I think I researched this a long time ago but can't find any reference to it now. Spent the afternoon looking.

1950 F-1 Pickup VIN # 98RC 324666

THANKS, Don

This was not meant to be a restoration. It is 'Just a Truck'. It will be my Haul Anything Truck!

I decided not to use my NOS sheet metal, but instead fixed all of the original bad areas. Only used the NOS Running Boards.

 

I'd say she turned out pretty sharp for net being a restoration. Your build date is in the production code stamped onto the firewall. There's several recent/current threads that describe that right now on this page. If you can find your numbers and post them here, we can decipher them for you.

 

That's a dandy ride! Well done.

 

Here is what I have.

 

Your code shows;

4 = Birch Gray
NR = Norfolk assembly
18B = build date February 18, 1950

 

50=F1, that is a nice truck and a great color.

I see you're from York, PA . Have you thought about driving it up to the 2024 Central PA Truckstock at the Bald Eagle State Park in Centre County? It's October 3, 4, 5, 6.

 

Wayne, Thanks for the quick reply. Internet is amazing! I don't think I ever had a reply on the build date before. I hoped for a month and was happily surprised to get down to the DAY.

I remember that, in all of my previous research, the color code was for Birch Gray. We created quite a long thread because my truck was definitely Meadow Green from the factory. Dash, firewall, rear cab interior, gas tank, hidden areas, everything was Meadow Green. I guess the painter had some paint left and decided to make it green. No signs of any other finish color.

Just for additional reference I am including a photo of the NEW steel bed floor. Not as much of a job as we expected, and very happy with the results.

 

I noticed the color discrepancy, too. This is the second truck we've seen this week that was marked code 4 but painted green. Interesting how things happen.

 

 

Abe, We posted several times before and you invited me to Central PA Truckstock at the Bald Eagle State Park. Sounds like a great get together, but bad dates. I have been going to the Fall Meet at Hershey since the 1960s and have had vendor spaces for 40 + years. Always on the first week in October. Just sent my $$$$ in for 4 spaces 2024. Had a car on the Show Field every year since the mid 1990s. That is a hard habit to break! Thanks for the invite! Don

 

Don, once I saw your new steel bed I remembered you and your truck. And then I felt sheepish since I knew I had asked you before. You've got to check in here more often to keep my memory in better shape.

You know, I was born and raised in Lancaster county near Lititz. My home was about 22 miles from Hershey and never went to the Hershey meet. I have lived in Lock Haven since 82. I'm about 2 hours away and still haven't gone. I've got to do it some day.

 

When I started researching my truck as I was preparing to fix it up I looked at data plates. My color code is 'R'. In 53 'R' stood for Meadow Green. However in 1954 'R' was for Vermilion Red. The code for Meadow Green in 1954 was 'U'. My mind really began to race. Was my truck originally red? But my original Bill of Sale said it was Meadow Green. But then I looked at my spare tire that came with the truck... the rim was... RED! That really made me think maybe it was originally red. I looked in every nook and crannie for any traces of red. I found none. So I guess Grandpa picked up the spare rim at a junk yard...

So I thought the guy punching the data plate made made a mistake. Was my build date, August 19, a Friday afternoon? If my truck was made early in the build year I could understand that the data plate made a mistake and punched in the 53 paint code.

But now Wayne says in another thread that the plates were made first. Is that correct? So where was or who made the mistake... paint guys or data plate puncher guy?

 

Abe you know what they say right? Better Dead than Red. At least that’s what the marine diesel mechanics said about westerbeke engines.

 

Seems like Meadow Green had a rough time of it. In 52 the code was M but my truck says N which is vermilion. I think in 51 the code was the opposite? So there was a lot of confusion. If you read some of these threads there’s a bunch of meadow green 52 trucks with N on the data plates not M. And according to owners they were definitely originally green. I can’t imagine why they wouldn’t have just assigned a two letter abbreviation instead? BK black, VR vermilion, GM Glen mist green etc.

 

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/4...n-cut-off.html

Don, that's a beautiful truck. It's probably in this 20 year old post toward the end.