Serial #’s Locations?

J

jeepguy1948

Well-known member
Serial #’s Locations?

I would like to find (if at all possible) the serial number for my new to me 30 Phaeton. Is there a way to find the number without removing the body? I do not want to use the number on the motor if possible. It’s a “B” motor so there is no question that it is not original to the car.
 
Re: Serial #’s Locations?

If there is a number on the B motor,then somebody stamped it there.Hopefully it was the number of your car when the motor was changed.But,there is no way of knowing if the replaced motor was original,or if it had been in six cars before that.Check the date that motor number was stamped and see if it lines up with the features of your car for that month.If you find you have a Jan.of 29 motor number then you will know you that number didn't come from your car originally.If you really need that frame number you will need to lift the left side of the body,remove the splash apron,and start scraping.Then,hope it was even stamped to begin with.Since I started taking A's apart in 1972 I've found lots of unstamped frames.Mostly out of Canada.
 
Re: Serial #’s Locations?

jeepguy1948 said:
I would like to find (if at all possible) the serial number for my new to me 30 Phaeton. Is there a way to find the number without removing the body? I do not want to use the number on the motor if possible. It’s a “B” motor so there is no question that it is not original to the car.
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Most of the frame numbers, if present, are located on the top left frame rail a bit south of the forward cowl mounting bolt. On the frame I have open right now, it’s immediately above where the anti-rattler bracket is mounted. That means the number is below the body, the splash apron and the welting. I’ve heard that you CAN lift the body enough to view it, but unless your need is something more than academic, you might be better served to put your efforts elsewhere.
 

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Re: Serial #’s Locations?

Exactly correct Jay Jay !.. and as you point out -not all frames were stamped anyway.
 
Re: Serial #’s Locations?

Is it possible to cut a rectangular hole out of the body, splash apron, and welting to have it visible? That said, I lifted my car's body 3 inches to view the serial number.
 
Re: Serial #’s Locations?

nkaminar said:
Is it possible to cut a rectangular hole out of the body, splash apron, and welting to have it visible? That said, I lifted my car's body 3 inches to view the serial number.
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I would think it would be unwise to compromise the body subrail like this.
 
Re: Serial #’s Locations?

I've gotten the impression that the number isn't always in the same location, so you would really want to know where it was before cutting a window.
 
Re: Serial #’s Locations?

I have heard over the years that you can remove the threashold kick-plate and use a cut-off tool, and cut a window. Then put the plate back on. Either lifting the coach, or cutting a hole, I'd think you are going to need a sandblast nozzle to make the number readable.

If you live in a title state be careful about opening up a can of worms. Remember, to call you insurance company, or better yet mail them a letter. Any loss, and they are going to want their agent (not the salesperson, a representative) to verify the vehicle is the insured vehicle.

If any of these numbers com back as EVER being stolen, in any state, or already in use...
 
Re: Serial #’s Locations?

What ever happened to using a number 2 lead pencil and a piece of notepaper to create a rubbing after the number is located? If you can loosen the cowl location body bolt on the drivers side you need several inches of clearance. Or ignore the issue altogether. A wire brush can be your friend.
 
Re: Serial #’s Locations?

It might be a good idea to stamp or permanently affix a placard with the verified serial number somewhere where it can be read by the officials. For a US Coast Guard documented vessel, the number is routed into the forward bulkhead.
 
Re: Serial #’s Locations?

Assuming this is the RHD Argentine vehicle, it would be good to find out if serial
numbers were even used there (and how and where} before going any further.
Someone on the V8 forum might also be helpful in this regard.
Was there no exchange of a serial number when you recently acquired ownership?
 
Re: Serial #’s Locations?

The serial number was ONLY on the engine. That is what was used for registration. The number on the frame was not the "legal" number. It could be used to identify stolen/disassembled cars but there was no way to easily see or compare it to the engine number. The feds finally got involved in 1968 to set uniform VIN and location rules for all manufacturers to follow. I had a 50s Studebaker that was registered by the engine number. The engine was long gone. The Studebaker club has all the records. They were able to cross reference the engine number to the body number and DMV then changed the title using the body serial number.
 
Re: Serial #’s Locations?

This is an RHD car. There is a 4 digit number on the block (I will post it in a bit) but It’s a B motor so the number on it does not actually correlate with much of anything. I only have a bill of sale so any numbers that may or may not mean anything are unavailable. The whole reason I asked about a serial number at all was to use it to get a title possibly.
 
Re: Serial #’s Locations?

The number on the engine block is 7640. It is very faint and there appears to be no other letters, numbers, or symbols.
 
Re: Serial #’s Locations?

jeepguy1948 said:
The number on the engine block is 7640. It is very faint and there appears to be no other letters, numbers, or symbols.
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Run it by DMV. As long as your bill of sale matches the number there isn't much they can look for since the frame numbers are hidden.
In reality they may just add a state ID tag and call it a day. That is a blessing in disguise that makes it easy to swap engines.
Our 29 Coupe has a state tag. It's listed as a 29 Ford Cpe not a special built or revived wreck which is where they generally use these tags.
 

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