serial # help

[Dave Schindel]

Hi guys, I finally found the serial number for my F15a. Stamped into the LH side of the frame was 1G-10581F. can anyone point me to a data base or decipher the number for me? it is a cab 11 but that is about all I know. Thanks in advance for any help.

[rob love]

I take it the number was on the left frame just under the passenger door.

1 means it was 1940 production and the G might mean government, but I'm not certain on that. The 10581 will be the sequential number of all vehicles produced, so your is the 10581st CMP. I have seen it listed that the F meant right hand drive. Is there an asterisk after your serial number? That was to prevent the used car salesmen from adding extra digits to the end.

My first CMP that I restored was a F15A Cab 11 with serial number 10515, so about 66 vehicles before yours.

[Mike Cecil]

It's the engine number.

1G = 3-3/16 bore 95hp V8 engine coupled to a 4 speed lorry gearbox.The 1 means a 1940 model/production year (which does not correspond to a calendar year).


10581 = sequential number of the engine (not the truck). 1G7F was produced in Feb 1940, 1G15318F in November 1941.

F: Foreign to Canadian or US domestic production, which in effect means they are used in right hand drive vehicles.


Mike

[Dave Schindel]

Rob, there was a figure after the F but I can't tell if it is a star or something else.And yes,it is on the left frame rail below the pass. door. So should the number on the frame match the number on the block providing the engine has not been changed?

[Mike Cecil]

Yes, when the engine was installed on the production line, the engine number was stamped into the chassis rail, becoming the de-facto chassis number. It seems to have been the Ford way: you can see it also on Ford GPW and on Australian-assembled CMPs and Ford conventional vehicles. I assume it was the same for Ford Canada (seems to be in your case), but Rob would be better informed about that than I am.


Mike

[rob love]

Yes, the engine number was really the only number until the first quarter of 1941 production, when chassis numbers were introduced. The manual indicates that the engine serials were into the 2G by this point. My reference for this is at home...I'll update this post tonight.

Mike: I see you reference 1G15318F as being November of 1941. Should that be 1940? Wouldn't a vehicle in November of 41 have a 2G prefix to the engine serial?

[Mike Cecil]

Good point, Rob. The info came from a Ford Australia information newsletter, and the 1940 model engines (prefix 1A, 1B, 1C and 1G) all have 'last engine assembled' dates in May, June, July and November 1941 respectively. So if it's a typo, it is one repeated across all four engine prefixes.

For the 1941 engines, the '2G' prefix is listed as first engine assembled (2G219F) in Jan 1941, so quite an overlap in usage in Australia at least. There is not 'last assembled' in the 1941 list, so you'd have to think they were still using '2G' prefixed engines in April 42 when the bulletin was issued.

All very curious!

But in Dave's case, I think the number stamped onto the chassis rail is without a doubt, the number of the engine originally assembled to that chassis.

Mike

[Dave Schindel]

I will check my engine number this aft.
Thanks for all the help,guys.

[Dave Schindel]

If the engine # is stamped into the top of the block beside the intake manifold then I have a civvy engine. My carrier has the mil number in that location. At least I now know the year of manufacture.

[Mike Cecil]

Hi Dave,

There are plenty of Ford V8, 95hp & 85hp engines fitted to military trucks that were stamped on the flat of the block beside the intake manifold.

What's the number you have on the engine currently fitted to the truck? We might be able to provide you with something at least.

Mike

[Dave Schindel]

Mike, the only numbers on the top of the block are: M0 . That's why I think it may be civilian. I also found a number stamped into the upper trans bell housing, : 1G(or C)19286 .

[Mike Cecil]

Fair enough. Have you looked at the top edge of the clutch bell housing, by chance, to see if there is a number stamped there? My first CMP, the Canadian F15, had the engine number stamped in that location. Might be worth looking if you have not already done so.

Mike

[rob love]

I have found the matching serial number just over the clutch inspection access plate.

It sounds like your engine has been replaced. Not unusual in the military. I have found inspection plates showing rebuild where the same engine was put back into the same vehicle, but I have also seen some that were not.

The military mechanic did not care about keeping your truck numbers matching. He only wanted to get the vehicle back into service as efficiently as possible.

[Dave Schindel]

Mike, that's where I got the number in my previous post.
Point taken Rob.I imagine it would be difficult after 78 yrs to find a numbers matching truck.

[rob love]

Actually Dave, I have seen more of them than one would expect. If you figure that a lot of the domestically held CMPs really didn't do that much, and many were released starting in 1946, it is not that uncommon.