VIN question (sort of wierd i guess)

[vortec]

i'm just curious about this. does anyone know what part of the vehicle the VIN actually corresponds to? for example, take some of the more extreme offroad rigs that are still street legal. body panels chopped or removed, axles, tranny, engine, suspension, tires, etc. everything else changes, but the VIN stays the same. in some cases it's really a matter of pulling the VIN off the old pieces and attaching it to the new creation. at that point, what the heck is it identifying? i mentioned this to a few friends (over more than a few drinks) and they agree it seems odd. anyone on here agree?

 

[divorced]

Like when I put my C20 deisel cab on a K10 gas frame and drivetrain? And kept the C20 VIN.

 

[Greg72]

Yes it's weird....


You can't legally cut a VIN off and weld it to something else.....but you CAN slowly replace everything AROUND that VIN number and it's legal.

Seems like semantics to me.

 

[R72K5]

legally the cab is the truck, IE the vin, but soem palces look for frame numbers too, but only the sequential unit numbers are on the frame, not the entire vin code

but still.. will match vin of cab, or it wont,

if not then they may get real red ink on you


good luck

 

[dyeager535]

Yep, it's the cab. Basically whatever the VIN is bolted to.

Whne I had my truck "inspected" by the state patrol (when I put it all together) they looked at the frame VIN as well. All the major pieces they wanted bills of sale for...doors, front end, frame, axles, engine, tranny, etc., etc.

Some of this probably varies a bit by state, most things do.

 

[70jimmy]

On your vehicle the public vin is the one on the dashboard. It is typically used for the identification of the truck. There are several other vin locations. on newer vehicles the engine, tranny, tcase and several other parts can be matched back to the vin #.

Its not a good idea to swap vin plates. Its a felony in Colorado and can result in your truck being confiscated and a whole lot of problems for the owner or whomever is driving it. In Colorado if you swap cabs, frames, turn a two wheel drive into a 4 wheel drive etc you need to apply for an assigned ID #. This requires a certified vin inspection for a fee of $20.00 and then all the numbers are checked and you may have to post a bond on the vehicle if you cannot show ownership of the parts used. Ceertified letter to the last known owner, publish notice in newspaper etc. Gets to be a lengthy process.

 

[vortec]

i suppose the cab makes sense, being one of the biggest parts of the vehicle. only seems like it would cause a problem if you had to replace the cab due to rust or accident. i'm not planning to do anything like this. just wondering what it's really tied to. thanx for the responses.