You may be able to spray paint the vin number you have. Let it sit a couple of days to dry. Then take a sanding block and sandpaper and sand the paint off. This should leave paint in the depressions where it is stamped and remove in the high areas. Good luck. If all else fails go buy a set of stamp punches and stamp the vin into the rail.

 

how long have you owned the truck? Do you have any way to research its title history?

I would be interested in seeing pictures of the other owner's warranty plate and cert label (and to know the title history of that truck).

What does your warranty plate and cert label look like? Do they appear to be original, or do they look newer (as in possibly reproduced)?

One option could be to contact martiauto.com to see if anyone requested repop tags for the VIN in question...

you have enough characters matching in the sequence number that I would lean toward your truck being original...unless the characters you can't read appear to be intentionally filed down. It is always possible someone had two similar trucks with similar sequence numbers and pulled some funny stuff with titles...seems far-fetched though.

I would think a title history search would reveal which one is legit (or if both are legit and it was a factory error as previously stated).

good luck.

 

I have owned my truck since 2002. When I bought the truck the previous owner signed the title over to me and it was sent in for the new title in my name. There is a photo copy of the title in the glove box from the previous owner and he owned the truck for 17 years. The truck has been titled for the last 30 years with the VIN# on my warranty plate and matching sticker on the pillar which are original. The inspector had already done a title search on my truck and confirmed this information. The owner of the other truck apparently just bought his truck and has a title with a VIN# of F26YLB28078. The VIN# on his title didn't match his warranty plate on the door and the sticker on the pillar is not legible so he found the VIN# on the his frame which matches the VIN# on my door plate and sticker on my pillar. It is quite possible since the frame VIN# is stamped by hand that both frames could have the same #. The inspector told me it has happened more times than you would think. So again I am back to trying to find a VIN# on my frame which as stated before, the one adjacent to the starter on the top frame is not 100% legible and I can't find the one under the cab. Yes it would be tempting to stamp the missing numbers into the frame but it is a felony in my state so that is out of the question!! The numbers in my frame do not appear to be ground down so I doubt if anyone tried to tamper with the VIN#. One last comment, if I can find a complete number on my frame which is correct then the owner of the other truck has to have his truck bonded and have a SOS # applied to his truck. If I find a legible # on my truck which doesn't match my title the all I have to do is apply for a corrected title. It all sounds simple but I just can't find a legible frame number on my truck.

 

Have you looked towards the front of the frame horn? My truck has a VIN stamped in the frame between the crossmember and radiator support, and another that is partly visible near the cab mount (blocked by the cab).
What about the other frame rail, and crossmember areas that others have mentioned?
I have even heard that some frames had a VIN stamped on the side rail, somewhere in the front ~18", usually on the right (pass) side.

Good luck with your search.

 

by chance did you check the drivers' side by the steering box and the engine crossmember under the balancer that was mentioned earlier? I've never heard of them being there, but it would be worth a look in your situation.

 

Yes I have looked in every place that has been mentioned in this thread and still haven't found a second VIN # on the frame anywhere!!!

 

one last thought...can you take multiple high resolution digital photos with lighting from the left, right, top and bottom then view them on a large PC monitor...sometimes zooming in can reveal things you can't see with a naked eye...

just a thought, really hoping this works out in your favor!