I've been here for some time and will admit that I don't jump in and contribute as I should but with the business as active as it is and trying to keep up with family needs I do what I can. I have amassed most of the parts I wish to have to work on the panel but because of the lack of a title for it I'm not sure I wish to continue with the frame that is under it. The person I got it from had bought it at auction and it had been taken off of a rock pile out by Center, N.D. His nephew had welded engine mounts on it to put in a bowtie engine and I managed to cut most of that off. You can see where the frame has been welded where someone started to put a different suspension under it and then returned to the original. With that said, I have located another 50 F-1 pick-up that has all the proper vin tags and numbers match with the frame. There is even a transferable title and it can be had for $300.00. Would it be wise to obtain this truck and canablize it to have everything matching? Is there a problem of the panel body resting on this frame? Can someone question if it was truly a panel; do the records go back to check this kind of thing out? Any thoughts and answers will be apreciated.

Gear Up

 

You should check with your DMV and ask what they do about a body switch. I asked in Mo. as I bought a Model A fordor that had the original title but the body was shot. I sold the body and am putting together a pickup body to put on it. When I took the title down to have it transfered I told them I was going to change the body and wondered if they could change the title from sedan to pickup. They said that was no problem. They transfered it as it was but said when I got it changed to bring the title back and get it changed.
I haven't done it yet but don't expect any problem as Im not chancing anything that effects any of the I.D. numbers.

Richard

Edited to include this.
What does Minn. put the title of a panel. Do they use panel as a model or would it just say truck. If panels are registered as trucks you should be good to go without any changes.

 

Get the other one, so much easier to register. Each State DMV (and the person behind the counter) will have different regulations but on two occasions I have asked them to change body style at time of registration and it was done immediately, no problem.

 

Specific to your question, there is no separate numbering system for panels versus pickups. As long as you have title and all numbers agree, the body style doesn't matter.

 

Thanks for the info. Will proceed when time is right.

Gear Up

 

Wait a minute - you're talking 1950. The book says that no matter the body style the model number would start with either 9HC for an I-6 or 9RC for a V-8. But their might be additional coding of 83 for a pickup or 82 for a panel. So, it might matter if the serial number plates have that additional coding. My comment would be correct for a 1952, but maybe not for 1950. I'll defer to the experts.

 

I suppose it could be different for each state but here in Wisconsin they don't check your title against the vehicle when you register it. I have a pickup frame under my panel and I used the title from another panel to register the truck. I just went into the DMV with the title, paid my fee and walked out. At the time I had the panel in my shop, it wasn't running. All of my trucks are made up of at least 3 trucks, it would be impossible to tell what truck was the original truck.

There are a couple of physical differences between the pickup chassis and the panel. The two biggest is the location of the gas tank and the running board brackets. The tank is obvious but the running board brackets are from the larger flatbed trucks, as are the running boards themselves. I didn't realize this until a short time ago when one of the FTE board members brought this to my attention. The other item is the rear bumper brackets. The panels have a frame extension that connects to the rear bumper. Other than this it's a very simple swap. I did it on a Sunday afternoon, in about six hours.