Briggs body # vs frame/engine date
 

This subject has come up numerous times and most recently today a fellow FordBarner asked me about the body number for the Briggs Town Sedan. I was wondering if anyone has accumulated any data on the body number, engine date and frame date? Can the body number be used to date a TS if the body number is not visible or too bady worn? I doubt if it could identify a day of the month but at least the month. I do not know if there are production numbers for Briggs TS by month. I believe all I have seen are combined Briggs and Murray production numbers. I would be interested in compiling this information if it makes sense.

Re: Briggs body # vs frame/engine date
 

Check MAFCA website

Re: Briggs body # vs frame/engine date
 

Thanks 29FordGuy for posting this question. I was wrong about my body number it's 199-5458. That's what I get for going on memory!
Anyway, Using 29ForGuys date he sent me, give me a working point to estimate when my body was made. Using the information given by my fuzzy math tells me my body would have been made sometime late Aug or early Sept.
Yes it would help to have the frame number, but that is not the case here. The Frame is too rusted to find much of anything.
The engine in the car is Oct of 29 so it is possible that the body was assembled out of sequence and the engine is the original one for the car. The only history I have is the car was brought here from Minn. some time later in it's life. Where it was bought is not known.
Joop. re the 400A I have not forgotten about getting photos for you.
MarkG
The Model A Ford Works
Portland OR

Re: Briggs body # vs frame/engine date
 

Maybe someone in the Barn from the Dallas area will remember this. But when I was there at the meet a few years ago someone was compiling production data on Briggs bodied cars. I can't remember why I did not participate.

Mike

Re: Briggs body # vs frame/engine date
 

Do you have a Gas tank Date by chance? Might be to late of a body but being that close to the end of gas tank stampings...you never know.

IF the body was assembled to the frame that you have, you can go to my website and try to key the frame out which will give you an aproxamite date of construction.

I think some of the chassis were assembled at the Ford plant at Dearborn then they were taken to the Briggs and Murray plants for assembly OR Briggs and Murray sent the completed bodies to each one of the USA assembly plants around the nation and they were assembled there...if that was the case, then the "numbers" got mixed in the shuffel.

Pluck

Re: Briggs body # vs frame/engine date
 

If you want to put something in the shuffle, by what is published in the list of production of TS for 1929 for both Briggs and Murray that number is 84970. With the number given me by 29FordGuy for late Oct of 29 that would work out that there were only about 14,000+ Briggs TS made for the year!
RE tank date, no date, I have looked several times, I have sanded, I have scraped. No luck on that one.
I hope this one got loss in the shuffle, that would make my engine number right.

Maybe some other TS owners could check their numbers and post them with date their chassis was made if it's original to the car.

Re: Briggs body # vs frame/engine date
 

And that is the key! A lot are not!

Pluck