I recently took the body off my 67 coupe and can not find a VIN stamp on the rear kickup above the shock mount. I looked at my 1979, and see no stamping there either. I know all are hit on the drivers frame rail, but are they all hit again on the kickup? I have a 65 frame that is hit in both places, I assume in 67 they were only hit in one spot?? What have you guys seen?? Thanks, kurt
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Re: C2. Are all frames VIN stamped?
They are SUPPOSED to be stamped, however I removed the body from a 68 that was not stamped either place, nor near the steering box. Believed that the frame was originalDick Whittington -
Re: C2. Are all frames VIN stamped?
Dick,
I don't recall where I got this, but understand that frame stamping ceased beginning with 1968. Sounds like more bad info tossed my direction, but my original '68 was rusted enough to destroy any such stamping if it ever was, so it wasn't any help toward clarifying this issue. The replacement frame also had no stamping, but it was either a 73 or 74 frame, so no help there. What years were supposed to be stamped? And were frames VIN marked after stamping was phased out? Thanks in advance for shedding any light on this.
DaveComment
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Re: C2. Are all frames VIN stamped?
Dave, I cannot address the issue that they stopped stamping frames. But I do believe that the Fed's requires this to this day. I do know that heavy trucks still day have the frames stamped.
NC DMV brought a car, suspected to be stolen, to our shop several years ago and had us raise it on the lift to inspect the VIN #'s on the frame. It was a mid to late 70's Corvette.Dick WhittingtonComment
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Re: C2. Are all frames VIN stamped?
I agree with Dick. I know for sure that the frame VIN stamp operation continued right through to the end of St. Louis production in 1981. However, there were a few reasons why some frames have absolutely no stamp at all, or have random hand stamped characters instead of the straight row of characters normally seen. Of the several different reasons for this, equipment failure was the most common. The machine that applied the characters to the frame was not just a hand held tool like the engine number stamp tool. It was a large hydraulically operated fixture that was suspended above the frame line. The machine was pulled down to the frame and the characters were stamped with the push of a button. Occasionally, the equipment failed and no numbers were stamped. Several frames may have passed by without the stamp until a worker was sent to temporarily HAND stamp the characters on each frame until the stamp machine could be repaired, again. This was definitely not uncommon.
MichaelComment
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Re: C2. Are all frames VIN stamped?
Very interesting, as I was extremely careful before I started the stripping/repainting of the replacement frame so as to not disturb any stamps or markings at all. No marks or stamps were found, and that frame "appeared" to be in original condition (I.E. 30+ years worth of dirt and surface rust)that showed no evidence of any repair. More C3 mystery?Comment
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Re: C2. Are all frames VIN stamped?
Thanks for that info, Michael. Helps to explain why I didn't find any on my replacement frame. My original frame was too far gone to know if any stamp was ever there.Comment
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Re: C2. Are all frames VIN stamped?
I'll try to post a few pictures of the frame VIN stamp operation later if anyone is interested. Have to finish the cutting the lawn first. (orders from the top)Comment
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Re: C2. Are all frames VIN stamped?
Oh No!! Lawn mowing is back!! I was thinking of renting a roaming herd of goats this yearComment
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Starting in late '65, rear stamping moved ...
.. back about 17 inches, barely forward of the rear body mount, or just above the rear sway bar clamp (in BB lingo). Harder to get a mirror in that location, and sometimes the stamping can be real faint. Be careful not to clean the numbers off with abrasive efforts.Comment
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