Car # vs Motor #

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schwabd1
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Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2019 7:26 pm
First Name: David
Last Name: Schwab
Location: Northwest Ohio

Car # vs Motor #

Post by schwabd1 » Sun Jan 28, 2024 4:18 pm

I have 2 1914 Tourings. One I am the 3rd owner and has the original motor and body with the original wood. The other one has been totally rewooded and don’t know if the motor is original or not. On the “original” T the car number is 37, 892 lower than the motor number. The second touring does not have the brass plates on the dash with the car number. I’d like to “complete” the car with the brass car number. What should I put in for the car number(knowing there’s a 100% chance of it being wrong). To get in the vicinity should I subtract 37,892 from the motor number and use that? What have others done?


J1MGOLDEN
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* REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 1926 Model T Roadster
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Re: Car # vs Motor #

Post by J1MGOLDEN » Sun Jan 28, 2024 5:39 pm

Ask Henry Ford!
Number.jpg
Number.jpg (58.82 KiB) Viewed 756 times


Topic author
schwabd1
Posts: 255
Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2019 7:26 pm
First Name: David
Last Name: Schwab
Location: Northwest Ohio

Re: Car # vs Motor #

Post by schwabd1 » Sun Jan 28, 2024 7:19 pm

What year did the car number cease?


Wayne Sheldon
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Re: Car # vs Motor #

Post by Wayne Sheldon » Sun Jan 28, 2024 7:46 pm

schwabd1 wrote:
Sun Jan 28, 2024 7:19 pm
What year did the car number cease?

The factory stopped putting the "car" number on the brass firewall plate early in the 1915 model production. Since 1915 "model" production for open cars started late, probably mid to late spring of 1915.
The brass plates continued to have a place for the "car number" through 1917, but the space was left blank.

I am NOT a lawyer (nor could I ever be one!), so this is NOT legal advice. Relatively recent changes in some states might make it illegal to stamp a number in those plates. However, for most of a hundred years, it was legal to do so.
Although technically, and historically, incorrect, some people preferred to stamp the engine number onto the brass plate in place of the defunct "car" number. State agencies generally were less confused that way by having the engine and car numbers matching.

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