I am about to buy this coe but not sure what year it is. The owner has p***ed and there seems to be a stack of ***les, but no one knows which is which. I have looked for a vin on the front cross member, could not find it. Nothing on the glove box door. It does have wood floor on the drivers side. Any help with a year? And what about that wiper sticking up from the cowl?
I think the Vin would be on the frame rail under the cab, check both sides. Check engine number, often correlated with vin back then. Good luck, Mark
No engine and don't know if it was a 6 or v8, but there is a set of flathead headers in the cab. I cleaned the cross member as best I could on site. will look harder when it gets home.
I got the truck home today. I have wire brushed the **** out of that front crossmember and can not find any number other then 211 with 5020 below that. I think that is cross member number? Have not looked on the sides yet. Thank you shopdawg! A clue for me to search more pictures. Is the wood floor a clue to year? Original color Washington blue, was it available all years? Should there be a data plate somewhere? Thank you for all responses.
shopdawg, I see one of your old trucks, light green one, have a single wiper on the bottom of the windshield. My truck is a single like yours. There seems to be plugs above the windshield on mine, but has a single on the bottom. I need to look at that closer.
On the green truck I installed the single wiper after v-****ing the windshields. I used a rear wiper from a Toyota wagon. The vin is stamped on the top of the frame , drivers side about a foot from the rear of the steering box.
Cleaned the rail behind the steering box. Thought I saw a star with a circle around it and a 4 after that, but the more I cleaned the less it got till I can't see anything now. More searching to do! I really would like to iron down what year is thing is.
So where you think you saw the star with the circle is the vin. You could use some muriatic acid to bring up the numbers from the frame. Most hardware stores sell it. Once visible wash with water and take a rub using paper and a pencil.
It was a bit warmer out today, so I went and got some muriatic acid, put it on. Cleaned up the rails pretty good! But no numbers! So I cleaned the rails, both sides, all the way back to the trans.... no numbers. Soooo.... I hate spiders and didn't get it cleaned out before it got cold out, I swallowed my fear of spiders and went in to see if there was a number on the trans case, per Marks suggestion. So this is what I got off it, *799T16331***. Does not match my ***le. Looking in the Ford parts book, it says for 47 it should be 798T for a 1 1/2 ton truck and 798W for a 1 1/2 ton Coe. No 799 in the book. So looks like shopdawg is probably right, its a 47. Which means I don't have a ***le. Question now is should I go with the trans number? Thanks for any help!
Do you have a 42 ***le? If so use it and re-stamp your frame. (just don't tell anyone, because jails are not a fun vacation) If you want to do it legally, talk to your DOT. I don't have any idea how Alaska fixes your situation, but most states decide what number to use, (including possibly issuing a new number) not you.
I can get a bonded ***le, I did on my 51Coe. I just want to make sure I have the right info in case I am called on it. Besides the 42 ***le I got with it does not seem right to me either with a 6 digit number.
I suspect the numbers you found on the trans are the correct VIN (at least for some COE).. I'd be tempted to put those on the appropriate place on the frame. (my '41 had them on the crossmember under the stock radiator). Then in NH you get a VIN verification and then a new ***le. Obviously, I don't know what the AK process might be....
wetskier, it is similar here to get a ***le, but I have to pay a bond. Ok, went to the UMV this morning. The truck had a license plate on it when I got it, so I took that to see if the 42 ***le I have goes to it. That plate was from 1986. Which I also found out was the frist time it was ***led in Alaska. It was a match. So, I asked about the 799T number, and it was not in the system. As far as DMV is concerned its a 1942 with 4908** as a vin number. I can be happy with that! In time I will learn what, if any differences are between 42 and 47 which is now what I now come to think it may be. It is now ***led in my name as a 42. Thanks to all for advice given!
Glad to hear it was so easy for you! My Autocar had never been issued a ***le, because Connecticut didn't issue ***les during the time the truck was licensed. I had an official Connecticut bill of sale with my serial # on it, but when a like truck showed up on Ebay with a clear ***le, I bought the truck, drove to Ohio and picked up what was left of the cab and a brand new ***le that was less than a week old. (fresh off the DOT printing press) There were a few discrepancies, my truck is a 47, the serial # on the ***le is from 46 and the year is listed as a 48. It doesn't matter to me which year they call it and there isn't anyone walking around in the local DOT office that has ever laid eyes on one, so if they want to inspect it, they won't notice the frame is from an IH fire truck. I also now have a clear ***le in my name (with the matching # stamped into a frame rail) and that is a very good feeling.
Is 4908** on the truck anywhere? I ran into a little issue on this... I registered my '57 CJ-5 20+ years ago in NH using the previous owner's M*** registration. It has a one-off, custom galvy body and nose with no VIN anywhere. All was well until years later when the inspection station wanted to see the VIN on the Willys. Lucky for me repop Willys plates were available......
My 51 Coe is on the burner right now, this one is on the back burner. I looked all over for any numbers all up and down the frame rails and front crossmember, could not find anything. I was thinking I could stamp 4908** in it, but don't want to get caught doing anything stupid! Its had 3 owners since coming to Alaska all under that vin, at least according to the license plate that is on it. It was issued in 1986 when it come here. I was also thinking of getting a new glove box door tag with the number on it. I have my 51 on a E350 van frame, if I get to this one, I think I will reuse the original frame. Some pics.... rear fenders are just sitting there, I want to shorten the frame a bit. Took the visor off so it didn't get stolen.
wetskier, Does your 41 vin start with anything like the 799T number I found on the trans? What would a proper 41, 42, or 47 vin number look like? Anyone?
...close.. 99T-287866, my understanding is that 99t means 1.5 ton truck, If I were concerned about theft in my area, I'd remove that grill also...
IIRC from other serial # Q and As, the number was stamped in the frame quite shallow, so it didn't take much rust to make it disappear. To the others who have Fords of that era, can someone show us size, style and clarity of a frame stamping that is known to be original? I wouldn't think a newly stamped glove box door tag would mean much to the DOT.
When I first looked at this truck, I went to open the hood. I did not know it just came off, so I unlatched it went to hinge it up and it fell off in my hand! There are no other 38-47 trucks around that I know of and I don't think any in my neighborhood knows it just comes off that easy, but I have chained it on for now. Wouldn't matter the homeless around here all seem to carry bolt cutters! I have looked at any and all pictures I could find off vin numbers through all the COE thread here and elsewhere. The only way I would of missed it is if it's out close to the outer edge of the frame, and I have seen them out there. When I pull the cab off, I will check it really close, and if it's different I will deal with it then. But for now, a glove box tag will have to do. While looking at everything I could, I came across this picture from SinisterCustom's back on page 8 post# 216 from Feb 27 2008, of the main COE picture thread. I believe that is the same truck I have. I have the same tail lights, same 8 hole front rims, same mirrors, same Trun signals, and it looks like a visor may be there. And he says they drove it from AZ to AK in the 80's. DMV says my truck was first ***le in AK in 1986! Got to be the same truck! I have messaged SinisterCustom, but he has not been here since Aug.
The number on my latest has a star at the beginning and another at the end with a six digit number in between.
Shop Dawg, what year is your latest project? I hope to find those stars and the 6 digit on mine when I get to it. Do you have a glove box tag?
If its the one in your thread 41 coe, I believe it is 41 with the stainless grille bars. I have looked at your thread on your 41. On mine you said " Due to it having the steel frame around the side windows I say 46-47 " about mine. I guess I don't know about that. My doors look the same as yours. Can you explain more on 46/47 window frames?
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