I've put the word out that I need some parts for my '37 Plymouth and I've stumbled across a couple more ol' Dodges. I was up to my eyeballs in 20's thru 50's cars and parts yesterday morning... PURE HEAVEN!!! One is about a '39 and another I couldn't see well enough in the time I had to be certain.

1) How can I tell the year from the body tags?
2) Is there a universal trick that works on all brands? There's a bunch of Internationals and a random Ford or Chevy (not to mention hoods/grilles/fenders scattered all over the place).
3) Do the 1.5(?) tons use the same cab/hood/grille as 1/2 tons? Fenders look bigger.

Now I need to sell the 'Cuda and my purple truck to add on to the shop to make room for more stuff I'll never get to.

The full-size "trucks" do not use the same grill shell and hood as the pickups, humpbacks and deliveries. I am not sure about the cabs but I think the same is true.

- EM

I agree, the work truck sheetmetal is usually bigger than the pickup stuff. A couple quick measurements should answer this. I realise you don't have a grille to measure, but you could measure the space, or measure a fender and see if it's the same.

There is no formal VIN numbering or location back then. The feds required the VIN on the left dash area ~1970, and the numbering was standardized when they went with the 13 digit VIN, although it's still not exactly the same across manufacturers.

The internet is a good source for info, and there are spotter's guides. Research and print out the stuff that you need.

Good Luck

I do not agree. Talking about 1 1/2 - 2 ton trucks, compared to pickup trucks. Cabs are the same, there is no economic reason why they'd build two similar-but-different cabs. Hoods the same. Fenders usually the big truck have bigger fenders, sometimes that's a good thing.

I grew up around'em.

R.

I appreciate all the input guys. I was thinking the cabs were the same but not certain on hoods and grilles. I was 99% sure fenders were different. As I said, the truck in question is 2 hours away so I can not easily get measurements and it is in a field purchased by people who aren't nearby either.
I have a '68 D500 out back and can see the cab/hood/grille are same as 1/2 tons of same vintage. The fenders are larger and there is a filler panel below the grille and between running boards and cab due to larger frame.
On the "truck-in-the-field", I can see from pics that the filler is there for the running boards but the weeds are too tall in front of the grille shell so I can't see if it is on top of the frame (like 1/2 tons) or if it is longer to cover the front of the frame.
Again, I am thankful for all the help.

I believe that the cabs and doors are pretty much the same but larger trucks do use different fenders and grills sometimes. we have a pair of fenders on one of our 40's trucks and they appear to be about 3" wider and the wheel opening is also larger, and some of the earier trucks around 33-38 range also used bigger truck stuff. Ron.....

Sorry. As mentioned and as shown in the attached pictures, the hoods, grills and grill shells are vastly different between the larger "trucks" and the 1/2 to 1 ton commercials (pickups, humpback panels, etc). I have never compared a cab between these 2 series and while often true, it is not always the case that cabs from the smaller series were used on full-size trucks.

- EM

For some reason the pickup picture is not showing when the file is opened. Click below the 1.5 ton truck picture and you will see the pickup picture border, Drag the border a little from one corner and release it. The picture will open then.

- EM

Are those both the same year of truck? Headlight mounting is different between the two.

What year would this be?

Model ME-32 according to tag on firewall (might be NE-32). Would first digit of serial number be model year?

I have pic of S/N tag but VIN's on the web are a

I'm guessing '37/'38. All the '36s I find on the 'net have square gauges and the one '39 I've seen had the next body-style nose. Either way, I bought it. They had a '34(?) Ford and a '30s International too that were headed for the scrapper...can't save 'em all otherwise it would be me with the girlfriend and neighbors!

A '32 - 34 ford has a square cab with a full steel top. They are worth something, for sure more than scrap! I own two and owned a 33 V8 truck, the cab/doors/hood were the same, grille was probably a little taller and fenders were larger but not that much. Around here the cab and sheet metal would get you around $1000+.
It would be criminal to let one go to the crusher.
Pictures???
R.

that looks like it a 35-36 ford, If you can get it and flip it for some $$$$ to work on yours, ford stuff always sells Ron...

I agree, that is a 35 and it is valuable to most any street rodder. I have a friend that paid $2500 for a basket case 35 pickup, the cab and sheetmetal should be worth $1000 or more as clean as it looks. Also there is a really good chance that it still has a flathead in it, iff it does that would sell for about $300 around here.

R.

Where the heck are these pics from?