The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk VIN Number Accuracy

I am in the process of buying a 1954 PU that has a good Texas title.

When I run the VIN through the VIN Buster program, it does not come up with the right info for the truck...

I am going to TxDOT today & check this out, but would appreciate any feedback.

Is this typical?? Or should I nix the deal??
This is a very nice truck to build...

Thanks,

TC

Hy Thirdcoast, it is possible that your truck is titled using the original engine number, and not the trucks serial number. There are many states that titled vehicles this way in the past. If you post the number from your title, we should be able to tell you if that is an engine number or not, hope that helps.

You are wise to be cautious. Make sure it really is clean before finalizing the deal.

Thanks 3B,

The VIN on the title is: 0673073F54Y

It also has 1954 Chev PK as year, make & model.

Thanks for the help as I am supposed to go get the truck tomorrow...

TC

Hy Thirdcoast, I'm no expert on American numbers, but that sure looks like an engine number to me. The last two numbers I believe are the year the engine was built, so if the truck is a 54 as you said, that would seem to jive. If the truck is close to you, you could go and check the engine number. There is a machined surface just behind where the distributor enters the block, that is where the engine number should be stamped. If you can verify that the number stamped into the engine is the same as the number on the title, then there should be no problem, if however the engine number does not match the title, then you must ask your registering body what hoops have to be jumped through to transfer the vehicle into your name, good luck.

Unfortunatly there is no engine..

I called the tax office & they could care less when it comes to old cars...

If it has a good title, it is transferable, so I should be OK...

It will have a SBC in it when it is done...

Hopefully by April 1, 2011....


Thanks,

TC

If they don't care buy a blank data plate and stamp the number on the title onto the plate then mount it on the truck. Run the number with the police BEFORE paying for it to make sure it's not hot.

In Texas you can do a title only transfer. When you to the tax assessors office with the title, they will enter it in the TxDOT system. If its not a clean title, it will show up then. TxDOT is the titling agency in Texas. Don't get the police involved or you are liable to get all sorts of stupid answers from them.

I agree with crenwelge. Go to the tax assessors office.

I just went through a six-month ordeal, trying to transfer the title for my '52 PU from VA to PA. PA would not accept the VA title without verifying the VIN. When I tried to do that, discovered that the VIN plate on the door frame had been painted over; no luck trying to remove the paint without destroying the original number. So I appealed to the VA DMV. They sent a state police inspector out to verify the VIN. He said that some early trucks had the VIN stamped in the frame adjacent to the engine compartment. Don't know if mine did because the SBC motor mount was welded right where it should have been. But the guy kept searching and finally found a VIN stamped in the door frame below the metal plate. You needed a magnifying glass to read it. Once the number was located, I was able to provide the verification that PA needed. Bottom line is, even if the truck you are looking at was titled by engine number, you may be able to locate the VIN on the frame or driver's side door frame.

I did go to the tax office...

The following was copied from the TxDOT website...

FYI: "Note: The Department of Motor Vehicles opened for business November 1, 2009. Several TxDOT divisions and their functions were transferred to the TxDMV."

Among the functions are registration & licensing of vehicles././

Thanks for the help,

TC

TC: This might not be a lot of help but this is my case: My truck is a 49 GMC truck with a 248 engine. It has stamped on the motor a 228 engine number (A228####) and my registration says: '54 Chevrolet. The motor (54T-###)and vin number on the registration corresponds to a Chevy truck not a GMC, go figure where the guy that sold me the car pulled these numbers.The truck apparently had no papers, so the former owner went to our equivalent of the DMV. They agreed with the guy, since the truck had a Chevrolet emblem and probably knew close to nothing about these trucks, and I have a registered car at my name. Risky, yes, worried, no. Sometimes it pays to live in an undeveloped country, or as we say: such is life here in the tropics. Good luck with your truck, hope you can pull this one out, since this is a * of a hobby.

I am from Va. (Roanoke) and was also selling my '52 to a guy in Pa. They out source some of there DMV work to outside contractors and they check the Vin number. Va. does not. Anyway, My numbers didn't match so Va. Dmv did the same thing as in your case. They sent the Va. State police over to look at it. The engine number had been stamped over top of the old number. Both appeared to be bogus. They crushed the motor (illegal to posses motor w/altered numbers) and gave me a new title. This one has the serial number that is on the door. Bottom line- some labor for me to take motor out and $100 for a new 216 (running) motor that I found also in Pa., from the guy that was gonna buy it. So really not too bad of a lesson.

You would be smart to walk away from that deal.When you buy a vehicle,old or new it is a legal transaction,and the numbers had better be right.If you accept that deal be prepared to have big brother take the truck away from you down the road.