Build Date?

[Scott C.]

I am looking for the build date of 8448447.

[Chris Instness]

Looks like Sept. 25, 1923.

[Scott C.]

Does make it a 1923, or 1924?

[TonyB]

It depends what you mean by “what year is it”....
I was built in 1923, no argument about that.
Generally the next years Ford Model were introduced towards the end of August.
So it could be a 1924 Model.
However many cars were assembled at Ford Branches throughout the country and they would use up as many parts as possible from the previous years Models, resulting in cars that were a hybrid of the two Models.
As Bruce once remarked, “how can we date them correctly when Ford didn’t build them correctly”
In my simple mind, if it’s built in 1923, it’s a 23.
If you want to call it a 24 Model, that fine too

[kmatt]

Scott: Does your car use a low radiator or high radiator ? In general low radiator cars are 1923 model year cars and high radiator cars are 1924 model year cars, but many states titled cars by the year they were first sold, thus a high radiator car sold in October 1923 could have been titled as a 1923. Of course this assumes that the engine with that number is original to the car.

[Scott C.]

It is not my car. Some one's father passed away and left them this car. 8448447 is the actual engine number. The title says 1923, but has a VIN of 14528467. I think that is a 1927 VIN? I am thinking that it is a 1924?

[Steve Jelf]

The high radiator and the radiator apron say 1924 style. That's how I would register it.

Is there such a thing as a 1908 Model T? No. The cars sold in the fall of 1908 were 1909 models. If you buy a new Ford (or other new car) today, will it be a 2019 model? No. It's a 2020. For over a century, the model year has started before the calendar year for most cars.

Here's a page on dating: http://dauntlessgeezer.com/DG90.html

[Scott C.]

The car has been sitting for a few years and they are thinking about selling it. I wonder how difficult it will be to get the title corrected?

[TonyB]

Many years ago i tried to change the model year of my coupe. It was a royal pain. Eventually the State of California decided in their wisdom that the Model year was manufacturers nonsense and cars are now registered as the year of manufacture (YOM). My 2013 Prius was manufactured in November 2013, it’s probably a 2014 Model.
I strongly suggest you not bother.

[Steve Jelf]

My guess is that the degree of difficulty you encounter at the DMV depends on which person you happen to deal with, and maybe what kind of day they're having.

[Burger in Spokane]

I used to own a pre-1965 specialty wrecking yard. I dealt with DMV and DOL more
than most people will in a lifetime. There are a few wild cards in the possibilities,
but in the main, attitude is everything when dealing with clerks whose last 250 contacts
were axxholes, trying to scam the system.

Knowing the licensing people is a real plus, and may not be in the cards for the very
occasional user. But going on a recon mission, to find out what you will need, making
a contact and getting a name, and doing what was asked, returning with said information
to that same contact, will often get the job done with a minimum of hassle. Don't expect
to walk in, cold call, and have that unfamiliar clerk, dealing with a really off-the-wall
request, send you out the door with what you came for. Chances are stacked against you
100-to-1 that this isn't going to happen.

When I bought my TT, it came from a no-title state. Before it was even picked up by
the shipper, I was down talking with my local agents, getting a list of things I needed to
produce, while they looked into the specifics of law, to make sure we were doing it right.
I was directed to call back in a week, if I had not got a call from them by then. I was
further directed to determine the weight of the vehicle, as part of their needs. This
list included requirements of licensing it with YOM plates, which added another few things
I needed to do. By the time the truck was delivered, I had everything in hand except the
weight. I drove it to a nearby scale and returned with YOM plates, and all the other things
they asked for, and I got a title issued. I made two trips, spent about a half hour each time.
I did the foot work they asked for on MY time, and wasted little of theirs. They appreciate
that. It didn't hurt that about once every few years, I drop in without a reason to be there
and hand over a dozen good donuts, thanking them for making my oddball sorts of title and
license issues go so easily. They appreciate being appreciated too. For less than $15 in
donut cost, I save myself a lot of grief and time that adds up to way more money than the
cost of the donuts.

[Scott C.]

They are going to try and get it properly titled. We will see how it works out.

[Mark Nunn]

I suggest taking some large, high-quality photos of the car when visiting the DMV. I showed the clerks a photo of my car when trying to get a title. I could see their eyes light up when seeing something different and new to them. They appreciated that jesture. I say "they" because the clerk I was working with showed it around the room.

[Humblej]

Scott, depends on your state, but if you are presenting a title to dmv with a diffetent year and different "vin" or engine number, you may be opening a can of worms, in fact you are actually presenting a title to a diffetent car. You may have to go bill of sale and apply for a lost title. However I do not know your states rules. I bought a model tt last month from out of state, no title. I had the bill of sale worded the way my state needed and used the engine number to determine the year. No inspection, no problems. I did have to get my insurance company to provide a surety bond at a cost of $100 to me since it was an out of state transaction. Received the new title 2 weeks later with the correct year and the engine number as the vin number.

[Susanne]

My guess is someone back in the car's past replaced the original (blown, worn out, etc.) motor with another one (either in '27 or out of a 26/27 car), and then later someone, either to make the car more authentic OR to replace yet another sick motor (my $$ is on the former), replaced it with a correct 23/24 motor. That's how the title got a 14 million number on it.

It's going to take some work (possibly quite a bit, depending on the state, the inspector, and how many donuts you've plied them with beforehand) to get the numbers straightened out... me, I would register it with the motor year. IF you can find a body stamping on it to cooberate the 1923 date (did they stamp bodies that late?) like I did on my august '15 car, then you've got the evidence to show the above scenario is likely true. (After all, they drop new motors in modern cars with worn out motors all the time, so it's a scenario they're likely familiar with). Otherwise youll have to have a stack of docs showing why the car is a '23, and how the ccar ended up with te wrong motor in it only to have the correct motor re-appear...

Not impossible, but fun like a jigsaw puzzle is fun. Good luck!

[Scott C.]

OK, I rebuilt 4 brass top coils for him and now it runs!! He was able to get the title corrected so all is good now. Any idea as to what a fair price would be on this car?

[Burger in Spokane]

Don't take any less than $100 for it !

[John kuehn]

Unless you want to go through a LOT of trouble besides the hassle I would leave it as is. This isn’t the first time and it won’t be the last that a Model T has a different engine no. than what’s on the title.
Here in Texas the DMV is interested in seeing if the vin or engine no.s are from a stolen car. After 25 years of age the records of vehicles are deleted as I was told.
If it’s not stolen your good to go.
You could make a note to go with the title saying it has a later replacement T engine and note the engine no. for clarification if you want. As long as it’s legal I would just leave as is.

[Steve Jelf]

http://dauntlessgeezer.com/DG99.html

[Derek Kiefer]

title correction was easy in Minnesota when my 1925 was titled as a 1924, and again when my '55 Chevy had a "5" in the VIN where it was actually an "S"

The T was done when I transferred it in my name with just a printed page from the MTFCA encyclopedia as proof of the year-error. (May 1925 serial number)
The 55 was easier to get corrected while it was still in Dad's name, then transferred to me when the new corrected title came in. Old paperwork with the correct VIN made that easy to fix without any inspections.

[Scott C.]

Here are a couple of short videos. One is of the rebuilt coils running in my 26 Roadster and one of this 24 Roadster running with the rebuilt coils.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEmqcD4TbzQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NBhMPblda0

[Scott C.]

The title is all correct now. It is running and driving. They have sold their dad's house and now they need to do something with the car. They are willing to sell it to me. Any thought s on a fair price?

[John Warren]

4-5 thousand dollars

[Steve Jelf]

http://dauntlessgeezer.com/DG99.html