emccomas

There was a time when an owner could request an official GM replacement VIN tag for a lost or stolen VIN tag. Obviously there were lots of hoops that had to be jumped through.

I found someone that actually went through the process.

He had a 1963 Corvette convertible that was stolen around 1980. He did not have insurance on the car. He located the car less than a year later, but the original VIN tag had been replaced with one from a junkyard. The numbers on the engine had also been changed. The number on the frame was the original VIN.

After recovering the car he applied for a replacement VIN tag from a local Chevy dealer. After doing all of the paperwork, and getting all of the required approvals, the Chevy dealer called him to have the VIN tag installed.

The VIN tag that was installed in the original location (on the Z bar) was a 1980s style VIN tag, and is was attached to the Z bar with rosette rivets. It does have the original 1963 VIN number on the tag. The owner also ground off the incorrect numbers from the engine pad, and intends to restamp the engine with the correct numbers when an opportunity to pull that cylinder head comes up.

So, I assume this was the procedure across the board while the program was in place. The original VIN number was put on the replacement VIN tag, but the style of the VIN tag was whatever was current at that time. I also assume that the state (New York in this case) was OK with using the original VIN on the new tag.

chevahaulic

If someone went through the pain of reproducing the tag, ....... why would it not be perfect ? Very little market for " something close ". If your paying for tooling get it 100% or make bumper braces , ect.

emccomas

This is NOT a reproduction. This is (actually was, since the program doesn't exist anymore) an official GM replacement tag. This is fully blessed by the authorities in the jurisdiction that the car was registered in, GM, etc.

vettebuyer6369

I've had enough law enforement experience in different jurisdictions and states to know nothing is universally blessed by "the authorities." I guarantee there's states that would not accept it without their interference.

emccomas

I agree, but one of the requirements to get this tag from GM was that it had to be approved by the state authorities ahead of time. Paperwork to that effect was submitted with the application.

vettebuyer6369

Interesting stuff.

gbvette62

Would the owner of the 63 you're referring to be Terry Berkson? If so, Terry's whole ordeal with his stolen 63, is outlined in his book "Corvette Odyssey".

I've met Terry a number of times, he's friends with a friend of mine. He can usually be found at Corvettes at Carlisle on Row "I", hawking his book, and telling his story.

ifitgoesfast

No way to claim that's the original engine if someone already ground off the previous numbers, whatever those numbers were. I wouldn't re-stamp it because it's a re-stamp done a third time.

emccomas

Yes it is.

emccomas

The car was gone less than a year, and the engine was not changed out. The owner knew it was his original engine when he got his car back.

No idea what the current status is. His car, his decision.

AZDoug

My car came with a GM replacement VIN tag. It was an earlier style that was screwed to the door frame vs the normal welded style. This happened sometime prior to 1969, don't know when, though.

CA didn't like it very much and made me attache one of their tags, also.

Doug

emccomas

I have never seen a VIN tag with that configuration before. Not saying it is not a GM replacement tag, but my understanding is that they would use the format, layout, material, blank tag for whatever was the current production year when manufacturing a replacement tag.

Boyan

The NCRS Driveline also had an article a few years back on how it was done. Not sure if its the same car, but it did show photos of the then current VIN tag style with old VIN number. Nice of GM to do it, and supply paperwork to back it up too.
Boyan

AZDoug

Somewhat of a problem when the original is supposed to be spot welded to the steering column.

Jim Gessner has seen these before from the early '60s.

Loss or original tag could be from warranty replacement of steering column assembly, replacement of steering column assy due to damage, original tag fell off and was lost, or someone pried the original off,and a replacement tag was issued after frame VIN verification by dealer.

Doug

emccomas

My "guess" is that for a 1960-1962 replacement Corvette VIN tag where the original was on the steering column, the new tag "could" be riveted to the steering column. As I recall, there is plenty of room in the column jacket for a small rivet that would not interfere with the steering shaft.

Another possibility is that the vin tag could have been moved to the door jam area, and either screwed (doubtful) or riveted.

AZDoug

They were all screwed to the door jamb prior to 1960. It wasn't a BFD.

Drilling an in car steering column isn't good idea, you get metal chips down in there.

And rivets need to be bucked from the back side. Not sure when pop rivets came about, but even those loose there nail heads sometimes, again not a good idea inside a column.

Doug

Doug

jimgessner

The 1962 LeMANS race car that TONY SEPTEMBER drove has a CHEVROLET replacement vin tag.

It is a great car.
Hugh Powell bought new at M.K. Smith Chevrolet, Riverside, CA. Scuderia Scirocco USA/GB sponsored Tony Settember and Jack Turner drivers. Ran 13.5 hrs, 150 laps. Sold to Roland Gorman in 1972, Dale Pearman in 1987, Larry Bowman in 2006, and Steve Leitstein, Long Island, NY in 2011 . The LEMANS PAPERWORK and all of the Pearman restoration photos and cars history is with the car. Car received the NCRS Heritage Award in Park City, Utah in July 2006. I have photos of the tag and it is very similar to AZ Dougs red tag.

emccomas

I was not aware of that. Interesting. I sent you a PM.

Dale Pearman was a dear friend of mine, and Ken Hansen was kind enough to let me participate in the "restoration of the 1962 Lemans racer. I had to honor of marking the left rear tire with "L/R". You can clearly see these tire markings in many of the original pictures of the car at Lemans.

Loren Smith

Here's a tag from a 57 that was for sale by a dealer on ebay a couple of months ago, was the subject of a prior thread:

flyingb

I would stay away from any vin tag that is screwed in with phillips screws. You can buy any tag you need. Having Documenting paper work is a must but I would have a hard time buying one with a bowtie plate.