Anyone know definitively where the chassis number is stamped on a Canadian 2007 Ford Ranger?

[Moto-MacGyver]

I'm trying to register a Canadian 2007 Ford Ranger FX4 Level II in Spain and they require a chassis number stamped on the chassis/frame. Me, two ITV guys and a friend spent hours (me many more than them) trying to locate it, but no luck whatsoever. I've Googled it (as have they) and none of the locations for older or newer models pans out. I've called Ford Dealerships and Ford Canada and none of them can answer my question. (In fact Ford Canada said I had to call Ford Spain for help on a Canadian truck!???)

Oh, and I have the actual Ford Service Manual set and it only indicates an ID on the dash on the driver's side under the windshield and a label on the door post. No mention of it stamped on the frame or chassis anywhere in the entire manual.

I've checked previous threads here and they were never updated as to whether it was located or not.

If anyone knows for sure, please let me know. Thanks.

 

[pjtoledo]

when I stripped a totaled 1999 I examined every inch of the frame, never found it.
it was a bit rusty though.

 

[Moto-MacGyver]

when I stripped a totaled 1999 I examined every inch of the frame, never found it.
it was a bit rusty though.

Thanks for responding with this information and it doesn't surprise me. It more or less confirms that they just didn't do it, which does surprise me. Why would they do that in some countries and not others? Because it definitely exists on some Ranger vehicles in the EU and UK. My guess is it wasn't "required" for Canadian/US vehicles by law at the time, so they didn't do it. But why the heck not? It's a simple thing and would confirm the frame matches the body, plus conforms to a global standard. If it does exist, it's not anywhere convenient to locate or can stand against the ravages of time. Either way, it's crazy and/or lazy.

 

[Josh B]

They spend more hoping to make money than to spend it. A line worker who can tell them how to save a penny on each vehicle can become a wealthy man. I am not sure if you will find your number, but keep checking back, and good luck

 

[Blmpkn]

Glad I don't need to deal with that crap. All someone should need is the vin on the body.

 

[racsan]

If all else fails buy a number/letter punch set and put the vin on the frame yourself. Ive never seen anything on the frame either of any ranger Ive owned, and the ‘97 I had completely tore down. Whats left is a truck bed trailer now.

 

[2011Supercab]

I'm sure there's a # somewhere

Otherwise you could just go and steal a Running and drivable rust free Ranger and put your cab on it.

 

[snoranger]

Ford trucks historically have had the VIN stamped in the frame on the top of the passenger side rail. Depending on the year, it would be somewhere between the centerline of the front axle and the rearmost cab mount. I’ve never looked for one on a Ranger, but that’s the area where I’d start my search.

 

[racsan]

Im sure somebody has, Swapping a body to a chassis is a lot of work. most theives aint that ambitious, most of us willing to do that kind of work aint theives.

 

[19Walt93]

If there's a chassis number I've never seen one.

 

[pjtoledo]

If all else fails buy a number/letter punch set and put the vin on the frame yourself. Ive never seen anything on the frame either of any ranger Ive owned, and the ‘97 I had completely tore down. Whats left is a truck bed trailer now.

he's trying to register a Canadian Ranger in Spain. crossing international borders with anything but the genuine factory numbers may be a very bad idea.

 

[Josh B]

Tell them he bought it from Johnny Cash, got it right straight from the factory

 

[Moto-MacGyver]

. . . Thanks for all the replies. I love how things like this generate some interest, often comical too.

If there was a prize offered here, RASCAN would win it. As has also been suggested by some Spanish friends from the start, I'm going to do the "Spanish thing" and stamp it myself.

I ordered a punch set off Amazon which arrived the next day. A video on YouTube of a UK Ranger showed the numbers, and it really just looks like it was done with a stamp kit. I think the key thing is to get the numbers very straight in line and evenly spaced. Then to disguise it to make it look old, which should be easy because there was enough crap and thin undercoating to say to them that it was buried under the undercoating, and I had to strip it away to find the numbers. Of course, the other thing is to make sure you get the alphanumeric sequence correct!!!

I'm going to practice with some random numbers on other parts of the frame first and then make a jig to ensure I get them straight and even. I'll let you know how it goes from end to end.

If anyone is thinking this is a bad idea, consider this . . . The truck has tinted windows (in the back) from the factory. They make a big deal at the ITV inspection in Spain about tinted windows. The initial inspector at ITV (who informed me of the signal light changes I'd need to make) looked at the tinted windows and said they were missing a sticker that showed they were installed by a sanctioned window tinting shop in Spain. So . . . HE said to take it to a window shop, pay them some money, and they'll put stickers on it and give me a certificate. That was the ITV inspector telling me to fake it! I did just that, cost me 50 euros, and that passed through the ITV check without a hitch.

So, I think they just want to see some numbers on the frame that the Ficha Technica document says are supposed to be there, check that box off on their form and send me on my way. (Ficha Technica is also a document made by an "engineer" who never even saw the vehicle in person) Gotta love bureaucracy!

BTW . . . if Ford put the numbers on top of the frame rail and then put the cab over top, that's ridiculous because the only way you'd see it is with the cab off! I've looked all over any visible areas on top of the frame rail on both sides of the entire truck and could not find anything.

 

[rubydist]

All the Ford frames that I have seen with the vin stamped on them, it was on the right hand frame rail not too far in front of the firewall, so if you got the rf tire off and removed any inner fender, you could see the number. So that is where I would stamp it.

 

[Moto-MacGyver]

Well . . . IT WORKED!!

Even despite me messing up the final number a bit! I used a piece of aluminum angle, a piece of aluminum bar and 3 clamps. The angle piece helped me keep things in a straight line and the stamp shaft 90 degrees to the frame and straight on. The bar helped me keep it horizontally oriented and from moving with repeated hammerings to get the number/letter to show up enough. I moved the bar along the angle the width of a stamp shaft each time that I finished a digit or letter, so that they would be evenly spaced. I carefully laid out the stamps in the correct order and orientation and checked it multiple times throughout the entire process to ensure I got it correctly matching.

The Ficha Technica said it was located on the right frame member. The challenge came in that there was little room to swing a hammer anywhere to make the stamps very deep. So, I had to do it on the side of the frame just under the passenger seat where I know it appears on UK vehicles. That was the only place I had just enough room to swing, and it was marginal. But I was able to get the digits at least deep enough to hold some paint. Unfortunately, the jig moved on me before I realized it on the final digit. I was able to recover, but barely. It just looked like I messed it up with the scraper trying to find the numbers.

I scraped right down to bare metal before starting which turned out the best anyway due the shallowness of the depressions. That also gave me the excuse to say why we couldn't find it the first time (due to buildup of paint, undercoating and dirt). Then I sprayed black paint over the numbers, waited about 5 min for it to partially dry, then wiped off the excess with a paper towel dampened with solvent. The result looked somewhat convincing.

At least it was convincing enough I guess because I passed the ITV! (. . . and that's why they call me "Moto-MacGyver")

If anyone here is crazy enough to want to try to do what I did, importing a N.A. vehicle to Spain, I can give you lots of tips and info!

I hope you all found this post entertaining if nothing else.


P.S. - If anyone is wondering why I brought my truck to Spain, Rangers here are extremely expensive here and mine still looks almost new, with very little rust on the frame and none on the body. It purrs like a kitten and has a number of upgrades and custom things done to it, like a removable winch for winching motorcycles into the back, a custom fitted hard tonneau cover, stainless steel MBRP exhaust, etc. The cost of replacing it here and re-customizing would have cost me far more than the $6k Cdn I paid for the truck originally plus my additions. Although it has over 350,000km on it, runs perfectly and gets tons of envious looks here. I saw one old guy the other day who was parked beside me taking photos of it. Now the challenge will come for getting parts and doing repairs, but 90% of that I will be doing myself and I was aware of the challenges and risks.