Hey Phil9N-
How fortunate to have your grandfathers' original '39 9N and with an early s/n at that. My grandfather bought a 9N new in November of 1939 here in Michigan but it is long gone. I have placed a search out for a replacement and figured, based on production numbers, it would have had a serial number between 5000 and 6000, but not necessarily. I have an early '48 8N but would like to find an early 9N that is still in one piece (no cracked block or replaced engine. I had one guy call me and told me it was a '39 and then said it had one of those "newer" side mount distributors! Oh, well. As far as finding the serial nuber on the block, try an archive search here for it has been discussed several times before and many methods are available. I would not sand, file, or destroy any metal on the block though. That would make it worse to find. Serial numbers were hand stamped and, if you've ever hand stamped before, you can be light on some numbers, and heavy on others. My 8N was lightly stamped but I eventually found a secret recipe. Try this: Remove paint and/or rust with a commercial product first and if you have to rub, use a nylon bristle toothbrush. Wash off residue with mineral spirits, but do not use a file, wire brush or other metal removing devices. Let dry then apply MagnaFlux. It is a two-stage product for detecting cracks in cast iron. You spray it on then apply a developer. I used a black light to view the area and that's how I finally got mine. Good luck and ifN' ya want to sell that 9N shoot me an email.. Tim "PloughNman" Daley
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