Social Security number stamped into parts of truck?

[Forum4130rl]

Hello all,
When I bought my truck about a half a year ago, I was perplexed by the fact that all the original steel wheels including the spare, the rear axle, one of the rear trailing arms and the drive shaft all have the original owners last name and social security number stamped into them???

At first I just kinda shrugged it off, kinda thought it was neat, but then I got to wondering if this is or was a normal thing to do? Was this a factory or dealership option, or just the owner of the truck doin it on his own? Just curious I guess... Anybody else ran into this?

Goes to show you how times have changed, you'd have to be insane to do something like that now.

Cheers,
Rob

[71swb4x4]

It's not all that insane. If it's a vehicle you plan to keep forever, it's not like someone will be crawling under your truck to check for your social. It would probably be better to put the VIN on instead of the SS#. It sure would be a pain in the butt when someone stole it and realized they had to search down all the identifiable markings and grind them all off.

[leddzepp]

It was probably done a long time ago...when there was no such thing as identity theft
Posted via Mobile Device

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by leddzepp

It was probably done a long time ago...when there was no such thing as identity theft

or privacy laws. There was a time that it was recommended to use your SS# as a way to id items. Then federal laws were enacted that prohibited the Feds from sharing your information with anyone "including" LEO's. That's when they started using drivers license numbers instead.

Yes, all of this was before ID theft. Most of it happened before Al Gore invented the internet...

[Forum4130rl]

I kinda figured it wasn't much more than that. I just didn't know if it was a one off thing, or it was a popular thing to do back then.

[LockDoc]

-
If the person is deceased you can put the info in here to find out who it was.

http://ssdi.rootsweb.ancestry.com/

LockDoc

[pritch]

I remember when I was an Army mechanic we had to scribe our SS # on all our tools. If they were used we had to grind off the old number first. Ah, the good old days

[trkfrk]

Originally Posted by pritch

I remember when I was an Army mechanic we had to scribe our SS # on all our tools. If they were used we had to grind off the old number first. Ah, the good old days

Same thing... I was in the Navy. Boot camp we stenciled all of our belongings with our SS, Pants, shirts, C-bag, skivvy's, etc. I wonder if there still doing it.

[ChevLoRay]

Originally Posted by trkfrk

Same thing... I was in the Navy. Boot camp we stenciled all of our belongings with our SS, Pants, shirts, C-bag, skivvy's, etc. I wonder if there still doing it.

In '69, the US Government changed our original serial numbers, as in those that started with US, RA, AF, etc., and required us to use our Social Security numbers in the return addresses on the envelopes that we used for mailing. We didn't have email, twitter, cell phones, etc. So, there's a ton of mail somewhere that may or may not be in the trash that will have valid social security numbers. Old girl friends....anyone you wrote to. Dangerous to think about, now. Fodder for some identity theft, if in the wrong hands.

[Forum4130rl]

I know the person who owned said SSN is deceased, since I bought the truck from his son in law... When I bought the truck, I popped off the Hubcap to see what lug pattern I was working with, and there it was. He didn't even know it was there, he showed it to his wife and she seemed kind of concerned until I promised that I wasn't going to do anything crooked with it. I'm curious to know where else I'm going to find these marks... Whoever stamped the marks in there did a pretty solid job of it, they are well done, quite deep... Would be a pain in the a** to grind it off if that was what someone wanted to do.

[wild4wheels]

I remember as a kid my folks had a little engraver, that they engraved EVERYTHING it seemed with their info "Just in case somebody steals it!"

[Jeffs70]

its really crazy and sad at the same time how people can be and change things in the world to where you can not trust with things as such as even a number any longer over their thieving @sses.

[treveiger]

Id engrave "if you steal this when i find you im going to engrave my boot print in your butt"

[leddzepp]

My dad always engraved his stuff with his name and drivers license number...never SS#. This was back in the 70's, and I thought it was common practice.

[Keith Seymore]

Yep. Bought some aluminum cylinder heads back in the day; had the original owner's SS# stamped on them.

K

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by leddzepp

My dad always engraved his stuff with his name and drivers license number...never SS#. This was back in the 70's, and I thought it was common practice.

It was replaced with the SS engraving. Local LEO's can trace a DL# but not a SS#.

[treveiger]

Thats insane, things sure have chaned!

[Hottrucks]

,y anniversery Harley has invisable finger print if any sheet metal is stolen you can run a black light over it and the vin shows though the clear coat...take away the light and it disapppears