Does anyone out there have information that will tell me the date that my truck was manufactured by reading the VIN?

 

Let us know the VIN and we should be able to decode it for you.
You can't get the exact date that I know of, but you can get the year and sequence number.

For example, my VIN is F25V5K17013

F25 - F250
V - 239 V8 engine
5 - 1955
K - Kansas City Assembly plant
17013 - production sequence

Other more knowledgeable people here may be able to give you more detailed info based on your VIN.

 

I think I goofed on my recent reply. My truck VIN is 8BRO-121558.
Seems different than you sequence. I need to know if it is an early or late 1949 production in order to determine the correct engine color. Thanks, johnnan

 

Johnnan, welcome to FTE. Any chance that vin is 88RC? If so, it would make it a '48.

My 48 pickup is 88RC 133323
1948, V8, half ton produced in November near the end of the run for that year.

 

Hey mtflat. you're right...... I kinda figerd it out after I looked in a catalog and decided that I was looking "crosseyed" at the VIN plate. I'm really surprised as the title has the correct numbers on it (121558) as when I bought the truck it appeared that the grill had never been repainted but showed no evidence of having had the red pinstripe. My VIN number would indicate then that yours was the 11765th F1 off the assembly line after mine. Also, my truck came stock with a 4 speed "grinder" tranny and low ratio rear end. Any guess as to what month mine would have been mfg'd? My engine has been baked and cooked by the machine shop and has no flaws except it needs to be rebored. We assumed that it would need to be bored and were thankful that the block and heads are not cracked. Thank you and others that have responded to me "in my time of need"!!! johnnan

 

Happy to help anytime. Don't try to read too much into the vin numbers - you'll just get frustrated.

I only know when mine was assembled 'cause of a production code stamped into the firewall - nobody else seems to have this feature around here. Primary reason I know when it was in the factory was from a stencilled date painted in yellow on the primered cowl but under the factory paint - date was 11-11-48

Mine has the HD 3 spd tranny and had a 4.27:1 rearend.

Sounds like you've got a good block to start with there - you're lucky!!

 

I've driven "Dumbo" (My wife's name for the PU) for 19 yr before taking the engine apart. After disasembly and seeing the condition of the pistons, I am thankful that I drove it as much as I have without having a major breakdown on the road. I drove it to a '49, '50, '51 Ford meet from Madison, WI, to St. Charles, IL, down the I90 tollway in 1986. I was already having starting problems then and when turned off or stopped, it would likely not start again until cooled off or pushed or pulled 10 feet. At the meet, ther were only 2 non private passenger vehicles there, mine and a '49 F-1 Panel. He had a radio in his nad I had been trying to find one for a long time..... He had an extra!!!! I got the "Excellence in Restoration" trophy on mine. There was about 200 units there and of course, Woodies, Convertibles, and Crestlines were the "big buck" items. There were a number of '50 Fords there that had modern front end suspensions and newer engines and drivetrain. On the way home, "Dumbo" did "crap out" at a toll booth just before I got to the basket. Booth personnel came out and pushed me through to the other side and out of the way. I thought, "Well, I got through the gate without paying "......... Wrong..... In a few minutes, a toll person came to me and said, "Payup". after a short rest, the PU stared and we made it the rest of the way home without further mishap. Since then I have been very concerned when going to a show or whatever when going more than a few miles from my garage. Hopefully, after the engine restro, I'll challenge the hiway's again. Signs of spring are here in MN...... How 'bout MT??
Johnnan