Originally Posted by 52 Merc (Post 18295034)

You can't tell the actual date of manufacture from the vin. Contrary to popular belief, vehicles did not travel down the assembly line in the order of the unit number. Vins were issued when the order was processed in the office, then released for production in batches based on options, colors, etc. The scheduled production date will be stamped on the data plate located inside of the glove box door as part of the production code, but even that could be off by several days one way or the other. Lacking this information, the next best thing would be to compare the unit numbers to other trucks built at the same plant as yours, and try to come close. You would have to find or create a 1953 F series registry to access that data.

Kind of a long answer to your question, but I hope this helps explain.

Originally Posted by arthall (Post 18315736)

Thanks for the education! My 1953 F100 glove box door plate has a "Production Code" of 24LNP248J. Can that be translated into a scheduled production date?
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...39651a1385.jpg

Originally Posted by NumberDummy (Post 18316624)

24L = Assembled November (L) 24, 1952. The other letters/numbers cannot be decoded, AFAIK

And, before someone sez something concerning the L

A = January, M = December, the letter I is skipped.

Originally Posted by arthall (Post 18316940)

Thank you once again for sharing your knowledge. This fills in another gap in the history of my truck. FYI, it was last registered in 1966 with 54,000 miles on the odometer. 50 years of sitting has taken its toll, but the engine runs, the body is fair and I started on a long term restoration to original condition last spring. New brakes all around are done, working now on lights and general wiring.

As a retired guy older than my truck, I know it will be a long but very rewarding process.

Originally Posted by NumberDummy (Post 18317610)

I'm older than your truck and you...born when FDR was prez. :-X04

Originally Posted by arthall (Post 18317733)

You win! I was born in Truman's first term - 1947.

Originally Posted by NumberDummy (Post 18317761)

Truman's first term began in 1949.

Truman was first elected prez in the 1948 election. Everyone expected Dewey to win, but the morning after the election, Truman held up a newspaper declaring Dewey the winner, but he didn't!

After FDR died in April 1945, Vice President Truman became President by right of succession.

Originally Posted by arthall (Post 18317784)

Wikipedia and other sources disagree with you, stating :Presidency (1945–1953)

• 4.1First term (1945–1949)
  • 4.1.1Assuming office and the atomic bomb
  • 4.1.2Strikes and economic upheaval
  • 4.1.3United Nations, Marshall Plan, Cold War, and China
  • 4.1.4Berlin airlift
  • 4.1.5Recognition of Israel
• 4.21948 election
• 4.3Full elected term (1949–1953)
  • 4.3.1Korean War
  • 4.3.2Worldwide defense
  • 4.3.3Soviet espionage and McCarthyism
  • 4.3.4White House renovations and assassination attempt
  • 4.3.5Steel and coal strikes
  • 4.3.6Scandals and controversies

Not that it really matters.

Originally Posted by 52 Merc (Post 18318273)

Getting back on topic here, we again have the quandary of when the model year began. Evidence shows that during the period the trucks of our topic were built, the model year followed the calendar year, rather than the "traditional" model year beginning in the fall of the previous year. Consecutive unit numbers in the serial string started each year at 10001, and with the op identifying his truck's number at 31742, that would mean his truck was the 21,742 built at his particular plant (he did not give us the entire serial number, so we don't know which plant it came from).

Only 116,437 F100's were built in 1953 across 16 US assembly plants. This would indicate an end of the year produced vehicle, not a beginning, so given this information it is logical to ascertain the build date was November 24, 1953, not 1952. :-huh