My 1939 Ford Standard Coupe - The Tear Down
Serial Number Locations
Most people are familiar with the usual location of the VIN or Vehicle Identification Number on the older Fords. Beside the matching number that was stamped into the transmission upper housing near the bell housing, Ford stamped the same number into the frame rail at three locations. The number is preceded by a stamped "star" and a star follows the last number as well.
I've placed a bit of masking tape on the frame rail to show the three locations used. All are stamped into the left side (driver's side for those of us in the USA) frame rail. The front placement is in line with the cross-member with the engine mounts. I've also seen Ford stamp the number rearward several inches from this spot. This number should always be visible when looking down into the engine compartment. The numbers are often not stamped very deeply, and may be filled with paint and dirt and, of course, rust!
The second location, shown to the right, is at the body-to-frame mounting pad (toward the rear of the front door area).
The third location is atop the same rail, at the rear
spring mount cross-member. These pictures show this location. I removed
the tape to show the actual stamped number.
When the frame was dirty and rusty I couldn't see the stampings, but the acid dip of the frame cleaned it all up. The locations at the middle and rear of the frame are normally covered up by the body and not visible until the body comes off.
