Uncle Henry's codified engines, bodies and cabs
There was a cab number with a prefix and a body number with a prefix on conventional Ford vehicles, as well as a codified engine number.
Cab:
11T81 xxxx on the cab stands for 1941, closed cab, on any of the wheel bases 122, 134, 157, 158 or 176 inch. It does not indicate the engine size or body type - the same cab could be used for any of the above wheel base lorries or utes.
An Australian 1941 Roadster (soft top) cab would have 11T81DDxxxx. My 1941 Ford 1 ton roadster cab, 122 inch WB model 11Y, had 11T81DDxxx stamped on the cab.
1941 Passenger sedans were prefixed '11A-73' , and coupe-utes had '11A-67'.
Body:
A rear body had a different set of prefixes. For example, the 1941 Aust LP3 and 3A artillery tractors had the body prefix 11L-FAT and 11L-FATW respectively, followed by the body production number.
Ford engines:
In Australia, the engine number was stamped at the time of assembling the engine & transmission to the chassis, onto the top of the right side chassis frame longitudinal side member adjacent to the engine cross member.
The engine number prefix indicated the year, bore size and the gearbox type. A '3G' prefix indicated an engine produced in the 1942 production year, with a 3 3/16 bore and four speed gearbox. '2G' for the 1941 production year, and '1G' for the 1940 production year. (A '1D' prefix would indicate a 3 3/16 inch bore, mated to a three speed gearbox, as used in passenger cars and light utilities. A 1C prefix was a 3 1/16 inch bore with a four speed gear box, while a 1A prefix was a 3 1/16 bore with a three-speed gearbox as used in passenger cars and light utilities.)
The suffix 'F' stands for other than US & Canadian domestic production, ie 'foreign', which in effect means for export right hand drive vehicles.
The 'F' appears as the suffix on Canadian engines, eg 2G37711F and as part of the prefix on US-sourced engines, eg BB18F-6763448.
3 3/16 bore engine blocks were supposed to have either '81' or '99' embossed onto the front right corner of the engine block, while 3 1/6 bore engines did not.
Clear as mud, eh?
Mike
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