Purchased at auction a 1946 Chevy 4403 (1 1/2ton with stake bed). It came with 2 serial number plates. The original plate is there and serial number is legible. The new plate - and it looks brand new - has the number that is on the title. When I asked the consignor about it, he said this “…don't know when we lost the second plate. There's a company that makes the plate. Gave them a copy of the registration and they sent me that.” The new plate list the max weight at 4600lbs. The truck is actually rated at 15,000 lbs. He says he contacted the people who made the new plate and they said the weight rating was as high as they could go. I am very confused. He either didn’t want to tell me the whole story or he legitimately doesn’t really know.
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I would guess that they did not have a title for the original serial number and thought it would be easier to get a fake plate and title. I would check with the state motor vehicle department for the correct way to proceed.
What class did they rate the truck as? I believe in NY some classes have a max weight. If it is registered the same as a non-commercial pickup that could be an issue.
I have found that having an old car is a constant project that is never done. I think that is a good thing. Keeps me learning new things. Having two from different eras is just a form of higher education.
I have title in hand that corresponds to the 2nd plate. So The title would seem to be good. Plus, this is a reputable auction company that requires clean title. I suspect that you are correct that sometime over the last 77 years that original title was lost and that they went thru some process to get a new one. I just don’t quite understand the process.
For some reason some people have trouble finding the serial number plate on the cowl under the hood of '46 trucks. Don't know why... it's really in plain sight... just seems to happen. This might lead to someone thinking the truck had no plate, and going through the process of getting a new one and registering to that new plate.
New plates in the style of the original plate are available on Ebay for example. But they are generic in that they all say 4600 lbs max weight to my knowledge. This is because they were modeled on the plate for a 1/2 ton truck.
BUT...my questions would be: Why did the seller have a registration that didn't match the original plate... but supposedly matches a plate that wasn't attached to the truck and was thus able to be "lost"? Does your registration show and match the actual GVW of your truck? Or does it match the 4600 lbs on the new plate the seller acquired using the registration you got with the truck? (Which might suggest something a little hinky.) Seems a little suspicious to me.
If I were you, I'd try to get the truck registered to the original number on the original plate on the truck, and throw the rest away.
Just to verify that your original plate IS the original plate... can you give us the first number, 2 letters, and next number on your original plate?
PS By the way... Nice Truck!! Can we have more pictures please? 🙂
Thank you for the reply. Beginning of serial # is 21 PK ……. So manufactured in Janesville, WI and is 1 1/2 ton. The plate looks legit. It just has this second plate screwed in right below it.
This is a 1 family truck. He gave me the original owners manual when I picked it up. Had the original sales receipt, too. He said he didn’t know when the 2nd plate was lost - so ordered the new one off his registration. My question is and he doesn’t seem to have an answer to is: why did you have a second plate?
I do have the title - I will see if Idaho will give title under original serial number but I am not hopeful.
Engine was swapped at some point - I believe the 216 for a 235. The rear end also swapped - I believe to get rid of split rims. Have both originals in the back of the truck.
This title was issued in 1990 - I am guessing that is when the consignor took possession of the truck from his dad’s estate. The title lists the truck as 1 1/2 ton. And show that it is PK truck. The Montana load rate painted on the truck is 16,000 which should actually be 15,000.
The truck is in great shape. 95% of all works - windows, heater, wipers, hoist. It really is amazing!
Was the truck originally registered to the ENGINE number as some states did back then? If so... when the 216 was swapped out, the registration would no longer jibe with any number on the truck. Then, to facilitate a future transaction, a plate would need to be attached to the truck with the number the truck was registered under.
Can we ask what the first letters/numbers are that the truck is registered under and therefore appear on the new plate? Would they by any chance be DCA or DCM? If not, then I have no idea what strange stories your truck has to tell. 🙂
I think Ole has hit the proverbial nail on it's noggin. Many (some say most) states used the engine number as the VIN on titles pre 1955. If that was the case when your truck was purchased and the original engine was swapped out, a prudent owner would have the vehicle re-titled under an assigned number, most did not. It appears the consignor crossed that particular bridge in 1990, good for him/her!
VCCA Member 43216 Save a life, adopt a senior shelter pet. 1938 HB Business Coupe 1953 210 Sedan
Perhaps the number on your new plate is a state issued number. In Missouri, if you jump through all the hoops to get a title for a vehicle with a lost or missing title, they issue a 17(?) digit number that supposedly conforms to the federal VIN requirements. Also, they always want to attach it in a place where you would not want it. I don't understand why they never want to use the number that is already on the vehicle.
The number on the title is 6 digits - no letters - so prob not the engine number. But I will check maybe just left the letters off. Another truck in MT that I looked at and saw title used the serial number and did include the letters.
Perhaps state issued number is the answer. Just seems so strange to me.
