If the cab is the original one that Henry and the boys placed on that fram, the numbers on the frame should match the number on the firewall plate. There was also a VIN plate on the inside of the glovebox door. Again, so long as you have the original glovebox door with the noriginal VIN plate, it should match the VIIN plate on the firewall and the VIN # stamped on the frame rail.

There is also a set of numbers and letters that are "usually"{ stamped into the firewall itself. This is not the information on the firewall VIN plate but a different set of numbers. The stamped intot the firewall #'s indicate the date built, where built, and we believe, color code and sequence # for that plant for that month or week. If you can provide those as well, we can likely decode these for you. Plants were not consistent in how they used these firewall stamping codes and there is no official source available to sort all of this out. One puprose of collecting all of this information is to attempt to decipher all of this.

Information on three or four cabs would certinaly be welcomed.

none of the no. match. i dont think it is the origanal cab . think that one came off like a f6 or so tow truck becuase in the corners of the cab are holes. next to the dash are four little holes with one big one at the bottom in the middle. i noticed when i was looking at my fried 49/50 f6 there was a plate there telling about the 2 speed rear end and in the big hole the button for the 2 speed. do you want all the no. like the one off the frame, the fire wall and the 3 plate. the one in the glove box is long gone.
nick

Give me what you got with a description of where it came from (frame, firewall vin plate, etc.) As much information as possible.

Thanks,

Carl

i only have 2 vin plates the other one got lost heres the first one
*98R C*395676* S P i know the 9 in the beging stands for 49/50 the 8R for the motor and the C for 1/2 ton. S P is for Saint Pual where it was assembly. heres the Second vin plate
98RT 161925 SP
SP 16 B 25 74 268 for the firewall. and on the frame i put to much paint and cant read it. I could also go to my frieds house with 50 fords and get there info too
nick

nick,

Which VIN plate is attached to the cab with the firewall stamping? Did this plate come with the cab?

Are both Vin plates attached to cabs or are they loose vin plates that you collected in trying to get the truck registered?

Thanks,

Carl

the ton plate is the one on right now. it might be teh origanal plate, becuase i think teh cab came off a bigger truck. the 1/2 ton plate is loose one.

Nick,

Any chance that 9 is actually an 8 where it would instead read 88RT161925 SP.

Sorry for all of the replies. The sequence # (161925) appears to be a little low for a 49. It would seem to be more in line with a late 48. Another possibiltiy is that one of the digits on your VIN plate is difficult to read and the actulat number could be higher.

The earliest 49 I have is (177567), and the latest 48 I have so far is (153148). Word is that the 48's ran through at least (166979).

I really appreciate you helping wiht this since you seem to have a "transitional" truck - 48/49.

Thanks,

Carl

Carl, it doesn't look to be quite that simple. Take a look at this website and see if you can figure out where the vin cutoff should be. The 166,979 is listed for 6 cylinder trucks, but 139,262 is the final number for V8's. I think you may be right that Nick's truck is a transitional vehicle.

If this website is accurate he may have an early '49 V8. Doesn't make much sense does it?

http://ww4.choice.net/~oftc/1948.htm

Tim,

I have nothing thus far that would contradict this. The latest 48 V8 I have is 133732.

Bizzare. Well, this was the whole point of collecting this informaiton. Thanks for the link.

could it be that low becuase it is off a 1 ton pick up instead of a 1/2 ton? i think it might be a transitional truck too.

I don't think it has anything to do with the cab being from a larger truck. I believe that it has much more to do with the engine that was in that larger truck. Tim (mtflat) may have it nailed down for us. The trucks with six cylinder engines had sequence #'s up into the 160K's and the V8's stopped in the 130K's as indicated in Tim's post above. What this means is that you can have a lower sequence # in the Vin # of a 1949 F1 with the V8 than what was assigned to some of the very late 1948 six cylinder trucks, regardless of truck size.

I think I understand what they did, just not real sure why they did it. If you are confident you have read the #'s correctly, I will add it to the 1949 list with a reference to a footnote addressing this peculiarity in the numbering system.

Nick - again, thank you for the information and any more you can come up with would be appreicated.

but the vin plate says it would have had a v8 because of the 8R if it was a six it would be 7H. from the fire wall no. what color would the truck sapose to be? i can get a picture of the vin plate.
nick

That is correct. It did come with a V8 originally and the earliest 49 V8's had sequence #'s lower than the late 48 IL6's according to what Tim (mtflat) suggests so the VIN # would seem to correspond with your cab being a 49.

The 16 in hte Firewall Stamping would indicate Chrome Yellow best I can tell.

The B 25 would indicate a build date of February 25, 1949. This would also seem to correspond with the truck being an early 49. Hope this was of some help and interest.

SP = Saint Paul, MN (Twin Cities) as the assembly plant/build location.

Again, I'd be very interested in any other VIN #'s and firewall stampings you can provide.

i could at least get 1 more set of vin no. thanks for the paint color and date
nick

I look forward to what you can get me.