I live in Southern, CA and I bought a 53 Chevy a few months ago from a local seller. Like a fool, I was too excited to check and make sure there was a serial number plate or some identification on the car that matched the VIN issued by CA DMV which was used on the Bill of Sale. I had read that the Serial Number for the car is supposed to be on a metal plate on the A pillar. This plate is missing, however I was still able to get the car registered by the DMV (the title was transferred from the previous owner to me) and I contacted several collector's insurance agencies who said I can still insure it. According to the previous owner, the car was chopped a good 10 years ago but the Serial number plate was still riveted on after the chop and paint. The car was repainted 5 years ago and supposedly the plate was on it before it went there. There is proof the body shop painted where the plate was supposed to be and I see holes on the A pillar that might indicate where a serial plate was before. The previous owner has been super helpful in answering general questions, etc and it's someone I would consider trustworthy. The previous owner said he will get in touch with the body shop but I doubt the body shop will still have it laying around somewhere or they may lie and say they don't know. Does anyone have advice on what I should do in this situation?
A guy in Canada re pops the old GM plates, he had a couple of adds on the seattle Craigs list earlier in the week. www.classicdatatags.com Found it. I also purchased data tags from chevs of the fortys on Oregon too.
Thanks for the advice. Wouldn't that be illegal for me to do in California? I suspect the body shop lost the plate or took it and sold it but who knows.
I will delete since Rusty thinks my info was bull shit. I guess he is more of an expert than I am. Of the cars I have owned, none of the pre 53 have matched the pillar (and many others have posted on here in other threads the same.
Thanks. So there is no chance at all the number listed as the VIN on the Title and DMV registration was the one on the A pillar? If that is the case I may be chasing something that doesn't exist. The original engine was replaced with a Small Block Chevy V8 and god only knows where the original motor went.
I'm wondering what was used for the "VIN" on the DMV registration and title by the previous owner. The number looks like B53L00XXXX. I've been worried that the plate on the A pillar is not on there anymore but maybe I'm worrying about nothing if that plate doesn't even correspond to the number used to register it. The engine was swapped out so I imagine the frame is the only other place such a number would be found. I'm trying to track that plate that is supposed to be on the A pillar from the body shop but if anyone can confirm that plate doesn't have the serial number, then I would stop trying to retrieve it.
According to my book, the serial number that is on your title matches the number that was on that missing plate, attached to the right front door hinge pillar. The serial number you listed denotes a '53 Deluxe 210 series, built in Los Angeles, with the following digits consecutively running from 001001 to 228961.
Why do people post this bullshit? The tag on the A-post is the body serial number, and Chevy used these tags in various locations back into the 1930s if not before. Some were in goofy locations like the floors, but by '49 they were on the left A-post. It depends what state the car was originally registered in and when as to what number is on the paperwork. Some states went by the engine number, some by the body number, either way the number used was termed a Vehicle Identification Number for their purposes. Some states even changed from one to the other at some point. Now if it has a number on the frame, and by '53 there is a good chance it will, that number will match the body, not the engine number. It should be on the top surface of the frame, driver's side, somewhere between the firewal and the front seat. If you go to Chevytalk.org you should be able to find a thread or two with pictures of the number. As to what to do about it - you got it titled okay? Then drive it and forget it. You can probably stamp a repro tag and stick it on there and nobody would be the wiser - but nobody here told you to do it, or that it was okay. If you can track down the original, correct tag I would certainly do that. The body shop should have at the very least returned it if they couldn't bother to stick it back on there.
Thank you for the advice. The body shop says they don't know anything about it, but clearly the car was re-painted where it should be so I'm guessing they lost it or sold it. A couple of insurance companies looked at my car and said I could not have it insured without the plate with numbers matching the Title/Registration. I'm more worried about not being able to sell this car in the future without that plate.
sure....you can register it......and insure it and everything is fine....until it gets stolen, towed/impounded or you have a total loss claim with your insurance company. If the number on your paperwork doesn't match a number thats on the vehicle somewhere....then its pretty useless when you need it the most. If it were mine...I would be looking for the serial number stamped in the frame. If your paperwork has that same number...then I would get a tag, stamp the numbers in it and mount it. Its not illegal to stamp the legit numbers and put them back on. It is illegal to try and change the numbers.
Thanks so much, those are really good points... so my only legitimate option for peace of mind is to find this number by cutting out some of the driver side floor? I'm guessing there is no other way to find it.
those tags fall off all the time and i had a 54 chevy that tag had fallen off and i went to state patrol with title in my name and explained the issue. at the time any inspection was $50 and i made appointment and checked HIDDEN frame numbers and confirmed they matched title. they are pro's and know their shit unlike the registration dicks!
I'm not familiar with where they are located on that model. Some cars only have it in one location.... Others in multiple locations.
Rusty has the best advice. Order the repo plate. You might be able to regester and insure it without anyone looking for your plate. The problem comes in with something as simple as a traffic stop. Sometimes you get a cop that wants to see the numbers. They do it more often than you think. On newer cars right in the windshield it's easy. Older cars being in different places they might not look, but you never know. P.S. I think the guy you got it from should order and pay for the new tag.
Thanks for the advice. The previous owner must have had the car inspected and registered prior to when it went to the body shop 5 years ago so it had the serial plate on at that point in time. I had no issue transferring the title and registering in my name when I went to the DMV a few months ago. I'm most worried about a CHP asking to see the serial number if my luck is bad and having a reproduction tag that raises suspicion.
Just what I was going to say! In Missouri they used the ENGINE NUMBER on the titles. (Dumb, but true!) I photographed the engine number in my car before pulling it, but still wonder how that will work when I sell the car. In Oklahoma they used the "body number" on the plate the O.P. is talking about. I know because when I brought my '51 from OKC a local cop had to verify the title number and he was surprised it was the body number and not the engine number.
I was just looking thru Streetscene mag and saw this ad for a guy doing vin plates. Email for photo's and specs 33ride@gmail.com or 410-535-1933 or 410-474-2244 $30 hand stamped I know nothing more than that. I do not know him. I do not know what they look like. As Shultz says "I know nutting"!
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