hey who knows where these things have been in their lives? I call my 57 the frankentruck because it's assembled of parts from 9 different ones covering 56-59 + a 62 step box
that sequence number also means it was only the 3,175th truck of the 57 series assembled in L.A. [all plants started at 100,000], which means it prolly was actully built in 56 - but maybe somewhere the last 50 years, somebody replaced the front clip for whatever reason - wreck maybe, or someone just liked the egg crate grille better than the clown's mouth 57 one [most seem to] - check the 'hidden' paint on front areas, like where the fender flange mates w/ the inner fenders, where the grill bolts in, etc, and check some points on the cab as well and see if you find evidence they had different original colors
the biggest change 56-57 is they shortened the steering column a few inches to suit a different steering wheel - the 55-6 wheel is flat across it's face [same as 54 and 55.1 I think], where the 57 and up wheel the hub is recessed the xtra few inches w/ spokes angling out to the rim, putting the wheel rim in the same relation to the driver - if it was a true 57 frame it'd have the shorter column because that was installed before the body went on
the door VIN tags are slightly different places different years, but generally in 56 it's spot welded on the forward drivers pillar halfway above the dogleg if I remember right, and that other tag is halfway below the dogleg where it's wider
hope you can find some paper to go w/ the truck that has a matching number on it, but things can always be worked out as long as you have a good bill of sale!
Bill
