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leave it alone!
You can have a car judged with a state assigned VIN - so enough on that!
If the car was stolen, most likely the original VIN number is in a database as a stolen vehicle. If you somehow "reuse" that number, a police officer could run the number and have it come up stolen. You will have a lot more trouble than you bargained for!
If you find the original vin on the frame and it comes up as a match for a stolen vehicle, you could possibly find yourself in trouble for posession of stolen goods. Even if you bought the car legitimately, if it is later found to be "stolen" or conrain "stolen" parts, you are SOL. Worse yet, you spend a lot of $$$ to get a restamped engine with the original "stolen" VIN, then you're in a big mess.
My answer would be to leave sleeping dogs lie - keep the "good" VIN that you have. In addition, if you take the body off the frame, I would be tempted to deeply grind out any number you should find, fill it in with weld, grind it smooth and forget the number you saw! (But I didn't tell you that!)
Mark -
leave it alone!
You can have a car judged with a state assigned VIN - so enough on that!
If the car was stolen, most likely the original VIN number is in a database as a stolen vehicle. If you somehow "reuse" that number, a police officer could run the number and have it come up stolen. You will have a lot more trouble than you bargained for!
If you find the original vin on the frame and it comes up as a match for a stolen vehicle, you could possibly find yourself in trouble for posession of stolen goods. Even if you bought the car legitimately, if it is later found to be "stolen" or conrain "stolen" parts, you are SOL. Worse yet, you spend a lot of $$$ to get a restamped engine with the original "stolen" VIN, then you're in a big mess.
My answer would be to leave sleeping dogs lie - keep the "good" VIN that you have. In addition, if you take the body off the frame, I would be tempted to deeply grind out any number you should find, fill it in with weld, grind it smooth and forget the number you saw! (But I didn't tell you that!)
MarkComment
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Re: Re assigned VIN
Ron------
At this point, I would say that your chances of doing what you want to do is exceedingly slim to none, at all.
First of all, some states do not allow the installation of ANY original or reproduction VIN tag once it's been removed from the car. You need to find this out first regarding the laws in Ohio. If they have such a law OR they have no SPECIFIC provisions in the law for "restoration" VIN tags, then you needn't bother going any further.
Second, you will have a VERY tough time finding any legitimate provider of reproduction VIN tags that will make you a VIN tag for the car. That's because you have to be able to prove that you actually own the car that the VIN tag is for. You have no such proof; your registration certificate and ownership certificate contain the state-issued VIN. I don't think that the VIN derivative on the frame, even if you provided a photo of it, would constitute proof to anyone that you owned the car you were asking a VIN plate to be made for.
If you could find the car with the original VIN tag off of your car, I don't see any way that you could "re-claim" it. All you could do is to advise law enforcement agencies that any car bearing that certain VIN would likely be a stolen car. Assuming they could find the car, the VIN tag MIGHT become evidence against the possessor of said car if other things indicated "irregularities", too. I can see no way that the tag would ever be returned to you. The only "proof" you have that the tag was yours is the VIN derivative on your frame. You actually have no way of knowing or proving that the frame on the car is the original frame, anyway. Beyond that, even if you could retrieve the original VIN tag, if your state doesn't allow the re-affixation of VIN tags, it's a moot point.In Appreciation of John HinckleyComment
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Re: Re assigned VIN
Ron------
At this point, I would say that your chances of doing what you want to do is exceedingly slim to none, at all.
First of all, some states do not allow the installation of ANY original or reproduction VIN tag once it's been removed from the car. You need to find this out first regarding the laws in Ohio. If they have such a law OR they have no SPECIFIC provisions in the law for "restoration" VIN tags, then you needn't bother going any further.
Second, you will have a VERY tough time finding any legitimate provider of reproduction VIN tags that will make you a VIN tag for the car. That's because you have to be able to prove that you actually own the car that the VIN tag is for. You have no such proof; your registration certificate and ownership certificate contain the state-issued VIN. I don't think that the VIN derivative on the frame, even if you provided a photo of it, would constitute proof to anyone that you owned the car you were asking a VIN plate to be made for.
If you could find the car with the original VIN tag off of your car, I don't see any way that you could "re-claim" it. All you could do is to advise law enforcement agencies that any car bearing that certain VIN would likely be a stolen car. Assuming they could find the car, the VIN tag MIGHT become evidence against the possessor of said car if other things indicated "irregularities", too. I can see no way that the tag would ever be returned to you. The only "proof" you have that the tag was yours is the VIN derivative on your frame. You actually have no way of knowing or proving that the frame on the car is the original frame, anyway. Beyond that, even if you could retrieve the original VIN tag, if your state doesn't allow the re-affixation of VIN tags, it's a moot point.In Appreciation of John HinckleyComment
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Re: Re assigned VIN
Ron, I had a similar problem when I bought my 58 Out of state. Had to register the car at the state patrol They checked the frame no. with the vin on the door and they were different. the new no. they assignd and put on the door jamb now matches the frame and the car checked as ok. They now no longer make us do that in the state of wash, (thanks for all the headaches guys) My question now to all is can I purchase the original look vin no. from venders and reinstall to othenicate my car. I know the tags are spendy but would like to do it. Good luck and thanks to all Brad.Comment
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Re: Re assigned VIN
Ron, I had a similar problem when I bought my 58 Out of state. Had to register the car at the state patrol They checked the frame no. with the vin on the door and they were different. the new no. they assignd and put on the door jamb now matches the frame and the car checked as ok. They now no longer make us do that in the state of wash, (thanks for all the headaches guys) My question now to all is can I purchase the original look vin no. from venders and reinstall to othenicate my car. I know the tags are spendy but would like to do it. Good luck and thanks to all Brad.Comment
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Re: Re assigned VIN
There was a person selling repro Vin tags years ago , now I don't know. There is now a person on e-bay selling parts by tearing corvettes apart then later selling frames and vin numbers separate with pinks slips ,also the engine having correct numbers. I'm in Ca. Years ago I don't know about now but you could get a reissue pink (ownership papers) by having only the vin tag or showing the frame to get a pink, I did a few baskets cases that way my self that dint have a pink.
Then years later looking in the restorer I see 57 Corvette #000 for sale when I had the same 57 vin #000 for a Corvette I was building , this must be happening now and then where the frame and vin numbers are sold separate.
Do people remember when 1953 #03 was shown being restored. Then some one in the mid-west had an article in the NCRS restorer with pic's saying he had the 1953 #03 frame under his 55 Corvette. ?? Some day all states will be cross checking all car's vin numbers // then what????? Who's to say which person has the real Corvette???Comment
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Re: Re assigned VIN
There was a person selling repro Vin tags years ago , now I don't know. There is now a person on e-bay selling parts by tearing corvettes apart then later selling frames and vin numbers separate with pinks slips ,also the engine having correct numbers. I'm in Ca. Years ago I don't know about now but you could get a reissue pink (ownership papers) by having only the vin tag or showing the frame to get a pink, I did a few baskets cases that way my self that dint have a pink.
Then years later looking in the restorer I see 57 Corvette #000 for sale when I had the same 57 vin #000 for a Corvette I was building , this must be happening now and then where the frame and vin numbers are sold separate.
Do people remember when 1953 #03 was shown being restored. Then some one in the mid-west had an article in the NCRS restorer with pic's saying he had the 1953 #03 frame under his 55 Corvette. ?? Some day all states will be cross checking all car's vin numbers // then what????? Who's to say which person has the real Corvette???Comment
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Re: Re assigned VIN
Wasn't there factory documentation that the frame on 003 was swapped out back in 53 after testing? Which explained why 003 showed up on another car?Comment
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Re: Re assigned VIN
Wasn't there factory documentation that the frame on 003 was swapped out back in 53 after testing? Which explained why 003 showed up on another car?Comment
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Thanks - will be left alone
Thanks for all the great advice. If I purchase this car, I'll leave fate to this point alone.
RonComment
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Thanks - will be left alone
Thanks for all the great advice. If I purchase this car, I'll leave fate to this point alone.
RonComment
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Re: Re assigned VIN
Roy, Yes, I remember VERY well about frame #003 being found. I though never heard the "rest of the story" behind that. Does anyome know what the story is?Comment
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Re: Re assigned VIN
Roy, Yes, I remember VERY well about frame #003 being found. I though never heard the "rest of the story" behind that. Does anyome know what the story is?Comment
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