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My 1950 f1
In the old days everything was simpler, including the VIN on trucks. For the most part they don't tell you much. They are useful for determining model and engine type,but not much more. See if your truck is what you think it is, or if the truck you're thinking of buying is what the seller says it is (or find out what it was originally if it's been modified). Enjoy.
VIN's are generally located on a plate on the glove box door and on the left frame rail near the steering box. I have also seen them on the right side of the frame and stamped into the firewall.
1948 to 9/15/51
The first digit is an abbreviation for the year. 8 for 1948, 9 for 1949. The 1949 production sequence continued into 1950 and possibly 1951 (there is some debate here). Serial numbers for 1950 began at 92251 for 6 cylinder trucks, and 73088 for V8 trucks.
The second and third digits indicate a 6 or 8 cylinder engine. 7H is a 6 cylinder, 8R is an 8 cylinder.
The fourth digit identifies the model. C=F1, D-F2, Y=F3, F4=T. If you have an F5-F8, please send me your vin.
The last 6 digits are the production sequence.
9/15/51 to 1952
The first two digits identify the series. F1, F2, F3, etc.
The third digit identifies the engine: H for the 226 6 cyl, R for the 239 8 cyl.
The fourth digit is the model year: 1=1951, 2=1952
The fifth and sixth digits identify the assembly plant. See the table below for a list of assembly plants.
The last six digits are the production sequence number. In 51 and 52, all 16 assembly plants started with 100001, so there can be 16 trucks with the same serial number. They would have different assembly plant codes, obviously.
New Info for 51-52
Also in 1951 and 52 the rating plate identifies transmissions, rear end gear ratios, color codes, and production codes. Below are tables to identify codes for each.
TRANSMISSION CODE:
| TYPE | CODE |
| 3 speed regular | 3 |
| 3 speed heavy duty | 3HD |
| 4 speed spur | 4 |
| 4 speed synchro | 4SYN |
REAR AXLE CODE:
| MODEL | STANDARD | OPTIONAL | OVERDRIVE |
| F1 | 3.92:1 | 4.27:1 | 4.09:1 |
| F2, F3 | 4.86:1 | 4.11:1 | |
| F4 | 5.14:1 | 5.83:1 |
EXTERIOR COLOR CODE:
| COLOR | CODE |
| Black | A |
| Sheridan Blue | B |
| Alpine Blue (1951) | D |
| Woodsmoke Gray (1952) | D |
| Sea Island Green (1951) | G |
| Glenmist Green (1952) | G |
| Silvertone Gray (1951) | H |
| Sandpiper Tan (1952) | K |
| Meadow Green | M (1951), N (1952) |
| Vermillion | N (1951), M (1952) |
| Primer | P |
| Special paint | SS |
PRODUCTION CODE:
A note on late 51 & 52 production codes:
My reference source indicates that there should be
a 1 letter code here. I have received multiple emails from 52 owners
who have 6-8 digit alpha-
numeric codes. I have no idea how to decode those so any help would
be appreciated.
| MONTH | FIRST YEAR | SECOND YEAR |
| January | A | N |
| February | B | P |
| March | C | Q |
| April | D | R |
| May | E | S |
| June | F | T |
| July | G | U |
| August | H | V |
| September | J | W |
| October | K | X |
| November | L | Y |
| December | M | Z |
ASSEMBLY PLANT CODES
| ASSEMBLY PLANT | CODE |
| Atlanta, GA | AT |
| Buffalo, NY | BF |
| Chester, PA | CS |
| Chicago, IL | CH |
| Dallas, TX | DL |
| Dearborn, MI | DA |
| Edgewater, NJ | EG |
| Highland Park, MI | HM |
| Kansas City, MO | KC |
| Long Beach, CA | LB |
| Louisville, KY | LU |
| Memphis, TN | MP |
| Norfolk, VA | NR |
| Richmond, CA | RH |
| Somerville, MA | SR |
| Twin City (St. Paul), MN | SP |
If you have questions or additional information--particularly about Canadian trucks--head over to the message boards or email me.
Last updated April 4, 2002
