlds. If you want a hot OHV, better look around at other units.
Fearless

 

Do I need to take the closed drive shaft off and is there an adapter to get the new drive shaft to fit on the rear?

 

My 28 went thru a different process. Lacking info on the 28 and no ***le or serial no to speak of, i had to get a ***igned number by the province up here. Know around here as a 'pigskin' PROVINCIALY ***IGNED SERIAL NUMBER. This was 30 years ago but i think they still use this system. After that i had to get a saftey done by the government dmv inspectors which includes running the vehicle on a calbrated skid pad for braking and the rest of the usual checks like lights, horn etc. This is all done after the police come down with a pair of coveralls and a floorjack and check for stollen parts. They had a real interest in the vette rear end and asked about it. I had a bill of sale for it and was cleared. Lots of hoops to jump thru. Now adays it's strictor. Having bought my 28 back just recently i have to do another saftey. This one will include properly mounted seat belts, manitory use here, 4 way flashers, hi beam indictor etc. But at least i have a ***le in hand this time.

 

Nice score! Well worth it. I can't find a decent front axle for that price here.

 

I started out with a flathead motor, then got the frame and body. Lucky that the body came with a CA pink slip.
First order will be checking the frame to make sure it is square, next would be boxing it, then putting in a good K member, then deciding what type of rearend/trans/motor......then mocking everything.
Looks like the frame and body are really great shape for the $$$ you spent.
Keep us posted on your progress.

IMHO

 

for it to be a 1929 the #'s need to be from 810,123 to 2,742,695
with a star before and after
There is no code in the vin # If you have the motor the vin. is stamped
on flat spot center of block

 

I am going to just build it and have to get it ***les as a builder. The dmv ran the numbers and verified it as a 29. I just wouldn't feel comfortable driving a 30 around with a 29 ***le.

 

that'd be close enough for me. i have a custom frame and havent found any numbers on my body yet. no clue as to what ill do for a ***le yet.

 

All USA Engines were made at Rouge plant and shipped with numbers on to ***embly plants...so car manufature date will be somewhat later than engine. Engine build can be matched to an actual day from Rouge log books...from there, run tested and numbered, it could have been sent to the Rouge car ***embly plant and installed maybe later the same day, or put on a slow boat to the Buenos Aires ***embly plant. And of course, there were warehouses and train cars full of engines all over the place, with first engines in stuck way at the back behind newer engines, so no real sequence in arrival at a ch***is beyond a span of a couple of months or so.
Remember that the engine, the frame, and the ***le each had the number, and given engine swaps and car rebuilds with applications for lost ***le and the current trade and illegal use of stray ***les, it is not incomceivable that a number could now exist on 3 or more official do***ents...

 

Since the serial number only tells you when the engine/trans unit was built at the River Rouge plant, not when the car was built, I wouldn't count on a particular number being The Last '29 and a car one digit higher being The First '30. When the engine/trans unit was bolted into a frame, they literally had a guy there with a big hammer and a set of number stamps who copied the number off the engine/trans unit onto the frame. It's not only possible but highly probable than some early '30s had "1929" serial numbers.

 

Exactamundo! No try getting a DMV drone to wrap his or her head a around that.

 

is there a national registry or an easy way to find out if someone else has registered a vehicle with the same number as the one i have? or would i have to do a ***le search state by state?

 

The police and insurance adjuster will be happy to check next time someone hits you.
Really, this is a potential mine field if you do not have a real ***le and a real frame with the same numbers. Best advice I have heard on here was to find a friendly cop willing to do an advance check. I would feel fairly confident if I had the fame with numbers and a good bill of sale, since the frame would legitimate the claims...but I could not predict what the authorities would do if you proved ownership of the actual car (really, the frame) and some streetrodder had the same numbers stamped onto a repro frame to match a fraudulently used "Collectible" ***le. Seems like an actual Ford should trump a piece of paper, but does it in real life?

 

i would hope so. i guess it depends on how good said streetrodder's stamping skills are.