32 crossmember #`s

[hb32]

Pulled the floor in my pickup and found that the passenger side k member bracket going fwd to the side frame rail, for lack of a better description, is stamped B 56XXXXX 32. This number is also on the rear face and top of the rear crossmember. Pedal assy is bolted in, not riveted as early frames seem to be. All cross members are riveted in. Frame has the holes for mounting a steering box on the right side frame rail. Still convinced it is a 32 frame without the reveal and wondering if it is a factory replacement? I doubt that they would have scrapped the initial frames, after the reveals were added on the later versions ?
Thoughts?

[Bruce Lancaster]

The numbers strongly resemble B serial numbers, but are way too high! Those would be 5,600,000 up, and is I believe higher than Ford reached in B production even counting foreign and industrial engines produced long after Ford USA stopped putting them in cars.
Are you sure of that "6"?? I can't really make out much in the picture.

[hb32]

Originally Posted by Bruce Lancaster

Are you sure of that "6"?? I can't really make out much in the picture.

Pretty sure Bruce.
Does not make a lot of sense where they stamped these numbers, rear crossmember in 2 places and on "K" member but nothing in the 3 usual places that I can find.

[Mart]

Don't want to be negative, but they are not factory stamps. the font is a bit more curvy than the ford stamps.

As the number ends in 32 it may point to it being a made up number, possibly stamped in agreement with a previous owner and the DMV at the time.

It's anybody's guess as to how the numbers came about, but one thing for sure is that they were not stamped at the factory by Henry's men.

If you disregard the 32 on the end, do the numbers then fall in the correct range?

Mart.

[DavidG]

According to the available Ford production records, the last Model B engine produced in North America carried the number *B-5408067*. That occurred in December, 1941 (yes, 1941).

The stamps referred to by Mart above are shown below in the illustration from a period KRW catalogue.

While it has been years since I've seen one, NOS chassis frames used to show up from time to time.

[Andyr]

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I have a friend who owns a 1940 Ford sedan delivery with an original four banger in it! Thanks ..........

[JSeery]

Were those the tractor engines? Wasn't ford using the 9N & 8N tractor motors in some commercial vehicles for a while?

[Bruce Lancaster]

The circa '41 fours were N type tractor engines...
B's were used in vehicles at least up to 1940 in Germany and GB, but none after 1934 here. Many were made here though for industrial applications and maybe as replacement motors.

[JSeery]

Originally Posted by Bruce Lancaster

The circa '41 fours were N type tractor engines...
B's were used in vehicles at least up to 1940 in Germany and GB, but none after 1934 here. Many were made here though for industrial applications and maybe as replacement motors.

So your thinking this is a European Sedan Delivery brought back into the US? Just curious.

[Bruce Lancaster]

I think most likely he is describing a USA '41 with the N banger.
At that time period, or at least up to '40, the Germans were putting their B's into 1932 type BB's, still in production with minor mods.

[Mart]

Originally Posted by JSeery

So your thinking this is a European Sedan Delivery brought back into the US? Just curious.

Europe was at war. They weren't making sedan deliveries.
It'll be a USA model with the tractor derived 4 banger.

Mart.

[hb32]

Originally Posted by Mart

Don't want to be negative, but they are not factory stamps. the font is a bit more curvy than the ford stamps.

As the number ends in 32 it may point to it being a made up number, possibly stamped in agreement with a previous owner and the DMV at the time.

It's anybody's guess as to how the numbers came about, but one thing for sure is that they were not stamped at the factory by Henry's men.

If you disregard the 32 on the end, do the numbers then fall in the correct range?

Mart.

No Mart and fall in line with 34.
Kind of stumped on this one but an interesting twist, left rail has the holes for a steering box which a friend thinks may have been for a European or off shore destined vehicle?

[hb32]

Originally Posted by Mart

Europe was at war. They weren't making sedan deliveries.
It'll be a USA model with the tractor derived 4 banger.

Mart.

Bell housing number is definitely May 32 according to the research I have done.
Once again, frame has no reveals but has all the tell tale signs of 32.

[hb32]

Pics of the k member.

[DavidG]

Apart from the unusual location for a stamped engine number, your pickup's frame appears to have a RHD right side frame rail. Given your location and perhaps where the truck was built, it's possible that this truck joins the ranks of a group of '32s built at the Seattle Assembly Plant which all have non-standard frames in one form or another. Some lack the legs on the center cross member and others, like yours, were built with RHD right side frame rails despite being part of a LHD chassis.

Given that Ford closed the Seattle plant midway through '32 model years, perhaps the "unusual" ended up being sent there to be used up prior to its closing. Your '34 engine number sort of blows a big hole in that idea, however.

[hb32]

The number on the bell housing is 32 but like everything 82 years old, could have been changed. Thanks for the info and every bit helps.