1940 Ford Sedan Delivery - Coca Cola fleet

W

Weasel

Junior Member
Does anybody have any information regarding the fleet of 400 1940 Ford sedan deliveries built for Coca Cola, painted red and in Coca Cola livery?

From what I understand from a fellow 1940 Coca Cola SD owner, these were built in two different plants and a total of 400 were built. I am interested in the history and to know how many are still out there? Do they have sequential VIN numbers from the two assembly plants?

Any further information from you Ford buffs would be much appreciated.

Thanks fellas

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I always thought that Coca Cola delivery trucks were yellow (the company corporate color) until sometime in the early to mid '50's, when they changed to red.:confused: I know I've seen Coca Cola trucks from the '30's through the '60's and the early ones were yellow. I've also seen Coke machines in yellow with red lettering and red & white with white lettering as well as the wooden cases the same way. I've got a 1942 Westinghouse "chest cooler" Coke machine (red) and a 1958 Vendo 81 refrigerator style (original, un-restored) Coke machine painted red/white. Not that it means anything but, I like the '40 Sedan Delivery painted red.:D:cool:
 
Weasel, I wouldn't know about your Coca Cola fleet, But I can answer your question regarding sequential serial numbers.
While it was quite possible and likely that some cars were assembled having sequential numbers, there would have been no way that any assembly plant could have built a sequentialy numbered fleet of anything. Engine assemblies were stamped with a serial number on the transmission at the engine plant. They would already have been out of sequence when they completed break-in and testing, at which point they would be loaded onto boxcars in no particular order. These boxcars became rolling warehouses, lined up on sidings at assembly plants across the country. No record of serial numbers was ever made as to which plants recieved which boxcars*, nor was any list of serial numbers shipped with the boxcars: The only relevant number being quantity. The engines themselves did have a tag attached that was removed and it's number recorded on the build sheet at the time the engine was installed in a random chassis on the line. It was also stamped in three locations on the frame at that time.
*The exception here was that certain engine assembies having new running change features were designated for installation in vehicles at the Dearborn plant, in order that they be sold locally to be available to engineering should problems develop in those features.
 
Thanks for that useful info Alan - my question was based more on the possibility that since the fleet order was painted Coca Cola red, and these were apparently the only sedan deliveries painted this color at the factory, would it be possible that they were built in one sequential batch to be painted with one batch of red paint (Code N8916), so that the assembly line did not have to switch colors? My question was based on sequential VIN numbers rather than engine numbers.
 
Weasel said:
... My question was based on sequential VIN numbers rather than engine numbers.
Click to expand...

The VIN number WAS the engine number. When the engine/transmission was placed on the chassis, that number was stamped on the frame. Also, as I understand it, the "engine" number was actually stamped on the transmission since it was intended that if an engine was in need of rebuilding, it would be replaced and the old engine, when rebuilt, would wind up in someone else's car. (IMHO)
 
Weasel, The serial number is the Vin number. There is no other number. It appears on the transmission, the frame, and the Title. Certain body styles produced by outside vendors had a body number plate on the firewall, but these were for internal use only, never recorded on Titles.
As a fleet order of that size would interrupt the normal schedule of a plant too much, it is not likely that more than a percentage of the order was filled each day until complete. Additionally, the painted bodies may have themselves been interspersed with others on the assembly line, still another factor shuffling the numbers.
 
Well I am not historically a Ford guy, having had mainly orphan makes from the 1930s - so thanks for enlightening me. My SD does not have it's original driveline so that's my excuse and I am sticking to it;).

Is there any way to tell where (in which plant) and when a vehicle was built by it's VIN number? The sum of things about which I know absolutely nothing increases by a factor of 99% - daily!
 
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