I need help locating the VIN on my '42 Ford Fire Truck. I read some posts in here that for a '47 look in the glove box and the frame rail near the firewall. My glove box door is intact, but the box itself is missing and no VIN present anywhere I can see. I looked on the frame rail briefly, but also did not see anything.

Any other location? There is a plate of some sort mounted on the firewall in the engine compartment, but it is unreadable, except for the bottom which says Ford Motor Company, Dearborn Michigan.

Thanks for any help!

Scott

 

Scott, the plate on the firewall is not a vin plate, all it has is patent numbers the vehicle was manufactured under, which is the same plate found on passenger cars. The tag in the glove box was mounted on the insdie of the door, using the 2 screws that hold the glove box door handle on. The VIN should be on the driver's side frame rail, on top, a few inches forward of the location for the front cab mount, right around where the steering box is mounted. You may have to scrap some crap off the rail to find it. It's just stamped, and could easy be covered by 60+ years of road grime and grease. If it's a 6 cylinder truck it would be just about under the battery box. There is a possibility of it being stamped on the bellhousing of the transmission. Remove the floor plate, and it might be stamped towards the top of the transmission. Not the most accurate since tranny's are easily swapped. Of all the trucks I have owned, only one had the original transmission. Hope this helps you out some.

 

We found it!! We found the VIN on the driver side frame rail between the firewall and the horn! It did take some scraping and cleaning, but it was there!

Thanks! Scott

 

What was your frame VIN number?
Mine looks like
*8*6858371*
which does not match anything I've found on this forum.
It is supposed to be a 46 ford. There is no plate inside the glovebox. There was a flathead 8 in the truck originally.

 

I was asked the location of this unusual frame number.
It was on the top of the frame, driver's side, between the firewall and front axle. The serial number stamped on the frame is:
*8*6858371*
Thanks for anyone that might help figure this one out.
There are no signs of it ever being restamped or grinding.
These look like original markings.

 

My VIN is 9 digits and starts with 99T. I have a '42 Ford Truck/Fire Truck.