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Hi all. This past weekend I picked up a 1973 Vette that was sitting in a shed outside of Calgary since 2003. I am having issues decoding the vin as none of the characters fall in line with various vin decoders. I found this registration in the car and have verified it against the car. Carfax works as well with it .
Is the original VIN plate still on the driver's windshield post? Does the car still have the vehicle certification sticker on the driver's door? VIN derivative stamp on the block?
Last edited by Easy Mike; Mar 23, 2021 at 10:14 AM.
i think that is some kind of vin reissue. a 73 would fall into this range 1Z37J3S400001 – 1Z37J3S434464 and carfax should NOT work on a 73 vette vin. do you have a pic of the plate on the car with that vin?
I will go down to my mechanics shop where it was delivered and take some pics. The carfax works but only shows a $3500 collision in 1986 in British Columbia. I will see if the original plates are still there, the block is not numbers matching however. I wonder if it was a write off and then a new provincial VIN generated ? Would explain the "BC". More to follow shortly !
Check with your local DMV and see if you can determine why the non-original VIN was issued and attached to the car. The car might be a theft recovery or rebuilt on a salvage title.
Is the original VIN plate still on the driver's windshield post? Does the car still have the vehicle certification sticker on the driver's door? VIN derivative stamp on the block?
I agree, also check for the sticker on the driver's door and engine stamp on the block.
I couldn't read the stuff on the door. I think when we get it up in the air I will take a look on the frame. Would be nice if the motor matched the original vin.
from talking with the folks at the DMV here in Manitoba we found out that the car was in fact a theft recovery from BC and later purchased in Alberta. I don't understand why a new VIN tag was needed but either way... Thanks for the help in solving this mystery.
I'm guessing that it was a "Total" loss vehicle due to the collision it sustained. Someone bought the wreck and "repaired" it; but it required a replacement VIN since the original was categorized as "Scrap".
Depending on the quality of the rebuild, the car could be anything from 'a jewel in the rough' to a 'silk purse made out of a sow's ear'. If you are considering it, you must carefully assess the method and quality of the repairs before you jump in with both feet. If the rebuild was done "Well", the price should be no more than 2/3 what a 'normal' car in same condition would cost. Why? Because that is how much it will be worth when you sell it later--even though you might have paid more for it.
Last edited by 7T1vette; Mar 23, 2021 at 01:07 PM.
If it is a theft recovery I am betting that the original VIN plate was removed and or obliterated/destroyed by the theives and that is the reason for a replacement VIN.
There would be no reason to replace a VIN on a recovered vehicle if there were nothing wrong wiht the VIN plate attached to the vehicle or if the original VIN plate were still attached to it.
As stated above IT WILL AFFECT THE VALUE! now and in the future!
Last edited by firstgenaddict; Mar 25, 2021 at 02:25 PM.
VIN decoding
