The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk 1940 Chevy, need to get legal soon, but no title!!

I want to get the ball rolling on finding a title for my truck, but i'm a little confused as to what number on the metal tag is the actual vin #. I know the one with the KF.... is the body type, but what should i look for in the vin #? i'm not sure how many digits are in these old tags, and i read somewhere that they might have used the engine number on the title?? I know it's an elementary question, but only other truck i built was a '67, and i had a tag!! Thanks for the help

-Jake T.

In 1940 there was no internationally recognized standard for VIN numbers, and each manufacturer basically did what they wanted.

So unless you have a title that has a number from the truck represented as the VIN you can't say it has a VIN. If the tag is still in place one of the numbers should be a serial number. If it were me I'd try to use that number to get a title.

Its probably the number that starts KF that you mention, though I don't know Chevy serial numbers for '40 and could be mistaken.

However, you need to jump through whatever hoops your state has to do that. Joe's link should help with that part.

Variations of this question get asked a lot. The answer is always the same. Ask the people you get your title/tag from, the licensing authority in your state. Every state has a process to resolve your issue. Many are similar but asking anyone here get's you opinion and conjecture. Your state licensing authority is the entity you need to please and the best place to get your questions answered.

there is a company in vegas here is the info
Inernational title serive 3220 e flamingo road,suite 8-357
Las Vegas, Nevada 89121
ph# 1=702-456-4027
i contacted them about my 39 chevy and was told 150 for a clear title the newer the vehical the more expensive so we are in good shape there saves you the trouble of the endless title searches

Thanks for all the info, i'll go down to the s.o.s. and talk to them about it, i had thought that they had a regular vin #, even back in '40.

I had to jump through some hoops with my truck to get it titled recently here in Kansas. I did have a title (from Tenessee) with a VIN# and there was a VIN plate on the firewall, but only a few of the numbers/letters were discernable. I was told by the inspector here that since the truck doesn't have the orignal engine in it (which they said would have been the VIN number) that I'd have to go through their office in Wichita and a more scrutinized history check. (A 100 mile trip and another trailer rental for me...ugghhh)

The officer in Wichita wanted pictures of what was on the truck and a copy of the title. I sent the pics, waited a few days and called back. He said "We're going to have to impound the truck, it's been stolen since '41". Dead silence on my end till he finally started laughing.

I took the truck over the next day, he put a new VIN plate on it and gave me what I needed to get a new title. Now I'm driving around happy as can be.

Good luck, hope yours goes as smoothly as possible.

that sounds like a nightmare, but at least you're set now. I called the secretary of state this morning and the lady said that the last registered owner had to apply for a duplicate title. I then called a different office and that lady said that i had to bring a complete bill of sale, with the vin #, and then she would send it to lansing, MI, and see if they would clear them to give me a new title. I hope it works, but i'm still not sure which number to give them, sounds like maybe i should give them the engine #, if they told you that that's what the vin would've been.

That is only useful if you have the original engine, or if the records have been updated when the engine was replaced.

And then once you have that number on the title if you ever decide to swap motors for any reason, you'll have a new problem.

If at all possible make the title match the body.

Thats funny!

jmoore...yeah, I laughed too...after my heart started beating again.

Man, I could just see a lot of $$$ flying out the window and that would NOT have been funny.

While I was there getting the new VIN plate, he told me a story about a '65 Mustang that he recovered for some folks...it had been stolen back in the early '70's and titled a bunch of times since then. The owners were real glad to get it back after all those years.

Alabama will title 'Ol Ironsides.