Cab vs. frame Registration question.

[Phat Bastard]

I have a 1968 short bed with a cab, bed and rolling chassis and a 1968 complete long bed that was bought for parts that I'm in the process of stripping. My question is which vin #'s do I go by when the short bed truck is complete, the frame or the cab? The long bed cab is in better shape but will the vin # raise any red flags on a shortbed chassis? Thanks in advance for any replys.

[Number98]

I live in Georgia, so it may be different where you are but the tag office here said to use the Chassis Vin. This is easy because you can swap the plates on the cabs so that the cab you use will match your chassis.

Jason

[cdowns]

florida only checks the vin tag on the cab// 50 different states 50 different sets of laws

[b&a72]

In AZ they only check the cab vin as well.

[Phat Bastard]

Thanks for the info. I have plates on both of the cabs, but would like the cab I use to match the chassis # if possible. The long bed truck has current regestration which makes the choice a little easier on which # to use. Thanks again.

[72 cheyenne pdx]

In Oregon, they go by the Vin number in the cab.

[John Fabris]

I am in California, and when they verified my truck, it was by the vin tag only. I know the cop and I asked him about the frame, and he replied that they don't need to check the frame...

[Longhorn Man]

Well, I'll say this on Cali... I've been looking into moving in, and before they'll give me a cali title, they want my frame and VIN plate to match.
Call your BMV.
Besides... on a chevy VIN, you can't tell LWB or SWB.

[masterbeavis]

In cali they check the VIN tag, however if there isn't one, they will look for another number on the frame. The law says they go by the frame, so if there is a variance, they go by the frame. Now if you were to put a '90 PU body onto a '68 frame they shure as crap will make you comply with smog for a '90. Which ever way it works against you, that is the side the state will take. If your truck for some reason gets impounded, they might inspect it, you might have problems. I've been pulled over several times in older trucks, and they never check the vin to match anything. In newer cars with the VIN in the windshield they will check. Long of the short, use whatever you feel comfortable with. The correct thing to do would be to ask the CHP the correct way to handle the situation.

[49studebaker]

In Nevada when I got my 71 GMC titled, they noticed the door was faded(thought maybe it wasn't the original), which is where the VIN# is so they tried looking for the number on the frame, but after a few minutes of looking they just said it was ok and sent me on my way.

[Longhorn Man]

except, the VIN is in the door jamb, not on the door.

[texnician01]

In Iowa they never check any of those numbers unless they think it may be stolen. When I registered my truck they asked me what the VIN was and I just read it off the old title.

Just for arguments sake, where do you all get the rosette rivets when you go swapping vin plates around? It is a federal offense to drill out those rivets. Mine have been drilled out and replaced but I know the plate went back on the same truck cause I did it. Plus my frame still has the correct numbers. (except for the mistake they made in the factory.) one of the numbers on my frame has been stamped over many times with a line. I think that my truck was changed while on the Assembly Line. If you decode my model number and my VIN number one says it is a stepside and one says it is a fleetside. Both are printed on the line sheet in the original glove box. Go Figure.

Nathan

[Longhorn Man]

you can't tell step verses fleet by the VIN.

[masterbeavis]

There is somebody on the board that sells rosettes. When I popped off my vin plate, I punched thru the remnants of the nail that tensioned the rivet, and then ground the backside of the rivet flush with the frame. I put clear tape over the rivet and VIN tag, and took a small punch, and a sideways hammer, and drove the rivets out. (I took the seat out to do it) When I go to put it back in, I will have the orig. rivets to install. As long as I do a clean glue job, nobody will be the wiser. (what I am trying to say is if you dont want to pay thru the nose for hard to find rivets, get em from the junkyard.)

[texnician01]

according to LMC you can, I've never seen anything that says you can't. Seems to have been correct on all the trucks I've dealt with except mine and like I said mine actually has a correction stamped in the frame.

I thought there used to be a decoder on this board that did it too.

Nathan

[Longhorn Man]

no, the decoder on here is acurate. I lost the link since My old computer dies in a plume of smoke.
The MODEL number will tell you the bed style... the VIN will only tell you if it had a bed.
LMC has had it wrong for at least a decade, I have wrote to them, and even called them, but I have found that when some one knows everything, you can't teach them ANYTHING.

[texnician01]

ok, good to know, see I learn something every day. I would love to use the decoder on the board if someone knows where it is, I can't seem to find it. So in mine: CS149Z821514 the first 4 just means it had a bed on it? And my model Number: CS1734 tells me it had a fleetside box? I know there are lots of other numbers that correspond to trucks with forward controls, chassis only...and other configuratons, anyone have those available?

thanks
Nathan

[Longhorn Man]

CS149Z821514 the first 4 just means it had a bed on it? And my model Number: CS1734

C 2 wheel drive
S inline engine
1 1/2 ton
4 cab and bed
9 1969 model year
Z built in Freemont California
821514 sequential production number.
Most sources will say they started with 100001
However, i recently read some dated GM papers that said they started at 800001. While we have certinaly seen PLENTY marked less than 800000, I have a hard time swallowing that there were 700,000+ built at that single plant that year.
Do you know what month yours was built? There should be a sticker in the drivers side door that'll tell you...assuming it is still there.

CS1734

that should be a 9 digit alph-numeric... PLUS the 6 digit sequntial production number.
From what's posted on the model number;
C 2 wheel drive
S inline engine
1 1/2 ton
7 (this should be an 07) which would be SWB
(model year code missing... a 9
34 fleet side pick up
Z is missing for the assembly plant freemont cali
and the 821514 is missing