Are there other locations for the VIN Number other than the drivers door plate? I have a 63 body, but sometime in the past the driver's door was replaced with a 1960 door. When I registered it with the state, the easy way out was to give them the year as 1963, and give them the 1960 door plate VIN. Obviously, if you know how to read the VIN Number you'd know it was a 1960 Model. I was just curious if there was another place that I could locate the true VIN Number for 1963?
Typically there are at least two locations (and some models have more) on most every vehicle where the body serial number (a component of the VIN) exists. On 60's series falcons and early mustang models the primary serial number was stamped on the left (and often right) fender apron in the upper side, it is covered by the fender and removal of the fender is the easiest way to see it. It will appear as a stamped star followed by the six digit vehicle serial number and another star will appear at the end. The official VIN is made up from a combination of the model year (e.g. "3), the assembly plant identifier letter, body style number (2 digits), engine code and then the aforementioned body serial number. You can reconstruct the correct VIN if you know how the car was originally built and then get the body serial number from one side or the other fender apron. It might be problematic with VIN as you indicate you registered it when it doesn't match the body serial number, particularly if the state or local police decide to dig. Not sure how NC works that but should they investigate in connection with a stolen vehicle report they could make it uncomfortable for you.
The state issued a title and I'm willing to leave it at that. I know enough not to poke the bear. But when I'm dead and kids sell it , it might be helpful in explaining it to a new buyer. I found a number stamped on the engine compartment lip of the left fender on the outside where I could read it, but it is an 11 digit number: *3427U228447*. Of course I have no way of telling if the left fender wasn't replaced along with the left door. The plate on the door says "Serial Number" 0H27Snnnnnn and then the Body Code, Color Code, Trim Code, Date Code, Trans Code, Axle Code. Oh, oh, the number on the left fender is 6 digits after the"3427U". - LOL
I can tell you exactly how it works here in NC: when you apply for the transfer of title you make an appt with a sheriff who is an officer of the DMV; he'll come to your residence (if the vehicle is inoperable like mine was) and check all VIN to make sure they all match (there should be a VIN on the driver's side export brace); he ck's the stolen car database and will give you provisional title if it all checks out; you'll receive permanent title in the mail a couple weeks later....
I had my title transferred 5-6 years ago. Because I didn't have a title, (which is possible because many states don't require titles for older cars), only a Bill of Sale, they required that I provide Bills of Sale from the two previous owners, in addition to the Bill of Sale I currently had. Well hell, the car was 45 yrs. old, how was I suppose to know/find those owners? The other choice the state gave me was to put up a $5000 surety bond, to be held by the state for 5 yrs., in case someone contested my legal ownership. So I called one of those "for $100 we will provide you with bills of sale." companies that advertise in Hemmings. The way it works is that Alabama and Georgia do not require titles for cars before 1975. Their company was located in Alabama and they had a sister company in Georgia. So they sent me Bills of Sale from the Georgia company to the Alabama company, and then a Bill of Sale from the Alabama company to the guy from whom I bought the car. Then I had 3 Bills of Sale! At that point the lady at the DMV was happy, and they issued me a NC title...
*3427U228447* might actually be *3K27U228447* and that would break out to be a 1963 Ford Falcon Ranchero with a 170 six cylinder engine with a serial number of 228447 and that would be the correct VIN for that car.
Here in CT they usually want 2 different spots to check the VIN, but upon registering a car from out of state, I found that California, New York, and others (according to DMV) will ONLY use the door tag, and NOT the stamped VIN, even if they are different !! I about crapped when I saw the "wrong" VIN on the radiator support, but the DMV rep said "no big deal, we see that a lot" and registered it anyway.
That would place it being built at the Lorain, Ohio plant - I didn't know Falcon Platforms were built there but I don't doubt it. I'm sure with a little effort you could get it straightened out and registered properly - there are a couple of places where you can get a reproduction data plate made that would eliminate the confusion - or you can let that thar sleepin' dawg lie.
It's not a concours restoration - LOL - and I think it would take a lot of hand waving and fast talking to get it straightened out. The state seems happy so I'm prone to leave it alone. When I got the car, I found in the glovebox, the Original Title issued by NC in 1960 from the Dealer to the first owner. I assume a subsequent owner who put the 60 door on the 63 got the 1960 title as some sorta proof of it being a 'legal' part. When I called the state with the 1960 VIN, they had no record of that VIN in their system; the woman said they had purged all records prior to 1975. Guess I could call the state and see what would be involved in correcting the VIN...
You change the plate, not for concours resto purposes, but for hard-to-impeach proof of ownership. In a lot of cases, body shops would change VIN tags as part of the repairs, but someone who does the work themselves would not necessarily care. And with that, it just makes me wonder if there is some underlying title problem.
What does the 2nd letter stand for? The fender apron has an "H" (as noted above), while my door dataplate has an "S".
The second letter is the Ford Assembly Plant where the car was manufactured. Your car was built at Lorain, Oh (H), S would have been Pilot Plant. The decode chart is: Code Assembly Plant A Atlanta, GA D Dallas, TX E Mahwah, NJ F Dearborn, MI G Chicago, IL H Lorain, OH J Los Angeles, CA K Kansas City, KS N Norfolk, VA P Twin Cities, MN R San Jose, CA S Pilot Plant T Metuchen, NJ U Louisville, KY W Wayne, MI Y Wixom, MI Z St. Louis, MO A note about the Pilot Plant, it was the Ford New Model Programs Development Center (NMPDC) located in Allen Park, Michigan.
It seems strange that a government agency would use the VIN from a warranty plate that has the phrase "Not for title or registration purposes" written on it. They should know there is a stamped number on the body that is the actual number and where to find it.
I don't think I understand what you mean by Warranty Plate… The NC DMV regulations say that in order to title a vehicle from the state which does not issue titles (Alabama, Georgia, etc.) the owner must provide 2 previous bills of sale in order to title the vehicle in NC. I never had paperwork that was written "not for title or registration purposes".
The metal tag used in the 50s/60s and the decal used in the 70s are not official VIN number tags for licensing or titles. They were for the dealer and repair shops to identify how and when a vehicle is assembled, colors, axles, motor and trans, etc. You wouldn't have papers with the phrase written on it, but that sentence written on the plate cancels that tag from being a legal VIN location. Being a dealer I cannot use it for a VIN location.
I understand what you're saying, but I just looked at my door plate and it doesn't have any words similar to that; just Serial Number, assembly data and lots and lots of patent numbers
