98RT 202077

9 = 1949/50 model year
(Based on the VIN sequence number, I'd say it is a 49)
8R = 239 cid flathead V8
T = F5, 134" wheelbase
202077 = Vin sequence number, again based on theis number, safe bet you have a 49

7 KC 6C 9U

7 = Color Code: Meadow Green (interetsting that it may have actually been blue originally)
KC = Kansas City assembly plant
6C = Date Code - March 6, 1949
9U = unknown

Thanks for the information.

 

Now I'm really confused. I don't know what I own, now.


98RY163771 Meadow Green

Firewall stamping heavy on bottom- 1CCS16B268

3 speed on floor

original flat bed intact (my uncle bought this in early 1970)

small back window

Titled as a 1950 Ford sedan

has '51 hood latch/dowel arrangement

Thanks for any help on this one.

 

9=1949
8R=239ci V8 flathead
Y=1 ton F3
163771 is the serial number.

Now 1949 carried over into 1950 using the same first 4 digits, and your serial number is fairly high, so it may be a '49 or maybe earlier 1950. Someone else may chime in and confirm. Thus why the cut-off date is being sought after. Trying to find what serial number is the cutoff between 1949 and 1950.

 

What you own is a 1949 F3. No doubt about it.

9 = 1949/50 (Yours is a 49 and we will get to that in a moment)
8R - 239 CID Flathead V8 as HAVI said.
Y = F3
163771 = Vin sequence number. Yours is a fairily early 49. More on this in a moment. The change over from 1949 to 1950 o0ccurred somewhere in the mid 200 thousand range. Yours is well below that.

On to the fiorewall stamping.

1CCS16B268

1C - This should be the paint code. Ford originally used number for this, either 1-digit or 2 digit. In 1950, most plants moved to a lettering system for the paint code. What I have never seen is a letter and a number as part of the paint code. Any chance that first C was a digit of some sort? The paint code for Meadow Green was 7. What you may have is Arabian Green. This was changed to Meadow Green in the Spring of 1949. I haven't come across many Arabian Green trucks, Particulalry rare for a 49. It would explain the odd paint code. Any chance it is a 10 and not 1C?

CS = Chester, PA Assembly Plant
16B = Feburary 16, 1949 Build Date
268 = Unknwon sequence number.

Hope this helps you some. YOU have a 1949 F3 built in Chester, PA on Feb, 16, 1949. Thanks for supplying the information.

 

Cool. Thank you. That helps. I was told many years ago it was a '49. There is a chance that was a 10, because the digits looked to be stamped by hand, as they are crooked (not perfectly parallel), stamped more heavily at the bottom, and at different elevations, but it looks EXACTLY like the "C" next to it. As far as color goes, Meadow green I had mixed looks like the original factory paint that survived under the voltage regulator, starter solenoid, etc. Hope this helps!

 

Yiours would not eb the first truck with a paint code of 10. Proble is I ahve never been able to figure out what color that was. I will list Arabian Green with a ? next to it. thanks for ppaosting. Glad we could help.

 

Texan I have a 1950 F1, built on June 30th at the Buffalo, NY Plant. It has a floor mounted shift. It's mechanicals are all original. I hope this information helps in determining cut off date of conversion to column mounted shifter during 1950. I have always heard that the change was "late" 1950 but can't determine relative time. Hope the June 30th date helps. Keep up the good work.
Regards,
Canarsie Kid

 

Thanks for the information. I think the date of the swictchover tot he column shift was plant dependant. MY guess is that Ford had determined that there would nmot be any three seed floor shifts for the light duty 3-speeds in the 1951 trucks and stopped building them or having them built at some point in 1950. When they ran out, the started using the column shifts intended for the 1951's. Pure speculation though. Consequently, when they went to the column shift simply depended on when the ran out of flor shift tranny's at the various assembly plants.

BTW, it would be great to get the VIN # and the firewall stamping for your truck to file away with the others.

Thanks,

Carl

 

Carl,
VIN is 98 RC 399198
Firewall Stampng is: MBFF 30 891

It's a 1950 F1 with 239 cu. in. flathead V8, 6 volt positive ground, 3 Speed on the floor, optional passenger side windshield wiper, heater and rear bumper. No radio or cigar lighter, no dome light. Maybe you can help, all I have seen in pictures are PU's w/o rear bumpers. My bumper hides my license plate. Was this truly an option? How did they get away with obscurring the plate? Any info is appreciated.

Regards,
Skip

 

Bumpers were not really standard equipment on p/u's until at least tometime in the late 1970's and it may not have occurred until sometime in the 1980's. I recall my father buying a new p/u in 1975 and having to have them add the rear bumper. Some Bonusbuilt trucks did come with a factory rear bumpers but many had after market units installed either at the dealer or by someone after the purchase. The orginal bumper was not a step bumper but was instead something like the front bumper. There are many different versions of the aftermarket bumper. Some even had braces that would bolt to the rear fender. That style created some problems if the truck was ever bumped, even just a little bit from the rear.

Thanks for the VIN, the firewall stamping and the details. Very helpful. We do not have many examples of Buffalo trucks. I suspect many succumbed to road salt over the years.

 

Thanks for the reply. The rear bumper is a close copy of the front. I bought my truck in Albany, NY so it didn't travel to far from its birth place. I believe you are right, the winters and salt on the roads probably depleted the herd.

Stay well,
Skip

 

Hi i am very new to this fourm thing. I have a VIN number to a 1949 ford truck. I would like to know where on the truck i can find more information about the truck. Where i can find other numbers and where the vin plate actually goes. Can you also help me Decode the VIN i have. It is 97hc261592 So far i got a 1949 f-1 1/2 ton 6Cyl. Can you please email me your finding at the following sludwig@my.devry.edu. i am so tired of surfing the internet for the past three months. Can you please help me. Thank you Hellboundbiker4u

 

E-mail is on the way but you seem to have it figured out. I'd say the chances are pretty good that you have a 49 based on the VIN sequence number.

There are two VIN plates. One was attached to the inside of the glove box door, usually screwed on. The other was attached to the firewall in the engine compartment on the passenger side of the vehicle. You should see four small holes and perhaps an outline where it went if it is no longer there. They were about the size of a business card. The VIN # should also be stamped on the passenger side frame rail. Actual location varied some but it is always in the engine compartment. This number can be hard to find. Even relatively minor surface rust can obscure this number.

There should also be a series of numbers stamped into the firewall of the cowl just above the firewall in the engine compartment. These are not on a data plate but are stamped right into the sheet metal. Depending upon the condition of your truck, these numbers can also be very hard to read but they contain the more detailed/interesting information such as when your truck was built and what the original color was. If your VIN plates are gone, these stamped numbers/letters can also tell us where the truck was built. Please let us know what you find and welcome to FTE.

 

Hi,

I haven,t posted much on this board but have found it very informative. I just bought a 1950 (I was told) F47. The VIN tag is still on the firewall but the numbers aren't anything like the ones I've seen in this thread. Serial # is BD831150-30102, paint code is 41, model DD83, trim 16, engine CE10091. The F47 is trim on the cowl. Anything you could tell me about this truck would be much appreciated!

 

The Canadian trucks used s different VIN system. There is a site out there that decodes the Mercury trcuks. It may work for the Canadian Fords as well.

Try this link:

48-51 Ford & Merc VIN