1937 serial number

wolfie

wolfie

Junior Member
I have a friend who just bought a 1937 from another state and has to go to the Highway Patrol to find the VIN or they will issue a new VIN so he can register the car. I understand it is on the left side of the frame in the engine compartment. Any information on the exact location? Thanks.
 
When FoMoCo put the engine transmission package into the frames on the assembly line, they had some workers stamp the numbers from the trans top onto the frame.

Tell your friend not to be surprised if they no longer match since transmissions can be replaced. You can track the frame numbers to an approximate year of manufacture on Mac VanPelt's web-site. Frames can be replaced too so you will have to check the number against the title or registration you have.
 
Thanks for the information everyone. My friend has looked on the frame and there isn't a trace of the VIN number on it and I'm sure it isn't a new frame. Capn John - What is the down side of having the DMV issue a new VIN?
 
wolfie said:
Thanks for the information everyone. My friend has looked on the frame and there isn't a trace of the VIN number on it and I'm sure it isn't a new frame. Capn John - What is the down side of having the DMV issue a new VIN?
Click to expand...

Well it's not original! You should take the time to check all the areas. I've had a frame or 2 where it's "unobtainium". the final result makes it MORE original and in the long run more valuable.
Like many things in this hobby PATIENCE and some ingenuity. There has to be a way to solve your problem.
Regards!!
 
Take a wire wheel and clean the frame from firewall to front crossmember.The '40 I had was way up near the crossmember.Possible it could have been ground off also.You can use the trans number but it should correspond to the year and then the frame needs to be stamped with the star before and after the numbers.There are 2 other places that the frame is stamped but you need to remove the body.
 
Don't use a wire wheel. These numbers were hand stamped by a guy with a hangover. With a reasonable amount of luck, there will be years of grease and dirt to protect against rust, but in any case, aggressive treatment is more likely to obliterate the number completely than to make it visible. After cleaning the old fashioned way, you're likely to see evidence of the numbers, to which you can devote some patience to making the whole number visible. It may be anywhere along the top side of the driver side frame rail between the firewall & the front crossmember. Take heart, the worst that can happen is you might get your frame rail clean.
 
I took a wire brush to my 37,then I rubbed a piece of chalk sideways across the frame by the cross member and it started to show up.It took a while but I was able to see it all. If the body is off The number is stamped on top of the frame under the drivers door. And on top of the frame (drivers side by the gas tank). If you can take the trans.cover off you can see the number on top of the trans bell.
 
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This is where to look on the trans.
 

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The Ford serial numbers did certainly originate on the bell of the transmission, and that is where you may confirm your number if, and only if, your transmission is original to your car.

Upon installation at the factory, the transmission serial number was applied to the frame in three locations. There is no VIN, only the serial number, and only in those four locations. The accepted practice is that title is represented by the serial number on the frame, not the number on the transmission.
 
I just pored some tap water on my frame by the steering box after some cleaning and it magically showed itself when the water was applied. Worked for me. Good luck ~~Walts37~~
 
Sometimes you will get what's known as a weak strike on some of those serial numbers. An 8 may look like a 3. An I is actually a 1. A 6 looks like a b. A 9 may look something like ¶ (can't find a letter that looks like this). A 7 may look like a 1. There may be no 18- prefix or a * may be missing from one end.
I would also suggest NOT using a rotary type steel wire brush mounted in some type of power tool. Or a coarse sandpaper or emery paper. It's just too easy to mess up what little is actually left of those stamped numbers on the frame. What I do is apply kerosene or some known good solvent to the area of the frame where the number should be stamped and take a hand held brass wire bush and work that brush like a scrub brush cleaning a floor. Then I wipe the dirty solvent away with a rag and repeat this procedure 2 to 3 times. Then I'll take a clean white sheet of paper and a soft lead pencil and do what's known as a rubbing of the serial number. Sometimes rubbing chalk over the numbers will bring them up clearer. I have also taken close up digital pictures and downloaded them into my computer so I could enlarge them for better visibility.
 
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I'm the guy that bought the 37 coupe. I found the serial number on the frame and I just want to thank all you guys for helping me out with your input.
 
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