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EFV-8 Club Forum / General Ford Discussion / Significance of numbers on bell housing?

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Discussion Topic: Significance of numbers on bell housing?

trjford8

01-05-2016 @ 8:27 AM

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The frame # on the 41-48 cars is most often found near the front crossmember on top of the left frame rail. If not found there then work your way back towards the firewall.

42wagon

01-05-2016 @ 4:04 AM

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The number you are looking for and hopefully agrees with your title should be somewhere between 899A-1984859 and 899A-2374315. As has been said it was stamped on the top of the transmission case just above the little inspection door. It was then transferred to the left frame rail when the engine was installed in a frame. You will find it somewhere between the radiator and the firewall. Mine is next to the front cross member.

Be very careful looking for it. The number may be very faint and easily obliterated by aggressive scr*ping or sanding.

Ritzy1

01-05-2016 @ 3:44 AM

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Thanks for the info. Now, I'll see if I can locate that number on the frame under the hood!

Drbrown

01-04-2016 @ 7:36 PM

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Attached is photo of Body Code stamped on the firewall of my '47 long-door coupe. Its extremely difficult to discipher but based on some treads I read a few years back I figured it meant: no. doors; color code; the factory that made the body; and the date the body came off the assembly line. I believe that the Early Ford V8 book says the body code has nothing to do with the frame VIN.

I was told that I have a '48 engine but have yet to see the engine bell housing so can't comment on that. Others here can provide you with that info.

ford38v8

01-04-2016 @ 7:33 PM

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The large number 59 is significant, as you likely have guessed, as denoting an engine of the 59 series manufactured between 1945 and 1948. In addition to your 59, there were also variations with suffix letters, such as 59L.

The other two numbers at that location are mold numbers, identifying the particular mold used to cast the block. No clues for us to decipher with those numbers.

Your car's serial number does not appear on the engine block, but rather, it will be found on the bell housing of the transmission that came with the original engine. (you may not have the original transmission.) This is a numerical serial number, and can be traced to the day of manufacture at the Rouge Plant in Dearborn, Michigan. Those engine/transmission assemblies were then shipped to assembly plants where that serial number was also stamped on the frame in 3 locations. One location will be visible to you upon close inspection of the top of the driver side frame as seen from under the hood. This number should match your car's Title.

Any numbers you find stamped on the firewall will refer to the body.

Alan

Ritzy1

01-04-2016 @ 6:06 PM

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What do the numbers on the bell housing indicate on a 59AB? This is the engine out of my 1948 Ford Tudor Sedan. I saw some tech tips posted on the site that indicated that the number may be part of the VIN but they don't match the title that came with the car. There are also 5 numbers stamped on the firewall that do not match any of the numbers on the title or the bell housing. I have not looked for numbers on the frame yet.

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