Well, the 264218 would indicate a 1949. The 17J would indicate September 17 build date and that late in 1950 would surely have been a much higher number. I'm assuming that you are using the number off the patent plate on the firewall, are you sure about the HP? There was no plant code HP, there was a Highland Park assembly plant in Michigan, but the code there was HM, the only one similar was Memphis which was MP

 

It's entirely possible that a truck built mid-Sept could sit on a dealer's lot for a couple of months. Some localities titled in the calendar year of purchase, not manufacture. If your title is clear and lists it as a 50, you're safe calling it a 50. Nothing of any consequence changed during those two model years anyway.
I've cataloged over 900 trucks and have 21 with HP stampings so Highland Park MI seems to be normal. If your truck was red the rest of your firewall stamping would read 2HP17J243 or EHP17J243. HP looks like one of the earlier plants to switch to a letter for color code.

 

Tim is probably correct about the HP, I originally thought it was Highland Park, but the only documentation I could find from Ford was from the parts book that shows that they used HM for 51/52 model years in the serial numbers. But they may have changed that designation when they changed the serial number system after 1950.

 

so here is the thing, we don’t have a title, I’ll need totell the DMV what year.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>
So what should i choose and what would be the reasoning/ benefitif any at all?

also i looked on the frame and can not seem to locate the s/n

we looked on the drivers side frame top from the firewall to the frame horn and nothing, is it some where else?

thanks

Steve

 

Welcome to FTE!

Steve, your serial number should be on the top of the passengers side frame
near the motor mount. They are not punched too deeply, so be careful removing any grime.

Here's where mine is located.

 

thanks i'll check it our later, i figured it would have been on the driverside like our 47
thanks for the photo

 

Ser# 098RT154497 on the firewall tag.
Flathead V8
4 speed on floor non synchro.
Original color is black.
Frame only in the back
Non Deluxe package
Titled as a 49 1.5 ton

 

BD, your F5 is a very early '49
'48 went thru serial no 139262 for V8s, 166979 for 6s (according to oldfordtruckclub)
'49s picked up at those numbers

stangetr, if you're working to get a title I'd call your truck a '49
The vin appears 3 places: top of the frame rail as indicated above, the data plate on the firewall near the starter solenoid, and on the rating plate fastened to the glovebox door. It should have the same number all three places. The frame number is the only legal one for police inspection. All states differ in the process to get a title.

My info on vins is good only on 48-50s. Before and after that narrow window I only know bits and pieces. 51/52 could very well use HM in place of HP.

 

The Parts Catalog agrees with that.

 

Thanks for the info. I have a clean North Dakota title and am going to transfer it to a MI title shortly.

 

1) 1950 F1
2) 98RC 508032 CH
3) flat bed sides and front, script tailgate
4) no clue
5) no clue
6) column shift
7) C4314L76B ?

I want to know if I have the very last 48-50 model still in existance.

 

I don't think you'll ever be able to know that for sure. There's too many undocumented trucks still in existence, and way too many that we could never account for on this forum. But mid-November is pretty late in production, so you have at the very least, one of the last ones built for 1950. Keep in mind, though, that there were a dozen plants cranking these out, and in 6 weeks there were thousands more built after yours.

 

I have 2 later than yours:

One 508xxx in MN, the other 510xxx in TX

But you're close and you do have the latest firewall stamping - thanks for sharing. It helps to figure out where the 50/51 split took place.

 

1) What is the decode of my firewall please?
2) Also I heard there is an interest in the rear windshield. The metal opening is 27.5 x 9.25 in. But I don't know if that is small or big.
Thanks

 

CH - Chicago assembly plant (if you look closer I bet your second character is H)
3 is the code for Black
14L was the date it was assembled - 14 November
76B is in-house encoding specific to each plant. We don't know.

27.5" sounds like a small back window - the large one reaches from almost cab corner to cab corner and was used 51/52 although some plants might have used them for late 50s. It's one of the things we're trying to sort out. Height was the same for both. Thanks for your help