Didn't most of the older titles use the engine serial number instead of the body/chassis number to identify the vehicle? Factory replacement engines usually came without a stamped ID number so dealers could duplicate the original engine number. A later model engine could also cause some registration headaches.
Jerry

"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln
Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt!
There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway
Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!