The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Data plate missing

Looking to buy a five window cab but the seller can’t find the data plate and has no title. How do you go about finding the vin number and getting a new data plate ? Or is the cab not useable.Can u get a new vin number for the cab ?

No number anywhere on cabs of that era. Each State has a process for getting a “New” VIN stamped. BUYER BEWARE!

If you’re fixing a truck you already have with proper paperwork then the cab without a title sounds like a good donor.
Probably not worth the headache and chance to title one with no existing title or numbers.

Pre '56 most states used the engine number as the "VIN" on the title. Like Martin said, contact your state to see what their process is to title your vehicle. Some states are more anal that others.

Whatever you do, don't commit title fraud. And what that is varies from state to state.
Apparently there are legal ways to do it because 1000s? of trucks have had the cab changed...

You know I have read these threads over and over in many forums over the years. Chances of the absence of a body tag missing on a truck that originally came with one, is that sometime in the past it was stolen, especially if it has the absence of a title too.
So with that said, if you are a law abiding citizen and don't want trouble and don't want to arm wrestle your way out of a potentially nasty situation, you don't go near it.

I personally would not go near anything that should have a number on it that doesn't, although there are states (mine in fact) that say parts that dont have numbers on them should have a bill of sale or documentation on how it was obtained. Even though my state does not have a data base on body tags, it does on engine VINS. Which is silly because the old 216 has been replaced like most babbit pounders have, the reason I kept the block.

So technically, if you buy a replacement engine and it has a ViN number on it that was produced before 1956, it better have a title with it, but a cab with a body number you dont need a title but need a bill of sale or documentation on how it was obtained, but a cab without a body number, even though not tracted in my state you need a title, even though the title cant be tied to that body. Many read between the lines but it cant be said here on the stovebolt.
Steve