Importance of pan vin number

[esde]

Fishing for outside opinions on a situation that I have.
I have a ragtop that I purchased maybe 6 years ago. It was a future project, so I immediately mothballed it. All of the parts were boxed and jammed into the car, so I only even checked the body tag vin against the title. Now I have the car pulled out and emptied I find that there been some considerable rust and subsequent grinding on pan. The vin is 90% destroyed, and completely illegible.
My guess is that the roof was left open, and the back seat soaked up water causing he tunnel to rot. The package shelf has similar rust.
So, I have an oval rag with no pan vin. Has anyone been successful running their car with just the body tag and vin?
I realize that any cop wishing to ruin my day could do so. I realize that it would probably be best to contact my local state police regarding this, to see how I could officially fix this.
But, I'm curious what others have experienced, or if there are loopholes/ liabilities that I am not considering.
SD
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modok wrote:
Bent cranks are silent but gather no moss. I mean, ah, something like that.

[madmike]

I think ur worried over nothing, our fatass cops won't bother to check
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'Black Ice'Drag Buggy 'Turbo'
Rail Buggy 1915 turbo
76 Drag/Street bug 2180cc 'Turbo' 11:85 @113 mph"If I go any faster I'll burn up the Hamster" ,gets 28 mpg. also 10/09/22 11.90 @115 mph
"If I'm ever on Life Support,UNPLUG Me, Then Plug me back In see if that Works"

[Busstom]

^^^^ LOL

esde, is it possible to use that acid etching reveal method that they used on Forensic Files to see the tunnel VIN beyond the corrosion? Then somehow have it witnessed/photographed/notarized/etc etc? Probably thinking way out of the box here.

Here's one approach, jump to 3:25 where he starts applying the cocktail...

Link

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My name's Steve and it's pronounced "Bust 'em" (cuz people think I'm Tom) 😏

[Joe 20]

You said you have a title with a VIN that matches the tag in the car...If I were you, I'd stop worrying. You get plates with the title, then carry the registration for the plates. Most cops (fat assed or not) probably don't know(or care) that there is a number on the tunnel. If they're tearing apart your car that much, you have other problems...
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"Someday the world is gonna be populated by nothing but Volkswagens'" Corporal Klairvoy

[oprn]

If it were my car I would take a set of number and letter stamps and stamp the serial number back on. Done!

I have a similar issue. When I bought my Manx copy I just registered it under the same serial number the previous owner did. Last year I checked to see if it was the same number on the pan. It is not! Completely different! What the heck?

So... is the pan from a stolen car? Has the number on the pan been registered as "written off" by an insurance company? I have no idea but the Buggy has been registered to this bogus serial number since 1976! I brought this issue up at the registry office last spring and the agent just shrugged and asked if I wanted to pay cash or credit card... Whatever happened back then is probably lost to anyone living today so I am just going to stamp the bogus number somewhere on the car and run with it.
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We had the stone age, the bronze age, the industrial age and now we are in the age of mass deception and mind control for corporate profit. (The mass media age)

[Floating VW]

I've had the coppers out on two separate occasions to verify the VIN on my car - once when I had to register the vehicle in a different state, and once when I let the registration expire for ten years while I was in South America.

Both times they just took a brief look at the tag in window, compared it to the VIN on the title and went on their way. I don't think there are too many people in the world who even know (or care) about the VIN plate in the trunk and stamped VIN on the tunnel.
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"It's time you started treating people as individuals, rather than mathematically predictable members of an aggregate set, regardless of how well that works."

[oprn]

When did they start putting tags in the window? I think it was 69 or 70 here? At any rate I have never had anyone check the registration serial number against the car.
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We had the stone age, the bronze age, the industrial age and now we are in the age of mass deception and mind control for corporate profit. (The mass media age)

[Busstom]

[oprn]

How about stamping it on a strip of metal then pop rivet it in place? That is what I plan to do un my Manx copy because it's fiberglass and I want to put it on the dash up near the windshield where you would expect to find it on a modern car. I am going to use copper or aluminum so it doesn't rust.
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We had the stone age, the bronze age, the industrial age and now we are in the age of mass deception and mind control for corporate profit. (The mass media age)

[esde]

My understanding is that modifying or altering the vin in any way is illegal, and opens up another can of worms. As it is now I've done nothing wrong, besides having an affection for rusty old cars.
Yeah, I suppose leaving it as is, and just relying on the body tag is the way to go..
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modok wrote:
Bent cranks are silent but gather no moss. I mean, ah, something like that.

[OldSchoolVW's]

[Iowa Mark]

Do not assume the DMV is stupid or lazy. Years ago I applied for a bonded title on a VW I needed a title to. When the rep. from the DMV came up from Des Moines to verify the numbers {I had already sent them a rubbing of those numbers} he went directly to the chassis location to look. He then looked over the car and gave a value for what the thing was worth. That was what the bond covered. He knew his job! Stamping new numbers will show intent. Then you have to prove you intended to show the real numbers.

[oprn]

I get the legal risks in altering a serial number. In the OP's case he is not changing (altering) anything, just clarifying what is already there especially if the same number is somewhere else on the body.
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We had the stone age, the bronze age, the industrial age and now we are in the age of mass deception and mind control for corporate profit. (The mass media age)

[esde]

[vwinnovator]

I had this issue once...

The MVA told me to take the car to the state police and they would inspect the vin's legibility.
If not legible, they would then issue a "new vin" with a special tag to be affixed to the vehicle.

I've also had a '47 plymouth coupe that had a "special" vin number issued from florida.
That sticker/tag was placed right next to the original vin tag...

[wheel607]

[pondoras box]

Just try to register it. If it’s a problem most if not all states have ways to deal with it to include issuing a new VIN I know that’s not what you would want but it would be legal. And yes it would still be treated as the year it was manufactured for DOT and emissions standards.
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Looking for anything from Hal Casey Motors out of Hamburg New York, from license plate surrounds to matchbooks.

1961 23 Window (Bobo)
1965 11 Window (Zelda)
1965 13 Window (Lucas)
1957 Oval ragtop
1988 Cabriolet VR6 conversion
Plus a lot of other rusty junk

[mukluk]

[johnnyvw164]

I had to do that in NJ for a boat that predated hull numbers. Had to tow it to local marine police (part of state police). They checked to make sure it wasn;t reported as stolen and then issued their own hull number.

I recently moved from PA to NC. Car came from CT while I lived in PA, only needed pics of the VIN on the body (69, so easily visible through the windsheild). Here in NC, I had to have it inspected by a DMV officer (who I found out is part of the vehicle theft division). He looked at the one inside the windsheild, then asked me to remove the rear seat bottom so he could check that number as well. I said it seems he knows a little bit about these cars, he said yeah, he does about a 100 a year.

Bottom line...check with your state's DMV for how to handle it. Best way to keep yourelf out of trouble. As others have said don't redo the numbers yourself.

[MuzzcoVW]

My Massachusetts inspection station didn't even know there was a number there. He looked at me like I had three heads when i asked if he needed the rear seat lifted up for the VIN check