1952 Serial Number Help

[gusman]

Hi Everyone,

I've searched and searched, but the serial number on my 52 just isn't making any sense. I looked at the LMC decoder, the one over on stovebolt, google, wikipedia, nothing seems to match. Long story short, I bought all the tins for a 52 chevy pickup almost 2 years ago from some guy in NH. Got a bill of sale, I have it somewhere. I have slowly been repairing the rot since then. I am swapping it onto a 97 Dakota chassis (my friends hate me for it),but it's coming along nicely. So I read an article about some guy finishing a bel air I think it was, and it turns out when he went to title it, the rusted out old shell he started with was actually stolen! He lost the car, the time, the labor that all went into it as it was returned to its rightful owner.. now a completed car.

So living in Mass, I figure I better start now trying to get a title for this truck, cause it's definitely going to take some time. On the drivers side door pillar, I have a tag and it reads..

NHTK 000163
1952 CHEVE PKUP

I have searched and searched,but NHTK doesn't seem to make any sense with the decoders I am using. Any help would be greatly appreciated. And if anyone has gone through the title process with just a bill of sale and has any advice, I would greatly appreciate that as well.

Thanks in advance!
Gus

[55metalmonkey]

This might help
http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/models/serial.htm

Is the ID plate messed up or painted over? The info doesn't seem to match some of the plant numbers for the 52 year
Also VERY good idea on getting the papers in order before you sink a bunch of money into it. It's not just the bel air story, it's happened many times. just google " stolen car returned to owner after * years"
it happens more often than you think

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article...cles/140219502
http://www.reddit.com/r/news/comment...recovered_and/
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/s...d.php?t=822304

[gusman]

The tag appears to be original. or at lease as old as the last coat of paint and rust that has been covering the pillar

Going to email myself a pic to put up give me a second..

[gusman]

This is what it looks like. Thanks for any help!

[wildfifty2]

The VIN number plate in my 1852 truck looks more like this..
http://www.classicparts.com/images/33-011.jpg

Your picture does not appear to be an original VIN tag. In California they used the engine id to register vehicles in the early 50s.. Sometimes when the numbers do not match up the dmv would place a new vin number tag for registration purposes... ??

[Highsider]

I am not an authority, but that tag looks homemade.
I don't think abbreviations would be used, IMO.

[67GMCkid]

Call The New Hampshire Dot and have them run the #s. If they issued the plate it should be in their system..

[mr48chev]

Originally Posted by Highsider

I am not an authority, but that tag looks homemade.
I don't think abbreviations would be used, IMO.

That tag is either home made or the product of a state motor vehicle department after they issued a vin due to a motor change.
Some of the letters jive but they don't all match up according to this:
http://53truck.ez15loan.com/howto/vin.htm



Here is what the tag looks like mounted on the door post in it's original position.

[dwcsr]

Originally Posted by 67GMCkid

Call The New Hampshire Dot and have them run the #s. If they issued the plate it should be in their system..

My thinking as well, NHTK maybe New Hampshire Truck and its an assigned vin. If it is a NW vin this maybe a good thing because to get a vin they had to go thru the title process.

[55metalmonkey]

The thing that stands out to me is the rivits holding the tag on are not the proper rivits even for a replacement tag, they should be the hollow center style vs common pop rivits. It may be a special order state fleet vehicle where a government orders a bunch of special built models but that's just a random thought since I've never seen a tag like that. GM vintage may be able to help you out if you can't get any info, it costs about $80 to go through them and there is no guarantee they will have the info you want.

[67GMCkid]

I would suggest
State of New Hampshire
Title and Anti-Theft
Handbook
http://www.nh.gov/safety/divisions/d...lehandbook.pdf
here is page 12
State Issued Vehicle Identification Number. Depending on the manufacturer, the VIN plate is attached using
aluminum, stainless steel or plastic pop rivets, rosette rivets, or sheet metal screws. Since 1974, some manufacturers
are using VIN plates with both concealed and exposed rivets.
New Hampshire state law RSA 262:9 reads: “Penalty for Removing. No person shall willfully remove, deface,
obliterate, change, or cause to be removed, obliterated, defaced, or changed any factory, serial, or other identification
number or mark on or from any motor vehicle. Whoever violates any provision of this section shall be guilty of a
misdemeanor.” Under the Division’s Official Inspection Station Rules and Regulations, if the VIN plate is missing
or has been tampered with (missing pop rivets, obviously removed and re-attached, etc.), the vehicle is to be rejected
and a NH State Police Troop G officer contacted, (phone: 271-3339).
Normally, when the VIN plate has been tampered with it means the recovery of a stolen vehicle. However, there are
instances where a VIN plate has rusted out, or has been removed while making repairs, such as replacing a dash on
some foreign vehicles. In such a repair situation, the NH State Police Troop G must be contacted to render prior
approval of the VIN plate removal.
In these cases mentioned, once the true identity of the vehicle is established, a state issued decal, (see sample below),
is affixed for the purpose of identification and confirmation that the Director of Motor Vehicles has assigned a
special identification number for the purposes of registration, title, and inspection requirements (RSA 262:6).
Once removed or tampered with, the VIN plate cannot be re-attached or a new one substituted since the manufacturer
will not affix a similar or new plate. Thus the state issued VIN is proper evidence that the vehicle has been examined
and approved for true identity. An affixed decal does not constitute de-valuation of the vehicle. The only purpose of
the decal is to replace the defaced, missing or changed VIN plate and to assure interested parties that the vehicle has
been checked.


Like I said in an earlier post, it could be a NH issued plate, if that is the case they would have record of it.

I have seen a few old Pa reissued vin tags, and they were just as plain a vauge as the one you have. Some welded on, some pop riveted, some were held on with screws,50 years ago it didn't matter how you affixed them as long as it was on the vehicle.

[67GMCkid]

One other thing. If you do call them, they will not disclose any information as to who the owner is, that will take special paperwork and fees and must be done in person..
Simply ask if it is a reissue vin tag and #.
Or the next time your in the local doughnut shop and the neighborhood officer friendly is there strike up a conversation and see if he will run it for you..

[OrrieG]

Gmkid beat me to it, my first thought was a NH assigned because the original vin used the engine number on AD trucks. You are right in getting this settled before doing anymore work.

[gusman]

Thanks for all the responses everyone! Since I live in MA, would a Mass state trooper be able to run the number for me or would it have to be a NH statie? One of my neighbors is a statie and I'm sure he wouldn't mind running it through his computer next time he drives by. Once I get a title I will be able to keep my mind at ease.

[mr48chev]

It might be worthwhile to research NH reassigned vehicle numbers or assigned specific numbers to state owned vehicles.

It could be how they did the vin on engine swap vehicles at the time or it could be how they did the vins on repaired totals at the time.
Hopefully it isn't someone's home made vin plate.

In a ideal world it would come back as the state provided serial number on a state owned truck at the time. That is a possibility as many govt entities put special serial numbers on their vehicles to simplify record keeping while quite possibly leaving the original vin on the vehicle.

You might even contact them and ask if that may have been something that they issued for some reason or another in the past http://www.nh.gov/safety/divisions/d...rification.htm That may at least get a yes or no answer.

[Highsider]

mr48 - Until you mentioned it, I never thought about the fact that things were done "differently" 50-years ago, for sure.

[mr48chev]

I've never seen any vin number tag that listed the year and model of the vehicle out along with the vin number like that. But as I said above it might be something that the state did on their own rigs or on rebuilt totals.

It is something that has my curiosity up for sure.

[gusman]

So my next question is... say this tag and number leads me to a dead end.. No answers anywhere.. Since I do have the title to the chassis/ powertrain that I am swapping this cab on to, could I remove this possibly homemade vin tag and start from scratch? How do guys who buy new reproduction cabs do it? Do the reproduction cabs come with a vin? Seeing as how I bought only the sheet metal to this truck (or what was left of the sheet metal), could I go a route similar to if I bought all the pieces and made my own cab? How exactly does this work?

[55metalmonkey]

Just my 2 cents but I would leave the tag alone untill it's all sorted out. Removing any identifying tags might lead to more problems even if it's not an original tag. Every area has a slightly different process for new VINs, some are easy, some are needlessly complicated. You are going to have to go talk to them to find out the full process.

[mr48chev]

I would agree withleaving that tag right where it is until it is sorted out. It might actually be worth the effort of printing out a decent size print of that print and making a road trip to the NH dmv with the photo and asking if they used something like that in the past.

Another option might just be to transfer the title to the Dakoata into your name and register it and then drive the truck to the inspection station and tell them that you removed the original body (your reason) and installed the 52 Cab on it because y lou had it and wanted an old lookering truck. If Cab, doorsm fenders and hood were all different colors because they came off different trucks I'd leave them that way until I got the papers straightened out. That may help with the concept that you assembled it from pieces rather than just do a frame swap with an AD truck that didn't have a title.

[OrrieG]

Did you look at this? http://www.massrmv.com/rmv/titles/assignedVIN.htm

Anything we tell you is speculation, the process is outline by the State above.

[gusman]

Originally Posted by OrrieG

Did you look at this? http://www.massrmv.com/rmv/titles/assignedVIN.htm

Anything we tell you is speculation, the process is outline by the State above.

All the searching I did, I never came across that page. Thanks!

So I believe this will be my process..

-Take a pic of the VIN to an NH RMV or have one of my buddies in NH do it for me, and ensure the cab isn't stolen..
-Once I ensure she's free and clear, finish the truck
-Call up the Mass Staties and schedule an appt (maybe even my neighbor can do it for me) and have an assigned vin put on the vehicle. (I will keep all reciepts and the dakota title and last registration (since I drove it for about a year before yanking the cab off) in a binder for the inspection.

Thanks to all who have helped, and if anyone has any further suggestions, feel free to shout them out!

[55metalmonkey]

Sounds like a solid plan, since yoir neighbour is a cop i would ask him to run it for you. If you find any info on the origins of that tag feel free to let us know. I'm pretty interested in where it may have came from

[67GMCkid]

Check out this site!

http://www.vehiclehistory.gov/nmvtis...lehistory.html

[buggy5872]

If the NH DMV has the truck in their system with that vin.....It might be easier to get a NH title for the truck then jump through hoops to show proof of where all the parts came from.....Just my 2 cents from going down this road before with obtaining a title.