I went through a similar problem with my '52 3100 with a SBC. It had a good title in VA but, when I went to register it in PA, they insisted on verifying the VIN. At the time, the truck was still in VA. Unfortunately, the previous owner had painted over the door sill plate and the number was not visible. We had an inspector from the VA State Police look at the truck and he located a VIN that was actually stamped on the door sill, right below the damaged plate. It took a magnifying glass to actually read it.
Once VA verified the VIN (and I brought the truck to PA), the local DMV office came out and verified what the VA State Police had found. So, bottom line is, get out a magnifying glass and see if, by chance, you have a VIN number in the same spot as mine. By the way, the state trooper said that some early Chevy pickups also had the number stamped in the frame. Unfortunately, the motor mount for the SBC Chevy was in the spot where the VIN might have been.
