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Posted By Discussion Topic: Engine I D -- page: 1 2     supereal 12-30-2010 @ 9:42 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 Richard: The reason for emphasis on getting a legal title when a vehicle is purchased is to protect the buyer, and prevent loss of time and money trying to find or recreate a title. From time to time, in fact last year, a putative owner saw his long lost (stolen) truck being offered. He had the proof, and reclaimed the truck, to the loss of the would-be seller. It is also notable that a "manufactured title" may well be a violation of law in some states. Granted that each state has its own set of title regulations, and a buyer should investigate both the selling state and the state where the vehicle is to be taken, before handing over the money. There has been plenty of instances where the "owner" of a valuable restored vehicle turned up to make a claim. I know all of this sounds like a broken record (no pun), but given the large sums of money involved, "due diligence" is not a waste of time, but a very real protection. 51f1 12-29-2010 @ 2:28 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 573 Joined: Oct 2009 Everybody always emphasizes getting a legal title before you buy a vehicle, which I can certainly understand. But what do you do in states like Georgia that didn't issue titles for vehicles of our era and won't issue one now? I wouldn't have any trouble selling my truck in Georgia, because it is legally registered, but what about selling it to someone in another state? Richard TomO 12-28-2010 @ 8:47 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 7252 Joined: Oct 2009 Ford manufactured cars did not have a motor number in the flathead V-8 era. A 46-48 Ford or Mercury engine (they were the same) would have a large 59 cast into the top of the bell housing. You can usually see it with the engine in the car, but if you can't, you can get your hand in there to feel it. The distributor is not a good indicator of year of manufacture as the early ones can be easily retrofitted onto the later engines. The 39-41 V-8 had core plugs in the lower rails where the oil pan fits. You can see the bumps in the block casting. These were eliminated in 42. The 42 engine had the outline of the intake manifold machined on the top surface of the block with the rest of the casting left rough. All other years had the complete surface machined. Tom supereal 12-23-2010 @ 8:23 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 The key to confirming registration is to find someone in the DMV that actually knows about old cars. We have been very fortunate that our local DMV has expressed an interest in helping keep old cars on the road. If, and when, there is a question about the legality of the VIN, a "bonded title" is issued here to protect ownership. Today, the woods is full of crooks and charlatans who prey on the unsuspecting. The best advice is not to put up your money until the seller can furnish an actual legal title, no matter how much you want the car. If the seller balks, either drop the deal, or insist on a neutral third party to hold the payment until a reliable title is in hand. joe b 12-21-2010 @ 4:18 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 389 Joined: Oct 2010 What I meant was the ENGINE ID. He/we found the VIN on the frame as you mention. The reason I had to have it inspected was after owning and titling it in California and New Hampshire I moved to Ohio. Ohio requires that the inspector physically see the VIN. I scr*ped and wire brushed it off and discovered the number had been wrong for at least 20 years. This is why I had to have the OSP inspect it so I could get a title. The other comments on the engine possibly being a factory rebuild is quite plausible. I understand Ford had an extensive program for dealer rebuild installations. The distributor is the twin cap front mounted one. TomO 12-21-2010 @ 2:55 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 7252 Joined: Oct 2009 The serial number or "VIN' will be on the left frame rail, between the firewall and the front frame cross member. It is usually close to the steering box mount. Use a scr*per to clean the frame, sand paper may remove the light stamping. The number will start with * and end with an *. The number for a Ford V-8 will be 18 123456. The 1941 serial number would be in this range 18-5,896,295 to 18-6,769,035. Tom supereal 12-21-2010 @ 1:44 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 One of the main differences between a '41 and a '47 engine is the distributor. The '41 has the old style with the caps on either side, while the later, '46-'48, has the "pancake" type. In between is the '42 with the "crab" cap. Like the others, I don't recognize the numbers, but suspect it is an "authorized" rebuilder's code. For practical purposes, there wasn't much difference in Ford or Mercury engines until the adoption of the crankshaft with the four inch stroke. As for enlisting the authorities to find a number, it isn't a good idea as long as the title has been approved. Old Fords don't have a "VIN" number in the modern sense, only a prefix indicating the year of manufacture, and a serial number showing the place in the production sequence. Many frame numbers are missing or illegible and, as Charlie says, numbers on the engine or transmission are likely not original due to replacements over the many years. Some states didn't recognize those numbers, anyway, and assigned their own "VIN". CharlieStephens 12-21-2010 @ 12:57 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 888 Joined: Oct 2009 The inspector should have looked on the top of the left side frame rail. You might want to find it before you ask him to look. The number also appears on the top of the transmission case but this number is usually not used since it is easy/common to replace transmissions. Charlie Stephens joe b 12-21-2010 @ 11:28 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 389 Joined: Oct 2010 None that I could find. I had to take the car to the Ohio State Patrol for an inspection because the VIN had been wrong for probably 20 years. The inspector knew where to find numbers but this was the only place he could find also. alanwoodieman 12-21-2010 @ 7:28 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 868 Joined: Oct 2009 could be a remanufacturer ID number, are there/were there any other tags on the block?

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