Hello a few months ago my father traded his 89 F250 diesel for a 95 F450. When he got it home he noticed that the title was for an F150 so we did some looking and the cab is an F150 but the frame is a F450 obviously. The problem is here in Maine 95 and newer needs a title and legally we can't register it as an F150 as the title states. Here is the big problem though. We can't find a single VIN on the frame anywhere. No clue what year the frame is at all and it has an odd engine in it for a 450 it has a 300 6 5spd.


We had a state trooper look at it and he is puzzled but said if we could find a frame VIN we could register it as the frames model but if we can't find a VIN we can't register it. A couple weeks later a detective called and said someone would be up to pick it up as its most likely stolen but nobody has shown up or responded to calls we made back. So right now we are stuck with this very nice truck sitting in the driveway and can't even go to the store with it let alone use it for what we got it for.

I guess without the long story my main question is where are the VINs located on the frame? Are there any hidden ones most people don't know about?

 

This is on a 1994 Bronco, but maybe it will be similar on your truck.



This is the top of the passenger side frame rail. I say get an inspection mirror and flash light and just take a look down the whole run of the top of the frame rails.

 

around here, the police don't send someone around to pickup a vehicle that is "most likely" stolen . i smell a rat ... did he trade at a car lot or privately ? does the number that the "detective" called from match the number of the police station ?

i would change the locks and park it in the most secure spot i could find until you get things straightened away.

good luck.

 

It was a private craigslist trade. Few hour drive to go get it. The guy claimed the truck is from Florida. The detective wanted us to deliver it up north but dad didn't want to risk driving it.

 

I hope you didn't pay much. Talk about an ABORTION.

I would of never bought the truck w a straight 6 in it.

I would be parting it out.

As for the VIN follow EVANs instructions, but you may not like what you find

 

Like I said dad traded his 89 Diesel for it. Was only good for the motor. Frame was getting bad and the tranny was having issues but the guy wanted it. Nothing wrong with a 300 six its just a daily driver not a work truck. Take stuff to the dump from time to time thats about it.

Can't legally part it out here in Maine or even crush it without the title.

 

But you do have a title. The F150 title. The title stays with the CAB, not the frame

 

Maine has some weird grey area laws.
It will be hard for the police to prove it's stolen and not just "rebuilt" If the state trooper can find the vin to prove the f450 was stolen, they can tell you if it's not....

As far as registering it, Maine don't care if its a ranger or a 450, you can put a booster on the registration of the truck to put it up to 26000 pounds. It's also nice that they will allow a "rebuilt" vehicle to be registered as the chassis it sits on.

It only sucks that you're going through this crap.
Find the vin number on the frame and try carfax. If the police want to impound it until they figure out if it's stolen then make sure you won't incur storage fees where it is taken. Get it in writing.

 

look at the frame over the rear axle. see if it is flat or if it has a hump in it.
i bet that it has a hump, and that it is just a plain old F-150 that someone put a funky suspension under.
another thing to check is frame width. is the frame 36 inches wide, or 33 inches?

if it actually is a F-super duty frame(there was no such thing as a F450 before 1999) the frame will be flat all the way from the cab to the rear end(no hump over the axle) and only 33 inches wide.