'33 vs '34 Fords

[Leadfoot4U]

Originally Posted by DavidG

All of the U.S.-made '33 and '34 passenger car with bodies not manufactured by Ford had such a body number tag on the firewall (or were supposed to have) and with the letters LB in the middle. They had no connection with Long Beach. The first group of numbers on the tag were the body type code as in your case, 710 for roadsters.

So, what does the "LB" stand for?

[Kens 36]

The letters indicate the manufacturer of the body. In this case LeBaron, one of the companies that made bodies for Ford in the '30s (LeBaron, Murray, Budd, and Briggs if I recall correctly.

Ken

[DavidG]

Ken,


My recollection is the same as yours. In this case, previously independent LeBaron was a subsidiary of Murray. The Great Depression eventually spelled the end for the independent body builders for the classic car manufacturers.

[Leadfoot4U]

I don't understand why a body made by Murray (not LaBaron, a subsidiary of Murray) would have an "LB" name plate? Victoria bodies were made by Murray, not LaBaron. Why then should an LB plate be used for a Victoria?

[1935 Ford Pickup]

Not all 34 bodies have the crows foot stiffening rib in the rear wheel tub. My 34 5 window coupe I am working on has flat wheel tubs and it didn't have any metal work done to the body until I started fixing it. It was still in the original black paint and not a lot of rust.

My guess would be that this was similar to a 27-28 type of deal where early cars could have some holdover from the previous year. I would bet that my car was a very early 1934. If I didn't have pictures to prove this, nobody would believe that the sheetmetal wasn't replaced.

Originally Posted by alchemy

34’s are easy to tell even if you have an absolutely stripped down body with nothing bolted to it. There is a divot at the top edge of the firewall for the hood side to sit in. The rear wheelwells have a crows foot stiffening rib. And the lower hood latch fits in a hole with a flat top edge and the foot of the cowl.

[alchemy]

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Does your 5 window have the extensive wood around the quarter windows like a 33, or the minimal like a 34? Does it have the dimples in the top edge of the firewall for resting the hood?

[1935 Ford Pickup]

It has the 34 wood and the dimples for the hood.

Originally Posted by alchemy

Does your 5 window have the extensive wood around the quarter windows like a 33, or the minimal like a 34? Does it have the dimples in the top edge of the firewall for resting the hood?

[Newc]

Yep; I checked all my 33/34 grills and radiators for the 'third bolt' and only found it on truck radiators and grills. Newc

[ToddFF]

There are like 60 differences between the 2 years. I have been compiling a list of what I found:

grill emblems, Grills, radiator caps, Cowl vents, hood side vents, hood handles and how they hold down, hood tops, interior door handles and pulls, gauge placements, engine hp, door windows, inner fenders, door hinges, bumper brackets, color of interior knobs, luggage rack (33) only, paint color schemes 33 blk fenders, 34 it was an option, pin stripping, sun visors, cowl lacing bead on body