| ak ford | -- 10-25-2017 @ 4:03 PM |
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Greetings all: I recently had the good fortune of procuring a 1940 Ford convertible. This my first exposure to the Ford V8. I have other Fords, but they are all pre-V8s. I realize that the serial number does not provide any information related to the car, but is it possible to obtain the date of manufacture from the serial number? Thanks,
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| nelsb01 | -- 10-25-2017 @ 7:35 PM |
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To answer your question -- no. Any records of serial numbers to a day of the month have been lost. If your vehicle still has some of the original glass, the 'bugs' can give you a rough time when the vehicle was assembled. The 'bugs' can be found in the lower corners of any of the window glass in your vehicle. Say your glass has 9 - 40 on it, that would mean that the glass was produced in September of 1940. The thought process is that glass could be installed in a vehicle within the next 30 days, so, that would equate to a October 1940 assembly date. This is a "best guess" process. Others will probably add more.
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| kubes40 | -- 10-26-2017 @ 6:33 AM |
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I have very complete records and can offer a close but approximate date. Send me your serial number and I will promptly look it up. Mike "Kube" Kubarth
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| 51f1 | -- 10-26-2017 @ 11:26 AM |
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Some of the later models have information stamped in the cowl under the hood. My '51 truck does. I don't know how far that goes back, but if you have that, it my include the assembly date along with other information. Richard This message was edited by 51f1 on 10-26-17 @ 11:28 AM
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| ak ford | -- 10-26-2017 @ 12:09 PM |
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Thanks for the responses. I did confirm that the serial number falls within the range for 1940 85 HP engines. I'm guessing the build was completed during the last third of the year based upon where the serial number falls within the range. I will check the glass for any information, however, presently, the car is in transit. Model T Ford (of which I have a few) serial numbers can be identified at least to the month of manufacture, and in some cases, to the actual day. I'm real excited about our new 1940, it is a great looking car. Thanks again.
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| CharlieStephens | -- 10-26-2017 @ 12:40 PM |
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I am certain you will find serial numbers by month in the clubs book on the 1940: https://www.earlyfordv8.org/Shop.cfm?id=19&pid=2 There are also answers to questions in the book that you didn't even know you had. Once you determine the date the engine/transmission was assembled and passed final test you will need to guess how long it took to ship the engine to the assembly plant. Charlie Stephens
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| 3w2 | -- 10-26-2017 @ 4:58 PM |
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The term serial number for Fords of that vintage is a misnomer as it is first and foremost an engine number and records at the Benson Ford Research Center have the date of when that engine was produced. It serves as a benchmark as to the starting point of when it ultimately went into a vehicle chassis in an assembly plant. Except at the beginning of a model year, the amount of time between those two events will generally be measured in weeks for vehicles produced at the Dearborn Assembly Plant to a month or more for vehicles produced farther afield. Given that most of the safety glass was produced within a day's drive of Dearborn, the dates on the glass only indicate when the glass was produced and therefore are not a reliable indicator of when the vehicle was produced. There was no 'just-in-time' supply line in that era and the same basic lag between engine manufacture and usage exists for the components such as glass.
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| ak ford | -- 10-26-2017 @ 7:55 PM |
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Thanks again to all of you. I truly appreciate the information. I'll be picking up all the information I can and reading up on the V8s and the 1940. You guys are great.
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| ak ford | -- 10-30-2017 @ 9:15 PM |
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nelsb01: The 'glass date' is July 1.
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| trjford8 | -- 10-31-2017 @ 7:15 AM |
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Unless the glass has been replaced your car was built sometime after July 1, 1940
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| ak ford | -- 11-09-2017 @ 1:30 PM |
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Thanks Triford8: The engine number also indicates the likely build date being sometime in July 1940.
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| supereal | -- 11-25-2017 @ 11:30 AM |
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I have found dates rubber stamped on the back of instruments in the dash, such as speedometers and clocks. If they were replaced, and not in the model year of the vehicle, disregard the date, as the instrument was replaced well after the build date. The original glass "bugs" in my '47 said it was made in August of that year, which was confirmed by the stamp. These dates get you close, but not to an exact day.
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