Frame #'s on 41?

[Eddie-O]

Hi Guys,

I was wondering if Buick stamped a vin # on the frame in 1941. If so, where would it be located on a Sedanette .

Thanks in advance

Ed

[Matt Harwood]

Down on the frame by the battery. It wasn't consistently located but it should be in the engine compartment on the passenger's side. You will likely have to scrape grime and maybe even paint to find it. I find using a flashlight at a low angle against the frame helps spot parts of numbers so you know where to look. Clean the top of the frame thoroughly so you can see any potential numbers--they may be faint and if the paint is thick it could have filled them in. In the case of my Century, I found the frame number but only after removing the battery tray and having the frame sandblasted, and even then it was very faint.
 

Also note that the frame number probably won't match any of the other numbers on the car. There's no such thing as "matching numbers" with a 1941 Buick. The frame will have one number, there will be a serial number on the plate affixed to the firewall, and an engine number, and none of them correspond to one another. Don't sweat it. Matching numbers is lunacy anyway.

 

 

Edited April 9, 2020 by Matt Harwood (see edit history)

[jvelde]

Copied From Team Buick Reference tab:

 

On 1935-1955 Canadian built Buicks, a single data tag on the firewall or cowl will contain all of the required information, but on U.S. built Buicks, in general these numbers are found in the following locations:

• Frame serial number - for 1935-1940 it is on a plate riveted to the right side (passenger side in U.S./Canada) of the frame near the battery or starter. For 1941-1948 it is on the firewall near the trim tag.
• Car serial and VIN - on a plate attached to the left side door jamb (driver side in U.S./Canada) or on the left side of the dash near the windshield.
• Stamped engine serial number and production code - various places on the engine depending on the engine type, see appendices 2-4.
• Trim tag - a plate attached to the cowl or firewall under the hood.

[Eddie-O]

Thanks guys for the reply.

can I assume then that an engine # would not be the same as the serial #. My engine # is the same as the eral # that's why I'm asking.

Thank's again

Ed

[1939_Buick]

7 minutes ago, Eddie-O said:

Thanks guys for the reply.

can I assume then that an engine # would not be the same as the serial #. My engine # is the same as the eral # that's why I'm asking.

Thank's again

Ed

Engine number and frame number should not be the same for 1941, as post 2 by Matt.  If they are something is strange-not genuine.

Note some USA states titled cars by engine number.

Have you physically found both numbers?

Do you have any photo's?

 

https://www.teambuick.com/reference/index.php

https://www.teambuick.com/reference/ident_engine_til_52.php

https://www.teambuick.com/reference/ident_decoding_us-canadian.php

 

[1939_Buick]

dual posted

Edited April 10, 2020 by 1939_Buick (see edit history)

[Eddie-O]

I should  have made my original post more clear.

I have not looked at the frame yet for any numbers. Also the engine numbers are not clear enough to read since I have not cleaned them up yet. They are there and that's why I was asking if they should be the same as the vin numbers. Was wondering if that was the norm in 41 or not.

[buick looks fine for 39]

The vin plate was intended for tracking the car during the assembly process. For years in was attached to various areas on the body and contained the body style, paint code, accessory code, and upholstery code. In addition there was an id number which a tracking number for the car during the assembly process. The engine number and frame serial number were independent and different from the vin plate number.  

[1939_Buick]

18 minutes ago, buick looks fine for 39 said:

The vin plate was intended for tracking the car during the assembly process. For years in was attached to various areas on the body and contained the body style, paint code, accessory code, and upholstery code. In addition there was an id number which a tracking number for the car during the assembly process. The engine number and frame serial number were independent and different from the vin plate number.  

Disagree with that. The term "VIN" did not start until 1950's

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_identification_number

 

The body cowl data plate does not mean much.  Has body style , paint & trim codes and a unique body number

[Morgan Wright]

8 hours ago, Eddie-O said:

Thanks guys for the reply.

can I assume then that an engine # would not be the same as the serial #. My engine # is the same as the eral # that's why I'm asking.

Thank's again

Ed

 

Lots of states used the engine number as the VIN in the old days. My '40 Buick didn't have the original engine so the VIN didn't correspond with anything on the car. I had the state change it to the frame serial number.

[Eddie-O]

OK. Thank you for the info. The plate on the firewall is there with all it's info. I was curious about the numbers on the components of the car like, engine, frame , trans, rear axle. Since I've had corvettes most of my life The issue of matching numbers is a constant with them.  But since Matt expressed the non issue regarding 41 production cars, apparently it's not such a big deal. I will find the numbers on frame, block, etc. just for my own curiosity. Since these pre war cars are new to me, my questions must sound stupid to most of you, so please bare with me if they are.  I just want to learn as much as I can about my new ( old ) car.

Thanks All

[Bloo]

On an old Buick like that, there will be a frame number on the frame (functions as a VIN), and an engine number on the block (some states used it for a VIN instead, leading to the sort of problem Morgan Wright mentioned). These two numbers will be sort of close, but not match. It is completely normal for them not to match.

 

The tag on the firewall is Fisher Body, and although it might have a body serial number, it wont match anything, and AFAIK is never used as a VIN. It is not near unique enough. The firewall tag will give you various body information like original paint color, type of upholstery, and maybe some other interesting details.

 

VINs as we know them, a number that refers to the whole car, didn't really come along until unibody cars started to become common in the early 50s. "Frame Number" kind of loses it's meaning when there is no frame. By this time, GM cars, generally still with frames, had a tag in the drivers doorjamb with a serial number on it that referred to the whole car. They did not stamp this number all over the various parts like you might see in a newer model. They still didn't call it a VIN either until many years later.