How to identify the year without the Vin??
 

I recently purchased a four-door and was told it was a 31 however reading on forums it said that model A’s stopped having wooden rails on the floor 29 and went to steal 30-31. Please say it isn’t so I just registered it and got a title stating it was a 31 as that’s what I was told. Not sure where the vin# 124360524 came from ??

Re: How to identify the year without the Vin??
 

Should be A-24360524

Re: How to identify the year without the Vin??
 

Start here:

https://www.mafca.com/whatyear.html#...of%20the%20car.

Pics would help...

Re: How to identify the year without the Vin??
 

Engine number should agree with the year -

https://www.mafca.com/data_eng_production.html

Your VIN may be a state assigned one, but they usually start with the state abbreviation.

Re: How to identify the year without the Vin??
 

Re: How to identify the year without the Vin??
 

The Vin number does not make any sense as it hastoo many numbers to decipher what year the motor was made?, I guess my question is did they still use wooden rails on the frame on 30-31s

Re: How to identify the year without the Vin??
 

Fordors had a lot of wood until the Slant Window came out.. I'm not sure what you mean by "rails". Can you post some pictures of the car? As far as I know all Fordors from the cowl back were the same or similar (Murrey vs. Briggs). Exception the Slant Window.

It would be easier to tell you what you have if we could see the car.

https://live.staticflickr.com/4786/3...3b40803abc.jpg

Re: How to identify the year without the Vin??
 

Re: How to identify the year without the Vin??
 

Easy to do...go to this site to determine when the engine was stamped:http://plucks329s.org/studies/studie...tudies_ep.html

A lot of times the engines are restamped thus taking away the correct time period they were actually stamped.

Pluck

Re: How to identify the year without the Vin??
 

Ford introduced the "metal framed" (slant windshield) Fordor in early 1931. The "wood framed" Fordors were built from 1928 through early 1931.

Bob

Re: How to identify the year without the Vin??
 

Thanks again for all your help. So it is possible that I have a early 31 wood frame.

Re: How to identify the year without the Vin??
 

If you lost th 12 from the vin you would have a 1931 engine number

Re: How to identify the year without the Vin??
 

" So it is possible that I have a early 31 wood frame."

Yes, it's possible. All of the straight windshield fordors, 1928 through early 1931, used a lot of wood framing. All of the slant windshield fordors, which are 1931 only, were mostly steel framed. If you have a straight windshield with an exterior visor, it is a wood-framed body; and yes, it could be an early 1931.

W. Michael

Re: How to identify the year without the Vin??
 

Re: How to identify the year without the Vin??
 

For some reason my phone will not allow me to upload a picture to your website

Re: How to identify the year without the Vin??
 

so upload it to your email and drag it over...............

Re: How to identify the year without the Vin??
 

The frame , front accuatators ,and tourque tube have subtle diffs.

Re: How to identify the year without the Vin??
 

If the frame/engine serial number was actually A4360524 (eliminating the 1 & 2 at the beginning), that would be consistent with an engine produced in February of 1931. The slant windshield types started showing up in April or May of 1931 and they can be easily distinguished from the early 1931 models which were basically the continuation of the 1930 models which used a lot of wood, including the subrails. The slant windshield models were an all new concept for Ford in 1931.