Benson Ford Research Center anybody been there

[corvette8n]

If I bring my vin can I find out any information about my car?, I would like to find out about approximately what date my '41 was made.

[rockfla]

I have not been in the research center though I do plan to dedicate some time next summer at the Grand National. DavidG here on the barn (David Rehor-32 Advisor extarodinaire') has spent countless hours there, he would be the best at giving you the best direction/avenue to follow as prior conversations have yielded sight little faux pas in the way things are stored/catalogued in some instances. Maybe a PM to him would give you what you need to know before you go!!!

[flathead48]

I tried to get info on my 48 and was told that a fire destroyed all the Ford & Mercury car records for the 40s . Perhaps there has been a change since than which was about 15 years ago.

[DavidG]

Vehicle build date records for Lincolns of the 'classic era' are the only ones that have survived over the years. Despite what they told you, they did not have that information before the fire either. What exists are the dates of when engine/transmission assemblies were manufactured. From those, obviously whatever vehicle the engine/transmission assembly was installed in would follow date-wise in its production. Depending on inventory levels and where the vehicle was assembled, that lag would range from a minimum of two weeks up to two months once production was past the startup process. There was only one engine plant in the U.S. at that time (Dearborn) and it was slow train ride to the west coast assembly plants, for example.

If your car has any of its original glass, the month date on the trademark may help narrow down the vehicle production time frame.

[VeryTangled]

Hi Everyone. Please forgive me going slightly sideways here, but...

DavidG, from what you've said above, am I to understand there would be no way to determine which plant, say, a '35 or '36 was assembled at? Those records were never kept?

One of my cars has one piece of original glass with what I assume is a correct date-coded trademark. It's certainly in the ballpark, and after, the transmission number.

Thanks!

[DavidG]

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No, likely such records did exist for some period of time at the various assembly plants, but rather not likely centralized or kept in perpetuity. Generally there's a business purpose that drives record keeping and I don't see a long term one for that type of record. The plants did report monthly production by body/model/engine type and that record served an obvious business purpose and survives to this day.

[VeryTangled]

Thank You DavidG, you are very kind to share your knowledge with us! Very kind.

[corvette8n]

[QUOTE=
If your car has any of its original glass, the month date on the trademark may help narrow down the vehicle production time frame.[/QUOTE]

Drivers window is "C DA" March 1941, all the rest are "D DA" April 1941, I was guessing it was made May or June, but wondering if I could get closer, previous owner said motor was not original, that all I know.

Thanks to everyone for your insight.

[Don Rogers]

Do you know the Vin (serial) number of your car. It should be between 18-5896295 and 18-6769035 for 1941 production. You can approx when the engine was made by where you number fall in the sequence. If the vin number isn't on the title it can be found on the frame as shown in the image below.