VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1929-1932 1931 CHEVY VIN#

MY VIN# ID PLATE IS UNREADABLE-LOCATED ON FLOOR BEHIND PASSANGER SEAT COACH 2-DOOR - IS THERE A NUMBER ANYPLACE ELSE ON VEHICLE - UNABLE TO REGISTER WITH DMV BECAUSE OF THIS. HELP!

Hi VERNON R.,

What is listed on the current title? Depending on the past history of the car it could have been registered by either the serial number or the engine number. Depends on the policy of the previous state procedure.

If you are in luck and the title shows the SERIAL number you can replace the tag on the floor with a new tag.

HI RAY,
THANK YOU FOR THE REPLY. THERE IS NO REGISTRATION OR TITLE AVAILABLE-CAR WAS STORED FOR 50 YEARS ALL PAPER WORK LOST. NYS DMV WILL NOT USE BUILD OR BODY NUMBERS. I REMOVED THE PLATE THIS MORNING AND CAN FIND NOTHING READABLE OR USEABLE. DMV ONLY WANTS VIN# THE REGISTRATION PROCESS GETS EXTREMLY DIFFICULT IF I CAN'T LOCATE THIS NUMBER. PS-I JUST CAME BACK FROM WASHINGTON-MY SON LIVES IN BLAINE-BEAUTIFUL STATE. ANY HELP WOULD BE APPRECIATED.
THANKS,
VERN

Sounds like you are in the market for a title and a matching rusty frame.

I'm out the door and on my way to the NW Meet. Will return Sunday. If you still have a problem contact me then.

The only factory serial number on the car is on the plate that is attached to the passenger side main sill in front of the seat. No other locations exist for a serial number except for the motor serial number.

It is always a good idea to only purchase a car that has a valid title or is already registered. Getting a title for an old car is a nightmare without the paper work, as you are finding out. In some states, a Bill of Sale is all you need.

Did you try a pencil rubbing of the serial number that is stamped on the plate to see if you can make out any of the numbers?

Was the number stamped into the tag or inked on the tag?

If it was stamped into the metal then you should be able to get the numbers. Science can bring up the numbers on a gun that has had the numbers filed off you should be able to get the numbers from your tag...and close would count here.

...Another big myth old Buddie Gator....Haven't you heard all FBI scientists are bald faced liers, just ask ole Johnnie!........ Cochran that is....

The serial numbers were stamped on the plate.

Vern said..."LOCATED ON FLOOR BEHIND PASSANGER SEAT COACH 2-DOOR - IS THERE A NUMBER ANYPLACE ELSE ON VEHICLE"

This isn't where the factory attached it, is it?

Also Vern emailed me and said that the numbers were inked on the tag.

Looks like maybe someone moved or changed the tag, maybe?

From what I have read on Chatter most of the tags are gone from "...attached to the passenger side main sill in front of the seat (JYD quote)..." so maybe this happened here.

If possible maybe Vern can use the motor number, harder to lose a motor...

PS; MrMack, not the FBI, but the FDLE (Fl. dept. of Law enforcement) does our CSI work here.

Several years ago I registered one of my cars by using the cowl tag body number. The sill plate was missing and I had the engine out of the car when I had it inspected by the DMV they did not have a problem with that because the tag was riveted to the fire wall.

My sill tag was also missing when I purchased my 31 4 dr sedan(basket case), but it did come with a clear title. I have purchased a new reproduction tag and my question is what info should be stamped into it and exactly where should it be placed. Also would the vin #2387538 have anything to do with that production year? I know from the cowl tag the body#S3675 tells me it was made in St. Louis, what does the 3675 mean? :confused:

"3675" means that your car was the 3,675th 4-door sedan built in the St. Louis factory in 1931. "2387538" is not your "VIN" number, it is your 1931 engine serial number. The serial number that appeared on the sill plate was a completely different set of letters and numbers that included the factory,(designated by one or two numbers), the series (designated by "AE"), the month of manufacture (designated by two numbers), and finally the number of the run for that year in that specific factory.

You could try International Title Service.
Phone number is 1-800-543-8626 or there website is http://www.its-titles.com

all they really need is a bill of sale.
It might be your best luck unless somebody has a old title for sale.

JYD!! The #2387538 is the VIN number on my Missouri title. You are correct, it is also my engine serial number(behind fuel pump). Somehow, someway, somebody screwed up because this is the number that was on the title when I bought the car. I have never seen an original title for this car, and to my knowledge, I am the 3rd owner. Were there VIN #`s assigned to these vehicles in 1931? What was the designated number for the St. Louis plant? For the sake of the discussion, let`s say the number for the St. Louis plant is #6 and it was built in July and it was the 9,876 car built would the serial number be(6AE079876)? :confused: :confused: :confused:

The use of the month of manufacture in the vehicle serial number was not used until the 1932 model year. So if your car was the 9876th produced at the St. Louis plant it would be 6AE 10876. The first vehicle was 1001 and not 1.

It was common practice to use the engine number as the official number on State Titles for most states up to the 40s. Vehicle serial numbers sometimes also appeared on titles and/or resistration. Beginning in the 80s the Feds required the VIN be used and the remaining three states still using registration only to begin to use titles. AL, MS, NY were the last states to issue titles.

Chipper Dipper is correct on the engine numbers appearing on the titles. Oregon and California were two states that also used the engine number on titles instead of the car serial number that appeared on the sill plate.

The number designation for St. Louis is "3", not "6". Six was the number designation for the Oakland factory.

JYD! (3AE0710876) St. Louis
Independence AE
July
9876+1000
Is the above number correct?

As Chipper Dipper mentioned, there was no month code in 1931, (there was in 1932) so a fictitious serial number for your car would read as follows: 3AE10876. However, the number of the run (10876) would be based on what month your car was manufactured in the St. Louis factory even though the month of manufacture does not appear in the overall serial number for 1931.

How is it possible to recreate a run number when the sill tag is missing? The only thing I know for sure is the cowl tag identifies it as having been made in St. Louis in 1931. As I said before, my title is registered with the engine number. :confused: :confused: :confused:

If you can't get a rebuilders tag, maybe you can "sell"it to someone that lives in a state that will accept a Bill of Sale, register it there and sell it back to yourself and then transfer it back to your home state ? I don't know if that would work in N.Y. Have you considered moving to a state that still has some civil freedoms?

Hoppy,
If I take the engine serial number and calculate the date of manufacture of the engine it was produced approximately Feb. 8, 1931 in Flint, MI. Assuming a two week delay to get the engine to St Louis and install in your car, the vehicle serial number (not a VIN) would be 3AE 28842. Any number plus or minus that number would also be in the ballpark. St. Louis produced ~ 226 vehicles per day in Feb. 1931.

Chip! Thank you so much!! :) :) :)