Funny Engine Serial Number?

kopeck

Member
I just picked up an C113 engine to use in a future Farmall A project.

This morning I grabbed the serial number off the block to see what year engine I purchased. In the past I swore the engine serial and the chassis serial where the same (or close). Anyway what's stamped under he #1 spark plug is "M208811 G" with "FABN" under the number.

Using that number puts the block in the 1950s but that's impossible since went out of production well before that.

What's going on here?

K
 
(quoted from post at 08:50:26 11/24/15) I believe that would be a 1947 Louisville serial number.

Did Louisville have a separate run of numbers?

'47 does make since, that would be the last year of the B/BN.

Thanks,

K
 
The cast code will tell you the month day and yr it was cast serial#s are all over the board depending where the engine was used Combines,balers and power units. I have a couple of Bs built in Aug ect of 47 with funny #s but the cast codes on other parts will tell when it was assembled. One tractor had cast codes of July 23-47 and tractor was delivered three weeks later from assy in Louisville to Iowa City,Iowa so sometimes parts went from foundry to assy plant quick. That # on your block isnt 1950 as Louisville tractors built in 47 started with serial# 200,000. So what makes you think 1950
 
(quoted from post at 09:00:35 11/24/15) The cast code will tell you the month day and yr it was cast serial#s are all over the board depending where the engine was used Combines,balers and power units. I have a couple of Bs built in Aug ect of 47 with funny #s but the cast codes on other parts will tell when it was assembled. One tractor had cast codes of July 23-47 and tractor was delivered three weeks later from assy in Louisville to Iowa City,Iowa so sometimes parts went from foundry to assy plant quick. That # on your block isnt 1950 as Louisville tractors built in 47 started with serial# 200,000. So what makes you think 1950

What makes me think 1950? Well using the list of chassis serial numbers I have the 200,000 are 1956+. But that might be for Rock Island, is Louisville used a different run of numbers then that would explain everything, that and it being marked FABN which I seem to recall the B/BN stopped production sometime in 1947.

All my other tractors fall into the chart I have on hand.

K
 
(quoted from post at 11:07:26 11/24/15)
(quoted from post at 09:00:35 11/24/15) The cast code will tell you the month day and yr it was cast serial#s are all over the board depending where the engine was used Combines,balers and power units. I have a couple of Bs built in Aug ect of 47 with funny #s but the cast codes on other parts will tell when it was assembled. One tractor had cast codes of July 23-47 and tractor was delivered three weeks later from assy in Louisville to Iowa City,Iowa so sometimes parts went from foundry to assy plant quick. That # on your block isnt 1950 as Louisville tractors built in 47 started with serial# 200,000. So what makes you think 1950

What makes me think 1950? Well using the list of chassis serial numbers I have the 200,000 are 1956+. But that might be for Rock Island, is Louisville used a different run of numbers then that would explain everything, that and it being marked FABN which I seem to recall the B/BN stopped production sometime in 1947.

All my other tractors fall into the chart I have on hand.

K
I have no idea what chart you are looking at, but it clearly isn't the one for A/AV/B/BN. Those models were never built in Rock Island. They were built in Chicago until production was moved to Louisville during 1947. The first Louisville tractor was 200,001 while all Chicago tractors had a number less than that. M208811G is a gas engine built in 1947
 
(quoted from post at 09:48:19 11/24/15)
I have no idea what chart you are looking at, but it clearly isn't the one for A/AV/B/BN. Those models were never built in Rock Island. They were built in Chicago until production was moved to Louisville during 1947. The first Louisville tractor was 200,001 while all Chicago tractors had a number less than that. M208811G is a gas engine built in 1947

You are right, I didn't have the chart in front of me, I was recalling from memory.

I've since found a complete table of all the number and locations built. The first one I had only had Chicago numbers for A/B/BNs, no Louisville numbers.

It did have the split on Rock Island vs Louisville on the larger Farmalls. It's been tossed and replaced with the complete one. I honestly didn't know A/B/BN were built in Louisville, learn something everyday!

K
 
Engine serial and chassis serials were identical through 198298 in Chicago. The others were built in Louisville 200001-220829 according to Guy Fays data book. His book also says that 501-201000 have identical engine and chassis serials. Indicates the first 1000 in Louisville has identical serial numbers -- I have never seen that on this forum since its beginning in the late 90's.
 
(quoted from post at 20:37:21 11/24/15) Engine serial and chassis serials were identical through 198298 in Chicago. The others were built in Louisville 200001-220829 according to Guy Fays data book. His book also says that 501-201000 have identical engine and chassis serials. Indicates the first 1000 in Louisville has identical serial numbers -- I have never seen that on this forum since its beginning in the late 90's.

It has come up on occasion, for example:

http://forums.yesterdaystractors.com/viewtopic.php?t=937407

http://forums.yesterdaystractors.com/viewtopic.php?t=1012991

http://forums.yesterdaystractors.com/viewtopic.php?t=1166962
 

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