Serial numbers
 

This may be an odd question, but my husband has owned a 1965 coupe since he was in high school, and we have a confusing situation with the VIN number. It was titled as a 67 because the VIN number says it is a 67, with the 8th digit from the right being a 7, however, everything about the car is a 1965. That includes,body with 65 louvers, engine block, heads, intake manifold, correct WCFB carb., transmission, interior and a 65 dated expansion tank and master cylinder. It is not numbers matching, and another odd thing is that the last 3 digits of the serial number are 327, which is what the motor is. It almost seems made up, but can anyone offer any suggestions as to what could explain this mystery? Thanks.

Not sure if this will help but there are several free VIN decoders out on the web. Here is a URL for one site
http://chevyresource.com/corvette.html

Thanks so much, it looks like this may be a really good place to start.

U are very welcome, I used these several time when I was looking to buy a car.

If you can post a few pictures of the car, the VIN tag and the TRIM tag we can help you sort some things out.

Factory screw up
 

I know of a 1965 black / saddle 365HP CONVERTIBLE with a COUPE VIN number.

The 194375S106xxx should be 194675S106xxx where the 4th digit is stamped as a coupe and should have been a convertible. The last 4 digits are the same and match the engine and transmission vin code stamps.

The owner is the son of the original owner, and even got the state DMV and NICB involved in inspections and they said the car is a legit car, and the tag was a FACTORY MISTAKE.

Thanks, that is odd. It is just so strange that the original title to ours is off two years, but every single thing in the car is 65 not 67. It also seems beyond coincidence that the last three numbers of the VIN are 327 which is the motor in the car. Guess we'll keep trying to figure it out.

What is the complete VIN on the front engine pad? Have you checked the VIN on the frame?

:iagree:You beat me to it. That would be my suggestion, to look at the VIN stamped on the FRAME of your car.

[The odds are exactly 1 in a thousand that it would end in 327 (or 350, 427, 454, 283, etc.QUOTE=vanessa565;1579805338]Thanks, that is odd. It is just so strange that the original title to ours is off two years, but every single thing in the car is 65 not 67. It also seems beyond coincidence that the last three numbers of the VIN are 327 which is the motor in the car. Guess we'll keep trying to figure it out.[/QUOTE]

Could you tell me where exactly on the frame the VIN might be, because we can't find it.
What we have found is that VIN number is 1967, engine block, heads, carb, intake manifold, expansion tank, transmission, interior and body is 1965. Numbers on trim tag indicate 1967. The only thing 1967 on this car is the trim tag and the VIN number. We've owned this car since 1972 and anything that would have happened would have happened prior to that date. Trim tag and VIN number are both affixed with round rivets, not the rosette rivets which came later.

The is a VIN number stamped on the frame. It can be found on the top of the left rear frame rail, over the suspension, and in the general area of the #4 body mount. It can be very hard to find with the body on, especially after years of dirt and rust build up. With a small mirror, steel wool, wire brush, soap, water, tooth brush, and some luck; you may be able to find it.

It would be worth the effort to try and find the frame VIN stamp, to compare to the VIN plate. This would tell you if it was a factory mistake, or if someone had changed the VIN tag in the past.

This post should help, it has pictures.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/1579692830-post44.html

Yhe VIN tag sounds suspicious if it has round rivets. Only early 65's used the round rivets and then changed to the rosette. A 67 should have rosette for the serial number tag.

Thanks for all the help and suggestions. We will try to check it out further.

I recently posted that in another string about fame vin numbers. I pulled the pictures from a string some time ago, so I am not sure where the credit goes, but thank you.

If your TRIM and VIN TAG BOTH are 1967 match up, I suspect there has been someone prior to your ownership that has changed these for unlawful reasons. I would investigate this very quietly, as if the cars FRAME VIN turns out to be the "REAL :eek:" 65 VIN number of the car and once run is in the stolen file with police agencies (NICB etc.) the car will be confisciated and returned to its rightful owner. I would contact an attorney to check on laws in your state, however I believe federal law supercedes. GOOD LUCK

Thanks Jim, still trying to check out number on the frame. Good advice.

What are the odds of having a second car like this how up this month? We just had a guy with a '65/'66 go through this a couple of weeks ago.

On your number, you are looking at

194375S115704 where

1 - Chevrolet
9 - Corvette model
4 - V8 (Chevy used odd for 4 & 6 cyl, even for V8)
37 - 2 door coupe
5 - year, i.e., 1965
S - St. Louis Assembly plant
1 - marker for serial number
12345 - serial - 15,704th car built.

The rivets on the VIN in this picture are NOT correct, btw.

http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/i...-44-42_168.jpg

That said, you will find the rough date it was built from your serial number. You can then match it to the date on the trim tag in the upper left hand corner above "STYLE" with something along the lines of D5, F12, G21, or other such letter and number stamping. (I13 in this picture.)


http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/i...-45-29_849.jpg

For example, Nov 1964 ended with 103347, Feb 1965 with 111059, and August 1965 with 123564. You can find this in The Genuine Black Book or on many Corvette web sites.

The trim date would be A - Aug, B - Sep, C - Oct, and so on.

If they match closely, within a few weeks, odds are both match.

Check this thread for some pictures of where to find frame numbers and such.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c1-a...out-vents.html

GREAT EXAMPLE. THIS BODY IS AN A.O. SMITH BODY MADE I13, OR TUESDAY APRIL 13, 1965 AT THE MICHIGAN PLANT, AND THEN SHIPPED VIA RAIL TO ST. LOUIS. CAR PRODUCTION ON SMITH CARS WAS GENERALLY ABOUT TWO WEEKS LATER, OR IN THIS CASE ABOUT TUESDAY APRIL 20. They made 2580 cars in April (22 work days, no Sat-Sun) or about 117 per day. The 20th is the 14th work day , so 14x117=1638 cars. Add that to last production car of March 13936+1638= and you get vin #15574 or there abouts. Your example shows 15704 which is 130 cars close, or a day or so. And without knowing if overtime or Saturday production existed it is hard to know exactly.

I would not totally condem this car's vin tag due to rivits on the tag, but I would definately look at the frame vin if possible.