VIN verses Body Number?

[MarkG]

RE: 1940 L-Z Continental

Q1: Is there a VIN? If so, ...where is it located?

Q2: Is the Body Number the VIN?

Q3: How do you read/decode an L-Z Body Number? IE my car's body # is 06H.56.194 (it's a '40 cabriolet, 350 were produced)

[John Murphy]

Hi Mark, welcome to the LZOC Owners Club. Your VIN number is the vehicle serial number and is stamped in three places on your car: on the drivers side frent crossmember landing by the drivers side water pump area and starts with an "H". It is also stamped on the drivers side rear frame somewhere below the gas tank filler tube area and finally it is stamped on the top of the transmission rim above the cutout on top. If the tranny is original then the tranny number willl be the same number as stamped on the frame. There is NO engine number as Ford didn't stamp the engine since engine replacement was sorta common in those days and dealers wouldn't have to change titles every time an engine was replaced.

06H indicated a 1940 LIncoln car year. 56 was the body style and 194 is your body number on the assembly line.

You need to send this information to Dave Cole the LZOC magazine editor who has a roster of known 1940 Lincoln Zephyr Continentals and might know it previous history.

HAve fun, put the top down and enjoy the Zephyring world.

[MarkG]

PERFECT. Thanks John!

[40ZephSedan]

Always great to get new members! Rare model! My 40 sedan Vin number is just over H89500, and according to the shop order copy I got from the Ford archives, it was built in Nov of 1939, so the Vin number on your frame will be fun to hunt down when it was built in the production year. Paul

[MarkG]

Hmmm.

My Cab's VIN is HI00270.

I guess it would be fun to determine when it was built.

Can you point me in the right direction?

[peecher]

Serial numbers for 1940 run from H85,641 to H107,687. A "guess" would be early June 1940? The Ford Benson Archive could give you an exact date.

[MarkG]

Got it: Vehicle Production Records

Thanks!

[John Murphy]

MarkG: Dave Cole the current editor of the LZOC magazine started a registry of 1940 Lincoln Continental Cabriolets and published the registry in the LCOC Continental Comments magazine # 95, (the winter of 69), on page 13 liists your car as being built March 18, 1940. The condition listed in the article says "generally good: rebuilt 48 Merc engine. Owners name was a Richard Brown of Studio City, Calif. Hope this helps. John

[MarkG]

Thanks John!

The mention of a "rebuilt '48 Merc engine" confuses me - I thought the only V-12's were the '32-'42 L-head and the '36-'48 L-Z. Who knows...maybe it's been replaced between then and now. No worries, I'll get it sorted out one way or the other. That's the fun part of the journey!

And I still went ahead and invested another $20 :eek: to get an official copy of the "build sheet" for the car's file.

Edited July 26, 2013 by MarkG (see edit history)

[Guest Bob Call]

Thanks John!

The mention of a "rebuilt '48 Merc engine" confuses me - I thought the only V-12's were the '32-'42 L-head and the '36-'48 L-Z. Who knows...maybe it's been replaced between then and now. No worries, I'll get it sorted out one way or the other. That's the fun part of the journey!

Mark you are right about the last V12's. Mercurys were V8's and it was common to replace the V12 with the more powerful Ford or Mercury V8. So, if your car has a V12 the info in the magazine is wrong or someone has put a V12 back in it.