My b-4b-108 is titled as a 54, but vin says '53

[YourPowderCoating.com]

weird, how do you think this happened? truck maybe sold late in the year and re-title as a new one?

whats the build number mean? I know that can't be how many made, so whats it mean?

Year 1953

Make Dodge

Model B-4-B

Engine 217.76 Flathead Six

Wheelbase 108,116

Rating 1/2 Ton

Engineering Code T306

Plant Detroit, Michigan

Build Number 74076107

[Bob_Koch]

It's not terribly uncommon to have this happen. Don Bunn even mentions in his book that this happens. Why - don't know, just know it does and not all that infrequently.

[YourPowderCoating.com]

its like it didnt sell, so, heck, lets re-title and call it new again, whats weird is the 54 and 53 are different in so many ways I wonder how they pulled it off.

[Merle Coggins]

My B2C is titled as a '51 even though it is clearly a '50. Like Bob says, it happened a lot back then. The serial number on my truck is fairly late in the series for that year, so I suspect it arrived at the dealer early in 1951 and that's when it was sold and it got titled for the year it was sold.

Merle

[Jim Gaspard]

While the vin number can pin down the model, where that number falls in the model series is only an educated guess of when it was assembled, then sold. I got a much better sense of when mine was built by the motor date stamp, which is to the hour, day, month and year. Assuming the engine did not sit very long in inventory and that you have the original engine in your truck, you can narrow down the assembly date as well as when it hit the dealer network. Not that this means anything, but it brought me a little closer to my truck's history.

Jim in Dallas

[YourPowderCoating.com]

^^ cool info, but I havent the original motor, when I bought the truck it was a driver with a 225 slant and 904 auto installed.

What does the "build number" I referenced above mean?

[Merle Coggins]

Another reason that I feel that my truck was built late in 1950, besides the serial number being high in the range for that year, is that the headlights both had "DEC 1950" stamped on the back side. I believe these are the original headlights since they are identical. It's unlikely that if one, or both, had to be changed out during it's life that they would still be identical bulbs.

I'll have to look at my engine numbers. How will they tell the exact time and date that it was manufactured?

Merle

[Merle Coggins]

What does the "build number" I referenced above mean?

It must have something to do with the serial number. Does it look close to your serial number? The last 4 digits of my Build Number match my serial #. Also, if you look more in the t137.com site you'll find serial number guide books. According to that the serial number range for my B2C was 83340001 - 83361096. So, according to my calculator that makes 21095 B2C's built in the Detroit plant, of which mine was #20295. that means that only 800 B2C trucks were built after mine.

Serial Number 83360295

Year 1950

Make Dodge

Model B-2-C

Engine 217.76 Flathead Six

Wheelbase 116

Rating 3/4 Ton

Engineering Code T174

Plant Detroit, Michigan

Build Number 20295

The numbers for B4B's are as follows;

82302001 - 82335036 if it was built in Detroit (33035 built)

or 85322001 - 85327718 if it was built in California. (5717 built)

I'm not sure how your Build Number fits in.

Merle

[greg g]

Not unusual at all, many states allowed new (unsold unregistered) vehicles to be titled for the year they were sold rather than manufactured. My 46 was the same, it was made in Oct sold in DEC, delivered Jan 2nd and titled for the delivery date, as it was a new unit. This was in Pa.

[Jim Gaspard]

The engine cast date stamp is on starboard side of engine. Clock shows probably 3 pm shift. September 9, 1952. My truck is a 1952 B3B by vin number, so it was assembled sometime in the fall of 1952 and could have sold in late 1952 or early 1953.

Jim in Dallas

[buds truck]

my uncle bought a brand new Pontiac in late 1957 and the salesperson asked him if he wanted it titled as a 57 or a 58? I guess back then they could get away with stuff like that.

[oldmopar]

They did strange things with titles in the past. While a little newer I just had a headache registering a truck titled in Pa in the early 60's the title did not have any year of manufacture.

It only had dodge truck and a serial #.

The truck is a 1959 fortunately by the late 50's they started using a year letter in the serial/vin # and I as able to finally get the njdmv to title the truck as a 1959

[Dodgeb4ya]

Another reason that I feel that my truck was built late in 1950, besides the serial number being high in the range for that year, is that the headlights both had "DEC 1950" stamped on the back side. I believe these are the original headlights since they are identical. It's unlikely that if one, or both, had to be changed out during it's life that they would still be identical bulbs.

I'll have to look at my engine numbers. How will they tell the exact time and date that it was manufactured?

Merle

I have a 1950 NY hardtop titled same way-it was always titled as a 1951. I know it's a really late production car because it has a narrow fan belt- not the 3/4" belt as used in 1950 and back. I think the light duty Dodge trucks 1/2 through 1 ton are the same- wide belt up to 1950 and narrow 1/2" belt starting in 1951. Merle-Does your 1950 Dodge truck have a narrow or wide belt ?

[YourPowderCoating.com]

Another reason that I feel that my truck was built late in 1950, besides the serial number being high in the range for that year, is that the headlights both had "DEC 1950" stamped on the back side. I believe these are the original headlights since they are identical. It's unlikely that if one, or both, had to be changed out during it's life that they would still be identical bulbs.

I'll have to look at my engine numbers. How will they tell the exact time and date that it was manufactured?

Merle

thats amazing and very cool in its own rights! is it a low mileage truck?

[Merle Coggins]

47486 on the ticker when I got it. It was a farm truck from new, according to the story I got, and probably didn't get used much at night.

Merle