1940 Ford truck ID please

[Tony Smith]

The engine number on the rebuild tag is not the original engine, it is a post-war replacement/reco engine supplied through the commercial Ford Dealer network, not an Army rebuild.

The serial number was not always stamped on the chassis, although the Engine number was used by Ford as the vehicle identifier. This number was most often stamped on the gearbox bellhousing and not on the engine at all (and only sometimes repeated on the chassis) precisely for the reason of engine changes. However, that relies on the original gearbox remaining in the vehicle! (This was typical Ford practice dating from the Model T and Model A period).

While both the Australian "Desert" Fords and the Marmon-Herringtons had 10.50-18 tyres, the wheels were quite different. The Marmon-Herrington wheels has quite pronounced offset which gave the outer face an almost flat vertical face and were designed with a split rim and lock ring, while the 4x2 wheels were a drop-centre style with the two halves bolting together.