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I have a 1954 F250 with the marking plate on the glove box. I was able to locate the last 6 digits on the frame so can confirm the frame matches the VIN in the glovebox. The title I have list the VIN as L04609265. This came from the title my grandfather had when he bought the truck around 1956.
Does anyone know where that L number could have come from? I thought it might be on the engine but from what I've read online for the Y-Block, none of the identification numbers start with L.
That number on the title is not like any Ford Truck VIN I've ever seen for the era... The VIN should consist of the following like the following example:
F10V4L12345
F10 = F-100
V = 239 OHV
4 = 1954
L = Long Beach Plant
12345 = unit number
Your provided VIN of L04609265 does not conform to the Ford factory assignment pattern.
Thank you and to further clarify, the marking plate and frame numbers I found match the guide you provided above. I'm just trying to figure out if the VIN I provided starting with "L", which is on the title, could have come from any other part on the truck. I need to figure out how to tie the VIN on the title to the truck so I don't have to get a bonded title, etc.
You might get some more clarification if you said where the truck was titled and if it had been in any other states. Laws and procedures are not all the same.
Truck is currently titled in Texas but was previously title in Minnesota back in 56' when my grandfather bought it used. The L number on the current title came from the title my grandfather had in Minnesota.
Most likely a replacement title your grandfather received when he bought it used. Lost title, salvage title or something of that nature.
Even that might be overthinking it a bit. Most logical explanation is someone wrote down the wrong number in the serial number box on the original paperwork at the dealership for the licensing, and it never got caught until now. These things have been known to happen all the time, especially back then.
Other than the expense, there's no downside to doing a bonded title if that's your only option for fixing it. You know where the truck came from and it's not stolen so no one will come to claim it in the next 3 years.
Regardless of the L, as bmoran4 pointed out previously, that number does not follow the layout of a vin for that vehicle. If you look at the chart he included, the VIN would begin with F25 and include the code letters for both the engine type and the location of where the truck was built. The VIN you have does not come even close to matching. Something is way off.
Also for your searches, keep in mind the term Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) did not come into usage until the mid-60s when numbers were standardized. Prior to that it was just referred to as the serial number.
A lot of online search engines don't show serial numbers on anything produced before 1967 because they don't have the required number of characters.
The title I had for my truck had a typo on it. When I was transferring the title to my name I wanted to make sure it was correct just in case.
In Missouri, I filled out a form and an inspector came out to check the VIN. The looked at the one on the data plate and tried to find the one on the frame. I didn't point it out to them as an experiment. They didn't find it and eventually signed the form and I was able to get a new title.
Here are my posts on the subject: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...l#post16418796
A couple of posts down from that link gives an account of the visit from Highway Patrol
I am in Missouri, you mileage may vary.
My recommendation would be to go to the Texas DMV and see what the process would be to get the title to show the correct VIN in the state where your truck is registered.
