I bought a cab/frame for my project truck at the local junkyard but I have a problem... I can’t find the frame VIN which will need to be there in order to pass the AZ class III inspection to clear a salvage title.

I have looked at over a dozen other 80-86 F series trucks in the yard that have the VIN stamped on the passenger side frame rail just forward of the cab mount.

The frame I am buying is a 1983 F250 4x4 8600 GVW diesel, and there is no VIN there, and the frame is perfect. No signs that it has been altered or a VIN obliterated in this location. I found one other truck in the yard which is also "missing" the VIN on the frame (another ’83 F250 4x4 6800 GVW gasser), so I am wondering if there was ever an alternate location where the VIN may be stamped.

Please help! This will be a royal PITA if I have to find another cab/frame. Minus the missing VIN the one I found is exactly what I need...

 

I would talk to the state police. Some of those agencies are experts on this stuff, or they know people who would know.

If the cab is on there, then you know the VIN if it's original, so possibly the motor vehicles division could look it up, and hopefully it's a clear salvage VIN. If it is, you might be able to get the junkyard to give you a reciept saying you bought such and such frame from the truck with VIN BR549. All they want to do is make sure everything is above board with no monkey business, and also sort of keep track of vehicles over time.

 

Not sure on these trucks but on Jeeps it's located on top of the passenger side frame rail above the rear axle. The MVD inspectors can tell you for sure where to find it, or at least where they expect to see it.

 

On my truck, the stamping was so light it was hard as heck to read the digits. I hope you didn't use a grinder to clean the area off because you might have erased it.

 

I don't think I did, there is still factory paint here on both trucks that "lack" VIN's... I used a wire brush but that's all. There are scars from the frame stamping manufacturing process but no numbers...

 

There is a way to cause a stamping in metal that isn't visible to the naked eye to "appear". I'll Google it, but I've heard and/or read about it before as my '69 Bee's VIN doesn't show on the spot next to the trunk and I was thinking of using that approach. And, maybe you can find it faster than I can.

IIRC, it involved a dye or something like Magnaflux.

 

Instead of a wire brush(the bristles can dig into the low spots where the numbers are) I would use something flat and stiff, like a thick piece of sticky back sandpaper that goes on a orbital sander. That would be stiff enough where it would not sand the low spots with the numbers, and actually may let them fill with dirt and rust so you could see them.

 

The Vin on the frame is only a partial. It should be just forward of the cab mount right about where the starter would be. I have also seen it in a second location on the top of the rail just forward of the transmission crossmember.

 

Unless you have a 1980.

 

The only truck I have ever seen a vin stamped in a frame was the 99 F550 I just got done restoring. And it was a FULL vin in the top of the rail under the passengers floor.It was clear as day

I have done Multiple other frames int he past(80-97) and never seen any hint of a vin anywhere

 

It's an acid (don't recall the name), commonly used by polizei/gov't crime investigating laboratories to 'raise' serial numbers on firearms that have had the numbers ground off.

There are two versions of Kelley Blue Books. The version that new/used car dealers, banks, finance co's use, lists hidden VIN locations.

The version sold to the general public in book stores does not have this info, for an obvious reason.

1981 thru today trucks (1980 cars): The VIN contains 17 digits. Sample 1983 F250 Regular Cab 4WD VIN: 1FTGF26G1DKA12345

1FT = FoMoCo USA complete vehicle / G = Class G 8,001-9,000 lbs. GVWR / F26 = F250 Regular Cab 4WD Pickup / G = 351W / 1 = Check digit, FoMoCo use only / D = 1983 / K = Kansas City Assembly Plant / A12345 = 1983 Numerical Sequence of Assembly, the trucks specific serial number.

VIN & Certification decodes found in the General Info Section of the truck parts catalog.

 

Thanks, Bill. I still haven't found what I was looking for, so that helps.

 

Bingo. That's the other location I needed. Checked it out yesterday and it's there. It was easy to see since I already had the cab unbolted, so all I had to do was lift up on that side and look. With the body attached this would be nearly impossible to locate much less read. This would be a dentist's mirror or putty impression ordeal otherwise. I'm just glad it's there and my cab/frame is ligit. Thanks guys.