mtflat, the front springs have 8 leaves.

F1Tim

 

F1's had 8 springs as std. F2/3 also had 8 but with a higher deflection weight. Does it have running boards? Boards for flatbeds were a lot shorter than F1s and were curved end to fit the rear fender. Flatbed boards had a rounded back end. Its possible the original box was removed and a flatbed installed - with the box saved for "someday". I've done that myself on newer trucks. Nothing that I know of in the serial number would indicate that - unless maybe the model characters off the glovebox door (rating plate) shows it.

The character after the F would likely be an I since Ford chose to use that instead on a numerical 1. Quirky, I know, but so it goes.

If you can verify the original cab color it would fill in a blank I've had for gray. Assembly plants started to code color with numbers, then changed to letters. "S" might be it..... if you get a chance look under the dash, behind the gas tank or under the kick panels for original color.

Thanks Tim!

 

mtflat, The running boards are for an F1, with the curved ends that fit the fenders. Based on the way they were rusted to the front fenders, it's safe to say they weren't replaced when the current bed was added. The rating plate on the glovebox door is for an F1, with model characters 9 H C.

I looked over the cab closely last night and everything was looking grey (behind where kick panels used to be, under what's left of the headliner edge, hinges for glovebox, firewall inside & out, gaps between mating panels on the front clip (where I could see...) until I looked behind the gas tank. It looks to be a brown/maroon...ish color. This color is behind the tank and it's mounting flange. Looks like the inside of the cab and gas tank were painted grey with the tank installed in the cab. I started looking for other traces of that color and the only small spot I saw was a very worn spot on the passenger door just below the vent wing. All other areas (rusted areas, chips, scratches, ...) show only the grey. Maybe this brown/maroon...ish color would have been a primer? I didn't know that was a standard color for 1950.

F1Tim

 

Select The Year

Try this site for avaialble colors.

Canarsie Kid

 

Interesting site for colors kid! It's good as far as it goes and while it is a bit incomplete, it does show the stock numbers for cross-reference.

Tim, the reddish-brown color you see under the gray is red-oxide primer. Commonly used by Ford and is very tough.

Everything sounds like your truck is an F1 that somebody added helper springs to the rear. Could have been a dealer thing or more likely a previous owner who wanted to haul more weight. The springs and mounting systems were sold in a lot of different configurations.

So gray is "S" - I'm sure Carl will add this to his data.

 

EARLY 1950, WITH, EARLY STEEL BED, firewall stamp ( *97HC*275454* RIC ) (jimmy)

 

1.) 1948 ? F-1
2.) Vin 88RC-21828 ( first two letters are hard to read but assume both are 8's ?)
3.) Raise bed panel, possibly original?
4.) Yes
5.) 3 speed (detachable hogshead half bell)
6.) floor shift
7.) No visible #'s on firewall

I am selling this truck and figured it would be good to add to the database while I still had it.
so anyone know what year this really is? I guess I better read back through all these posts, this list is getting long!
thanks

the last 5 numbers of the vin are supposed to be six digits not 5 ?? I'll have to go look again see if I missed something .

after looking again It's hard to say but looks like a 1 so it would be 218281 ?
thanks

 

Five digits are fine for the sequence number on a 48 which appears to be what you have. A 200,000 vin sequence number would be a 49 or a 50.

 

Well I kept putting off providing my info for the registry hoping to get a better look at the firewall stampings. With most of the sheet metal off now, scotch padding the stampings and wiping with a contrasting paint to highlight them, (and anything else I could think of - and still open to tips) they're still not easy to make out. Here's what I have:
1948 F6
VIN:
- Firewall Tag: *88RTH*130225* HP on top right,
the tag's not in the best shape
- Right Frame Rail by motor mount: 8*8RTH 130225 *
- Title: 88RT130225
- Glovebox door tag: Missing
Wheelbase: 158"
Front Springs: 12 leaves
Rear Springs: 12 leaves + 5 aux

The truck came from Nebraska.

 

Apprecaite the contribution. Looks like a later 1948.

 

And I forgot to list with the above what I think is stamped on the firewall / engine bay:
22 H F (or R) - 3 1
The stampings favor the top and right and are not very deep.

 

I'll bet that second letter in question is a "P", thus HP for Highland Park.

The 22 is where the paint code would generally be. 2 would have been Vermillion Red. Not sure why there would be 22 there.

The 31 would be in the area of the date code. Either something is missing or they were still sorting out there system when this one was stamped.

I know what you mean about the stampings being somewhat light. Many were that way.

 

'48 F-1
87HY58316
Raised panels
six cylinder
4 speed
Body Type,F1PU0648
Class AK
Fee in 1967, $19.00
I'm the second owner, bought it in 1962, changed registration in 1967 to my name.
original mileage, 75630

 

Numbers all look right for a 48. Thanks for conributing. Rarely do we got one that's a second owner.

 

Here's the information for the F-1 that I purchased last year:

Year - 1950
VIN# - 97HC312907
Bed - Flat Panel
Original Bed - I think so (wood boards, not steel)
Transmission - 3 speed
Floor or Column - Floor
# on Firewall - DAH837

The serial number on the patent plate is written as
*97HC*312907*DL . The same information appears to be on the glove box door, although it's difficult to read.

The truck came from Texas. I believe that the original color was black. It is outfitted with a grill guard and rear bumper with trailer hitch. A plate on the rear bumper says, " Another Smash Hit Product, Grill Gaurds & Bumpers, The Perry Company, Waco, Texas.

I've attempted to attach a picture of the fiirewall and of the truck as it looked when I took delivery.