No vin plate or chasis number.. What can I do?

[vw356]

Well.. I am LATE to this party!!! Lol..
Thank You guys.. All of you! Thomas and I had words when he messaged me pretty much the same statements, but now we are good.
Ok..Yes, my cars are rusty.. And yes I have owned some very nice VWs too. Around 35 years of messing with VWs.
I have a 6,000 square foot shop in my back yard and when I first built it I put some of my cars in there..Well then business poured in and wham! 10 years pass by! I was last driving a very nice 58 sunroof hot rod bug.
Sold it 4 years ago.
I have a lot listed for sale right now because I am going a different direction now. I nearly died in a horrible accident 11 months ago. So now I want to get down to just 6-8 cars and make them nice.
I have been buying parts for every one of my cars for many years now. I have most everything for each car.
I also have a great Autotwirler brand rotisserie that stays busy. My business though is actually commercial welding. VWs are my obsession.. it is WAY cooler here than any car show I have seen.. I drink beer out there sometimes.. And I do buy,sell and trade a good bit, so they do move.
Please remember this though, I bought ALL of these cars in fields,back yards,farms,chicken houses,etc.. I have a 55 sunroof out of a mississippii river bed! No kidding!
I can tell you stories of hunting down and finding everything.
The convertible this post is about came from 2 brothers that had collected cars since the 1960's. They were in thier 60's or so when I met them. They built a rail buggy from the 1954 pan and used the vin on it. Then years later scrapped the buggy. The body was sitting in the woods on the ground for many years. It has a lot of original parts on it and in my goody stash inside. I was SO Happy to find a ribbed door convertible! I still hope to find out the vin number even if it ends up on a different pan. Bug metal work is extremely easy for me. I have an old Miller 135 I use just for car metal. I have built A LOT of customer cars.Now it's my cars' turns.
I am nearly done now with a nightmare bus project.Turned out to be 3-4x as bad as I thought it was from the pictures I saw. But she is so nice now in just primer! Will not need much bondo, probably less than when it was new. I started welding at 9y.o.!

Thank You Guys! I do not know these forums.. I thought I'd get an email if anyone replied..lol..
Have a great one!
Don
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Current projects:
1950's Volkswagens!
51,52,54's,55,56's,57,58's,'60's And then a bunch of '60's, but the '50's are my favorites..

[Dave]

Hey, Don, this is kaferdave...Don't let some of these guys give you any crap...they are just jealous that you have found and retrieved so much cool iron.. If they had found it, and didn't have indoor storage for it, do you think they would mpass it by, for thre next guy to find and purchase? HELL NO THEY WOULDN'T.
Good getting your e-mail the other day, keep at it, buddy... \X/
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2003 Samba Chummie Winner- Best Story

"Those that matter, don't mind,
and those that mind, don't matter"

[5500]

You might want to reach out to your local DMV once you're certain the body # isn't a stolen vehicle. They may have provisions for an antique untitled vehicle that will allow you to create a VIN, or assign one to you so you can at least legally register and title it.

[ZENVWDRIVER]

Like I said, buy a TITLED BUG ( any year ) IN YOUR STATE - and switch bodies - who would ever know the difference, besides us? i'd keep the DMV out of it... is nunna' their business - z
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5/50, pastel green 11G - SOLD
8/50, gray 11A Beetle
6/52, pastel green 11C - SOLD
11/4/52, black Zwitter - SOLD to my little bro.
1954 Porsche, pre A, with VW 36 horse- SOLD
1/54, black 11C Beetle - TRADED
2/55 Iceland green Beetle, on a 1965 pan
3/55 113 Beetle, stratos silver
1955 Messerschmitt KR175 - SOLD, sadly
1960 single cab
1962 SO33, with SO 42 interior
9/63 Pacific blue, Ghia
'87 Toyota MR2
'02 WestFORDia E-150, GAVE TO OUR SON

All super-heroes, wear a MASK

[vw356]

Thank You Dave, 5500 and ZenVWdriver!!

These few who have negative things to say, almost always own very little and have no idea that I could write a book on VW hunting stories..All true ones!

And they also do not understand how cool it is to walk around in my own personal vw dream junkyard.. I planned this from the beginning.Goal was one of each vw offered for every year of the 1950's models. But I am not going to achieve this. I started too late.
I was hoping to build a museum one day, but this isn't going to happen either now.(I was in a horrible accident, but am recovering extremely well.)

They do not see the 150 or so cars that I have sold over the last 30 years either..

And they do not know the parts like I do.. From wrenching, cutting, fitting and welding on them!

Thank You Guys! I definitely appreciate y'all!!!
_________________
Current projects:
1950's Volkswagens!
51,52,54's,55,56's,57,58's,'60's And then a bunch of '60's, but the '50's are my favorites..

[vw356]

Yea.. I'm just sitting around..LOL.. And this IS NOT what I do for a living.. Just my hobby!
_________________
Current projects:
1950's Volkswagens!
51,52,54's,55,56's,57,58's,'60's And then a bunch of '60's, but the '50's are my favorites..

[vw356]

I forgot to add.. I want the actual vin number for this specific convertible. No state number, no different vin number... I'm hoping to find a car with a close body number and then figure out my car's vin number and send off for a birth certificate. Then keep sending for more until I get it right.
Thank You All VERY Much..
_________________
Current projects:
1950's Volkswagens!
51,52,54's,55,56's,57,58's,'60's And then a bunch of '60's, but the '50's are my favorites..

[ZENVWDRIVER]

[vw356]

Thank You.. VERY good point... Plan B is make a Hebmuller out of it and run with a sedan vin and chassis.
_________________
Current projects:
1950's Volkswagens!
51,52,54's,55,56's,57,58's,'60's And then a bunch of '60's, but the '50's are my favorites..

[VW_Jimbo]

If you still have the front axle beam, there is a number on them, too! Not the VIN, but a unique sequence of digits which may prove something more than nothing!
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Jimbo

There is never enough time to do it right the first time, but all the time necessary the second time!

[vw356]

Thank you Jimbo.. But I do not have the pan for this convertible body.
_________________
Current projects:
1950's Volkswagens!
51,52,54's,55,56's,57,58's,'60's And then a bunch of '60's, but the '50's are my favorites..

[VW_Jimbo]

[vw356]

Correct.. So, I have to find a car with a body number close to it and figure out the vin number.
The pan and running gear from this convertible were used to build a buggy by two brothers in the 1970's, then they later scrapped the buggy and the body was left sitting for many years right where they left it when removing the running gear. These brothers had about 200 cars on thier property when I was there. They had all sorts of crazy stuff.. A '55 chevy sedan on a 4x4 chevy truck frame for one. It was a very interesting place.
I was so happy to find this ribbed door convertible. Still has a lot of rare parts on it, and it is needing the bottom 6" or so of the car. I consider this normal these days.
Thank You.
_________________
Current projects:
1950's Volkswagens!
51,52,54's,55,56's,57,58's,'60's And then a bunch of '60's, but the '50's are my favorites..

[VW_Jimbo]

Thanks for the recap.

Body numbers are in the technical section of this site. Getting down to the exact NEXT body number is a doozy! I hope it happens for you.

So, forgive me for asking a possible stupid question, but why could you just not ask the VW museum, if they have any info. Seems as if anyone was going to have it on file, that would be the place! Just thinking!

Good luck! Younger me lost the pink slip after buying my 55 Bug. My momma got cancer and it was a two and a half year fight, that she lost. In that period, my father, my sister and myself moved three times. It was crazy! So, keeping track of the title was not easy. I ended up having to run an ad in the local paper, I think, claiming the property or asking if someone owned it or something along those lines. Then there was a waiting period. Then back to the DMV to gain a new probationary title, which after so many days became a solid title. It all worked out!

All that to say, maybe go by your DMV and see if they can help.

Good luck!
_________________
Jimbo

There is never enough time to do it right the first time, but all the time necessary the second time!

[vw356]

Thank You.
I have never contacted the museum, but I have heard thier info is limited. I should at least try it though.
As far as I can remember, I have never used a body number at the DMV.. But again, maybe it is worth asking and see what happens.
Thank You Very Much!
I think the car is worth saving if I can figure out the original vin number.
_________________
Current projects:
1950's Volkswagens!
51,52,54's,55,56's,57,58's,'60's And then a bunch of '60's, but the '50's are my favorites..