I am the new proud owner of a 1979 F150 Custom Explorer, I am trying to regester the vehicle but i need to find the Vin to do it. I have the original owners manual and it says that the vin is "stamped in the engine compartment on the right hand frame side rail", i have wire brushed this area but still can not find the number. Can anyone help?

 

It should be located on the top of the right frame rail. It can be anywhere between the radiator support and firewall but the most common location is about inline with the alternator.
There is a second, hidden VIN, its also on the top right frame rail about 6-10 inches behind the front cab mount. Its underneath the cab, not sure if you can see it with a mirror or not.

 

I have wire brushed the frame online with the alternator and about 4 inches in both directions surrounding that area and have bare metal but no VIN... is it possible that the vin has just been rusted away over the years?

 

Mine is located just in front of the firewall and the secondary is just behind the centerline of the cab.

 

Im going to go brush it down by the fire wall and see what i come up with, thanks for the info

 

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/a...6&d=1233760371
Does this help?

 

yes, thank you

 

Didnt Ford also but a metal VIN tag on the firewall inside the engine compartment?
I assume the tag on the dash is gone?

 

on some trucks they did and others they didnt, there isnt one in the dash and there never was, there is the saftey sticker on the inside of the cab where the drivers door closes, but one of the numbers is scrached, but not from the outside. i can tell because the lamination over the sticker is perfect, it looks as if when the sticker was put on in the factory it was scrached, but a highway patrol oficer might look at it and think the truck was stolen, and i really dont want my truck impounded lol

 

No the impound wouldnt be good .

 

The metal tag on the firewall is called a "buck tag". It was used durring assembly to let the line workers know what was what. It did have the VIN on it but isn't valid for title issues. It was attached to the firewall with one sheetmetal screw and not all trucks had them (none of mine have a buck tag). Neither the warranty plate on the door or the paper certification sticker on the door jamb are valid either. The door can be changed and the paper sticker removed easily.
For title matters most states require the frame VIN so if you do a cab swap or change the drivers door be sure to keep the warranty plate straight. Even though it doesn't have any legal standing thats the one most people look at.
Also, F series Fords didn't have dash mounted VIN plates untill the '80's.

 

so i need to find that number lol, i do have a out of state title on it but not in my name. i could part the truck out right now but really want to keep it. its a good looking truck, ill put a picture up soon as i wash it

 

You will find it.
Dont part it out if you dont have to,gotta keep these trucks going.

 

you will likley need a wire wheel on a drill or grinder and not just a wire brush. Any of them I had found were way to dirty to uncover with a wire brush..

 

You might be able to us acid to etch the numbers so you can see them