Posted by Eric B. [99.100.188.129] on Tuesday, April 23, 2013 at 08:26:48 :
In Reply to: Just caved and bought my first posted by FarmerFarm [50.125.170.84] on Monday, April 22, 2013 at 23:39:03 :
The link below has several pages that show where all the ID numbers are. Look them all over and you may find something to help you figure out the year of your truck. The third series bed came into use in1956 and in that year there was an oval tag used on the front drivers door jamb. If you have a shadow in the paint in that location then your truck is most likely a 1956 as the tags changed after that.
Did you clean the frame where the serial number is stamped? By removing rust and dirt with a wire wheel in a drill I have managed to read a lot of frame numbers that looked gone originally. Bead blasting may be an even better option.
I would be careful about doing too much work on this truck before you figure out something to register it. If you can't read the number on the frame and the tag is missing you will need to get the state to issue you a VIN or you will need to buy anther truck with a good frame, door tag, and title. Then you can use all the great parts off your truck to rebuild the truck with a title.
Regardless of what avenue you take to get the truck a title it is better to get the ball rolling early as it can take time to jump through all the hoops at the DMV.
That truck looks really nice. I'd be tempted to just fix the mechanicals and use it as is.
Good luck,
Eric