Matching Numbers

Slseacrist

Junior Member
So I just finished returning to the road a 1931 pickup. In the process I removed the seized engine and replaced it with another I had.
The back story is the truck was acquired in 1970 from a gentalment that had bought it to restore, many years before. When his heath forced him into a home, it was sold to my father, before he got started. The truck had CAL licence plate form 1956. I surmise that the truck was last regiatuer in that year.
When my father bought it the motor was siezed, he stripped the head and to find the wrist pin had come lose and cut a deep grove in the front of cylinder #1. At that point my father parked it in a barn for almost 40 years

Now that I returned into the road I was interested to see if the frame number and engine number match. Today I was back at my shop, I checked out the seized block, A 40559€£ the frame was checked durning the return to road readinehades A40559€£. So I have the matching engine and frame.

Couple of questions, how rear are matching number cars, should I rebuild The seized motor (cylinder 1 would have to be sleeved). Would this make it more value, if I were to sell( unlikely)? I have no plans to trash the seized motor but it is stored my classroom, and kids do the darnedest things.

Thanks everyone for your 2 cents in advance.
 
Matching numbered cars are not rare. Unless you have trouble registering the car with the different engine in it, I would not worry about it, but would save the engine in case of future disputes.
 
I would fix the original engine. sleeves are not that hard to put in. To me they are more original with the engine they came with. I would pay more for one with the original engine, and the rest of the parts.
 
I agree with George, and maybe just boring the cylinders would be enough to clean them up. I bought an engine about 7 years ago that ran great. I remove the pan to check for junk, and when I turned the crank I could hear a lot of air going past the pistons. I pulled the head to see what the problem was and found all 4 cylinders had gouges from wrist pins.
 
I asked a car builder that was showing his car as a matching number car if all he built was matching numbered cars. He stated if it is not a matching numbered car when we start it will be when we finish. And no one will ever know that its not.
 
So I just finished returning to the road a 1931 pickup. In the process I removed the seized engine and replaced it with another I had.
The back story is the truck was acquired in 1970 from a gentalment that had bought it to restore, many years before. When his heath forced him into a home, it was sold to my father, before he got started. The truck had CAL licence plate form 1956. I surmise that the truck was last regiatuer in that year.
When my father bought it the motor was siezed, he stripped the head and to find the wrist pin had come lose and cut a deep grove in the front of cylinder #1. At that point my father parked it in a barn for almost 40 years

Now that I returned into the road I was interested to see if the frame number and engine number match. Today I was back at my shop, I checked out the seized block, A 40559€£ the frame was checked durning the return to road readinehades A40559€£. So I have the matching engine and frame.

Couple of questions, how rear are matching number cars, should I rebuild The seized motor (cylinder 1 would have to be sleeved). Would this make it more value, if I were to sell( unlikely)? I have no plans to trash the seized motor but it is stored my classroom, and kids do the darnedest things.

Thanks everyone for your 2 cents in advance.

Bottom line is some people do not care if the engine is original or not. Some of us do care, to me it makes it a real model A. There is a point when you start changing parts, that turns it in to just a car.

This comes from a guy that has made his share of hot rods, but my 28 Sports coupe, 56 Chev, 66 Vette have matching numbers.

I would not make a rod out of a good car, and never did.
 
If you decide not to use that engine, why not tag the engine with what car it goes with. Then if you or some one in your family sells the car the engine will stay with the car.
 
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