The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk VIN location???

Hi

I've owned my '54 Bel-Air since '92. Its been titled in LA and MS. I recently moved to SC, so I compared the title to the car. Where is the VIN supposed to be? The numbers on my title don't match the numbers on the door jamb.

I swapped the factory 235 for a '60 235 a few years ago. Was the number on the block? What do you guys do in this situation?

thanks,
chip

It may well have been on he block.

Mine is.

If you post the number on the title, we can tell you one way or the other if it's an engine number.

Not sure how they did it with cars, but with trucks, the number on the title was often the engine serial number, or a combination of the engine serial number and the body serial number.

This won't help you, but its what I did, and might help others thinking about a motor swap.

I went through the process to have the numbers and title verified, and then change which number was on the title, before pulling the original motor.

In Washington that required taking the truck to a state police inspection station, and doing some paperwork and paying some fees.

number on title is:

0119159545

Survey sez????

number assigned by some DMV, but then it should be on a plate somewhere, or stamped on the frame - the engine number would have at least 1 letter, maybe 2

Bill

Most states used the engine number as the VIN through 55. If you've changed engines it's quite possible there's no matching number anywhere on the car. The best thing you can do is call your DMV and ask them how to resolve the issue. Each state is somewhat different in the exact process they use. Just for grins you might check the raised boss behind the distributor for a number that matches. Stranger things have happened. Good luck.

According to info I found on the net, the 1955-1957 Chevrolet featured a Vin Tag and Cowl Tag. The VIN tag was located on the drivers side door jam. The Cowl Tag was located on the Firewall.

The number on your title, 0119159545 doesn't appear to match the numbering scheme used for either the '55 thru '57 cars, nor does it match numbering schemes used on the engines as both numbers would have had at least one letter in the number.

So it's probable that the number you have was cooked up by whatever state DMV originally titled the vehicle, and if that's the case, there would probably be a metal plate or tag bolted somewhere, or stamped in the frame as Red58 suggests.

It could also be that one or both of the states you lived in prior didn't require a title for a vehicle that old, just a bill of sale, and the number on your title isn't a full fledged 'vin' number that corresponds to a number on the vehicle... which could prove to be a problem if you move to a state that does require such things.

If it helps, I bought a truck out of Oklahoma that had the number on the title just scratched into the original cowl tag with what looked like a pocket knife. When I called my local DMV and asked them about it, they said they didn't care so long as the number on the title appeared somewhere on the vehicle.

In the 1954 Chevrolet Owners manual, it says the serial number is 'stamped on plate attached to left front body hinge pillar'.

In case you don't have one.. Here\'s a 1954 Chevrolet Passenger Car Owners Manual

Thanks guys,

I'm the third owner. Car was originally from Louisiana. It was titled in LA until 2000. I'll have to clean & check the numbers on the driver's door, and the cowl tag again.

Stock block is long gone, a main web cracked in 2001 or 02. Just wish I had checked the numbers.

Chip