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So I have been a '48 through '52 F1 fan for a long time and finally had a 1951 1/2 ton follow me home. Last registered in 1979 it has the usual issues from sitting for 35+ years but appears to have had a relatively easy life. All the trim is with the truck and although the bed is missing the wood it is not beat up like most trucks that had a working life. It will likely end up as a parts truck as I can find no identifying marks on the truck that would provide a serial number or similar.
Nice truck! Welcome to FTE! The serial number will be on the passenger side, top of frame, just behind the motor mount. There will be a star at both ends. It is not usually stamped very deep, so be careful cleaning the area.
Mark
There are no firewall or glovebox plates on the truck. Where the serial number would have been stamped on the frame rail is so rusted as to not yield anywhere close to a full number. Also no stampings on the firewall apart from the those in the photo below on the DS. Any idea what these might be related to? I can find no marks on the rear of the frame rails but have not looked on the frame under the cab yet. Anyways this will get me started on my journey of owning a nice F1 truck. Lots to learn. Looking forward to being an active member of the forum.
Welcome to the forum, and thanks for a picture! Good to see another stylish 51-52 joining up.
The serial number will be on a plate on the glovebox door Ratings Plate, but the one that counts is stamped onto the top of the frame rail, about where the motor mount is. Wire brush or scotchbrite carefully to avoid removing any detail from the stamping. It should be F1R1xxYYYYY. Ford used the "I" instead of "1" on many of these.
Welcome to the forum. That is a solid looking truck. Have you looked on the top of the curb side frame rail between the cab mount and the radiator support area for ID number stampings? They are hard to view sometimes. Depending on what state you're in a title may or may not be obtainable. I wish you luck with the title issue.
I have de-greased and lightly wire brushed the frame rail area. This is not the best photo but you can barely make out a couple characters of the serial number if you shine a flashlight at a shallow angle across it. No way to get a full number from that area. I have very little knowledge of the way a no serial number vehicle would be handled in NC, any experience there would be appreciated.
This is a hobby and a longer term project for me so I don't mind looking for another partial / unfinished project / rusted truck that does have paperwork or at least numbers that I can transfer my donor parts to.
I have an English wheel and basic sheet metal shaping equipment as well as a TIG welder so I will be spending many hours repairing the sheet metal. That should keep me busy for quite a while. I'll post that stuff up on here as it happens so those of you with expertise in that area can help me out. I am definitely a semi-novice in that area even though I have built a few cars some from the ground up.
Nice looking truck, Mike. Where in NC are you located?
Good luck with the title.
Tony I am in Mooresville. Just West of Rte 77.
Walt I need to remove the front sheet metal (and cab) to give the front of the frame a better inspection but I can't see any legible markings so far. Also I want to check under the cab but I think as this truck doesn't have any firewall serial number stamping that it's one of those trucks that won't have a frame stamping under the cab either. Hey I'm happy even without a serial number as the truck is worth a lot more more in parts than what I paid for it.
If you have a truck that you paid for and a title stating that you own that truck, but your truck has an illegible VIN stamping, can you repair/restore that VIN area by "freshening up" the stampings?
I dont see how they can force you to scrap the truck, what If you went with a different chassis (something like a TCI or restomod) How do you have a VIN marking (other than what would normally be on the firewall)?
If you have a truck that you paid for and a title stating that you own that truck, but your truck has an illegible VIN stamping, can you repair/restore that VIN area by "freshening up" the stampings?
I dont see how they can force you to scrap the truck, what If you went with a different chassis (something like a TCI or restomod) How do you have a VIN marking (other than what would normally be on the firewall)?
As you point out one option is to go with a new chassis. FatMan Fabrications are located about 30 minutes drive from me. They can issue a Certificate of Origin with the chassis and then I can register the vehicle as a specially constructed vehicle. I have a replica Cobra that is registered that way and in NC it is treated the same as the year of the original vehicle as far as inspection and emissions are concerned. The FatMan set up is a little more money that I was hoping to spend but there is always that option. There are too few of these about to even think about scrapping it.
ALBUQ F1 - If I could find someone who understood the process of getting a state assigned VIN I would explore that option. I know by going through my Cobra registration that because these things are few and far between in the daily DMV process that you have to be lucky to reach a knowledgeable individual.
Once you get good access to the area where the VIN should be located, spend the time to carefully clean the area well. You can buy an acid that will bring the numbers up. Cops use it on guns where serial # has been ground off and guys use it on engine blocks if decking the block has ground off the VIN#. Check with Eastwood or Summit, I know I have seen for sale.
Having the original correct VIN # is ALWAYS the best plan to get ownership of classic vehicle, and down-the-road it will increase the value of your truck.
Once you get good access to the area where the VIN should be located, spend the time to carefully clean the area well. You can buy an acid that will bring the numbers up. Cops use it on guns where serial # has been ground off and guys use it on engine blocks if decking the block has ground off the VIN#. Check with Eastwood or Summit, I know I have seen for sale.
Having the original correct VIN # is ALWAYS the best plan to get ownership of classic vehicle, and down-the-road it will increase the value of your truck.
Hey Walt. So my first recourse on things these days is Google. In searching for serial number restoration guess what pops up? This procedure from the NC State Crime Lab http://www.ncdoj.gov/getdoc/c985eebb...1-15-2013.aspx I doubt this would work on my truck as the frame is so rusted especially if the process is performed by an amateur like me but it might be another option. Sounds like I need to go read some CSI forums.
Welcome to the club! Don't be so fast to just use it as a parts truck! It looks to be pretty good and complete, take your time and find the vin number and see if you can get it squared away with dmv, good luck on your project keep us posted
03-01-2015, 01:04 PM
