How common are VIN errors on our trucks? Do folks hear about that alot?

What I'm driving at is on my chassis the VIN assignment is for a 360FE....on the door tag....which looks super original, old, and unmolested....it's a 390FE. I was told it was a 390 but haven't torn into it. Everything checks out on the Marti report, down to color and options for the VIN.

In addition, the VINS on the door and chassis match apart from this one oddity. That is the serial numbers, factory, paint combos, etc. So I'm left wondering if it was common for the folks stamping chassis frames to assume it was another 360 or just that given the engine similarities apart from stroke, they just kind of winged it. I can't think of another explanation because it just seems very unlikely given this truck's history that someone went to the trouble of punching out another tag with the 390, for what? While I know in recent years Marti will make you a new tag, this thing has been sitting for a good long while. Thoughts?

 

If everything matches except the engine code it has to be an incorrect stamp.

Marti will make you a new door tag but only a reproduction of what his report says you originally had.

 

Awesome. Good to hear Thanks. John

 

In 40+ years things can get swapped out: engines, transmission, doors (w/ warranty tag many call a VIN tag) and so on. The numbers (there are two locations on passenger side top rail) on the frame are authoritative. Swapping a 390 in place of a 360 is a bolt-in operation. No fabrication is required, Although state laws vary widely, an engine swap should not jeopardize your title and registration in any way. No inspector can look at the exterior of an FE engine and know whether it is a 390 or a 360. They look exactly alike on the outside. You have to measure the stroke to tell one from another.
The only critical issue in this area is whether all documents (title and registration) agree with the VINs stamped on the frame and those two VINs are the same and haven't been tampered with. You can swap out every other part of the truck (cab included) except for the frame.

 

sure, but you aren’t going to find another door(tag) with the same vin excluding the engine letter.

 

I have direct experience with this very issue. In the state of Georgia my '76 F-150 4 X 2 LWB truck had a properly affixed warranty tag on the driver side door that unfortunately had a different VIN than on the frame. Georgia does not normally issue titles for vehicles produced prior to 1985 so there was no title to check against, only the registration documents provided to me by the PO. Apparently, the door had been swapped out for some reason, collision repair most likely and it was somehow registered at some point using that incorrect VIN.
To "cure" this situation I consulted with local DMV personnel and learned that all I needed to do was show the frame-based VIN to a law enforcement officer and have that officer complete a form that specified the exact VIN on the frame. A sheriff's deputy came to my home to do this. Because no title would be forthcoming, I used this affidavit to register the truck in order to obtain a registration card with the proper frame-based VIN on it. There is now no question that the state of Georgia recognizes my ownership of this truck. That is very important because I could invest a huge amount of time and money re-building this truck.
So what did I do about the warranty tag that goes on the driver side door? I ordered a new one from Marti Auto Works. The new tag has the correct VIN (same as on the frame) and other data on it and even came with the proper rivets to attach it after I repair and paint that door or some other door.
I have since moved to Florida which does issue titles for older vehicles so will have to run that gauntlet again but at least I have Georgia's affirmation to convince Florida DMV folks to issue that title to me.

 

Well I was able to confirm that indeed it was an error on the part of the lunkhead on the assembly line and that the door tag, all the paperwork, original title, all that stuff is the correct 'version' is the valid one. Frank, it is not a case of a mismatch or hodgepodge of parts to build up a vehicle. Literally just a one character goof up on the VIN, identical otherwise.

I would love to know how these guys built up our trucks. Was a door tag created first using an order sheet and then sent down to the line with the order sheet. Probably not.

I'm guessing just an order sheet got pulled with a VIN on it, and it was up to whoever made the tin door tag and whoever stamped the chassis to each get it right.

 

the vin is what’s on the frame, so it’s odd it was registered off the warranty plate, guess some one screwed up stamping the frame and no one ever noticed. Quality control for ya.

 

Maybe the guy in front of the dvrs side door or the guy standing in the cab was to blame.

 

LOL!!!! Get that SUIT off the assembly line.

I think I know the problem. The truck was built on a FRIDAY. Probably began at 3:15pm and everyone was heading for miller time.

 

Frame stamping errors do occur. I have a '76 F-100 where the front VIN veers right off the edge of the frame and, so, isn't fully readable. I had to remove the cab so that a Florida Sherrif's Deputy could see the second VIN stamping and sign off on the form that this state requires. In Florida, DMV personnel are required to eyeball the VIN and record its characters and location wherever that is affixed in the standard location for that vehicle. This is easy for them with newer vehicles that have the standardized VIN location just under the lower corner of the driver side windshield. Not so easy on a dent side truck. Yes, you can get some of these folks to accept what's on the warranty plate. They may or may not be aware of the fact that the authoritative VIN is stamped on the frame. If they ask to be shown the frame-based VIN, you may have a problem.
We know that the most important part of the VIN is the Consecutive Unit Number (CUN) which is composed of the last six characters of the VIN. This uniquely identifies your truck and is what Marti uses to locate your truck's records in their database. The character in question, the one that identifies the engine, is largely irrelevant. The problem here is that from the bureaucrat POV, any discrepancy is a red flag that calls for further action. You may then have to get into the business of schooling people in Ford dent side truck VIN decoding. You have a good argument with the CUN but it will be hard to impress upon the bureaucratic mind.
When push gets to shove, it's what's on the frame that counts with a dent side truck. You can try to resolve it now or hope that it never arises in the future. How to resolve this discrepancy at present or in future will vary by state. Some states will authorize re-stamping the VIN and provide documentation explaining which of the two VINs are valid and why there are two of them. PITA no doubt.

 

Good to know. Thanks.