1954 Corvette California Title

[Michael H.]

Would a 1954 Corvette California Title use the engine# in place of a Vin #?

[Ed H.]

Re: 1954 Corvette California Title

It would depended on the date the title form was issued. Early cars may have used engine # on titles. If the title is a fairly recent title, than no
it has to be the VIN#. When I say recent I mean any title (Pink Slip as referred in Ca.) dated in the 60's and later. Having titled Corvettes since my first purchase in 1962, including 6 additional Corvettes I have owned, all were titled with the vehicle VIN #.

[Gary C.]

Re: 1954 Corvette California Title

Michael,

When I came back from SE Asia was stationed in northern California in 1961. Transferred Oklahoma title 1951 Chevy Convertible to California "pink slip" and the engine number was used on the California pink slip title.

Gary
....

[Loren L.]

Re: 1954 Corvette California Title

Part of 1953 #003's history included a stay in CA with the engine # stated on the title.

[Lynn L.]

Re: 1954 Corvette California Title

I had purchased a 54 about 8 years ago. It came with original registration which used the engine # for vehicle identification!!
I was told that this would be a better theft deterrent than 2 philip screws

[Joe L.]

Re: 1954 Corvette California Title

All------


Many old cars in the 50's and prior were titled with the engine number instead of a VIN. I vividly recall the story of a friend of mine (in fact, the guy that ignited my interest in cars in high school) who bought an early 50's Mercedes Cabriolet in Marin County about 20-25 years ago. This car was titled with the engine number. However, somewhere along the way, the engine had been replaced. Thus, his title for the car in no way established him as the owner of the car he had purchased but this did not come to light until he sent the engine out for a rebuild at a specialty shop in Oregon. The nightmare that he experienced thereafter he could write a book about.

Of course, it was largely his fault because he should have checked that the paperwork on the car matched the car BEFORE he purchased it.

In basic terms, this is why I recommend that anyone purchasing an old Corvette, and especially a 1953-67, check out the "authenticity" of the car and paperwork thereof. If one is buying a C1 originally titled with engine number, one needs to be sure that the original engine is still in the car. Otherwise, one will be in a situation just like my friend----having a car which in no way matches the title. And, as I've said many times before, even if one buys a Corvette originally titled with a VIN, one needs to be sure that the VIN number of the title matches the VIN number on the car. The only way to reliably do this is to inspect the FRAME VIN derivative. It's WAY too easy for pre-1968 VIN plates to be switched. Even 1968+ VIN plates can be switched, albeit with a lot more difficulty. However, a 68+ with its original windshield would be pretty safe.

[Richard P.]

Re: 1954 Corvette California Title

When registering my 1956 Corvette for the first time in 1998 I became aware that the ID number on the registration (titles in NY started in 1973) for the car did not match the VIN. The 300HP 327 number did not match the registration number either. I pulled out Noland Adams' "Corvette Restoration & Technical Guide*Vol 1" and on page 196 is a list entitled "1956 Corvette Serial-Number-to-Engine Number Relationship". The number on the 1970 NYS Registration (last time car was licensed) was not the VIN but did fall within engine numbers above and below my VIN on Noland's list. A visit to NYS DMV with book in hand and the original cancelled check that paid for the car allowed me to register the car that I had purchased 22 years earlier.
Not sure if this would work today.
A similar list for 1954 Corvettes is found on page 97 of his book. This is not the perfect answer for DMV but it worked for me.