I have an old ID tag from a very old car, and I thought it would be kinda fun to track its “roots” (plus kill a little time at work!).
Well, after all the searching my tiny mind is capable of, I came up with ZERO! So, does any of the Teeming Millions want to take a crack at it?
Heres what I know: The car is basicly unknown. I would guess it was from the late teens or early 20’s. The tag measures 4" X 1 3/4" more or less and was located on the engine side of the firewall on the driver’s side (as memory serves, its been several years since I yanked it).
here is what it says:
FISHER BODY CORP.
DETROIT, MICH.
(bunch of fine print, saying to ref the numbers in correspondence)
JOB NO. 6720
BODY NO. F19404
Probably a Chev or Buick. They had those “Body by Fisher” labels up until the 80s (maybe later). I doubt it is as early as you suggest though maybe 30s, but what the hell do I know.
The Fisher Body Corp was founded around 1908 by Lawrence P. Fisher in Detroit, Michigan. Up until GM purchased a majority interest in 1919, they produced body parts for 30 different automobile manufacturers. After GM finalized the buyout in 1926, the parts were exclusively made for General Motors - Chevys and Buicks primarily.
That’s more than enough to get oyu started in your quest. I doubt you’ll find much online, but a competent car restorer should be able to give you more information about the serial numbers.
A great resource for Fisher Body information can be found at Fish Body Online. There’s 160 pages of Fisher Body info including email addresses of former employees and links to related sites.