VIN checking

[asgeirogm]

Hey everyone,

I was looking at the window VIN plate in the 78 Monte I bought last summer, and it's really rusted but the rivets look brand new, which got me wondering if a previous owner switched the plates for some reason. I then looked at the cowl plate and saw that the VIN in that was different from the window VIN, but some reading later, I realize that it's not supposed to be the same, so that wasn't the smoking gun I thought it was.

I'd like to confirm that the window VIN is the actual VIN for the car, but I've not been able to find a stamped partial VIN at a cursory glance. A previous owner did a god awful paint job on the car at some point, and there are no VINs/stickers in the door jambs or the trunk link (presumably painted over or removed) - and I assume that if there were some exposed VIN partials somewhere, that they might be hidden away under a layer of this thick, terrible paintj ob they put on every surface possible (including the freaking door seals ).

I'm pretty sure that the cowl plate is original to this car since the year and color scheme matches what must be the original colors of the exterior and interior (Dark Blue). It also indicates a bench seat, but my car doesn't have original front seats, so that info doesn't provide any value.

I did find the build sheet under the back seat when I ripped out the interior last summer, and I put it in a "really good place" so it wouldn't get damaged, and of course now I cannot find said good place to check if the VIN matches the window VIN 🤦‍♂️

One thing I find curious is that as far as I've gleaned, in 1978, "Z" stood for Corvette while H included Monte Carlo. I have seen online that 4th gen Monte VINs have Z though, so that'll probably just get chalked up to some inconsistent info out there, I assume.

I basically have four questions/thoughts:

1. Do the rivets on the window VIN plate look new or original to you?
2. Is there any place where I could expect to find a stamped partial VIN that doesn't require that I remove the heater core or something "drastic" like that?
3. Is my assumption correct that the partial VINs I might expect to find on some body parts should match the window VIN and not the "VIN" on the cowl plate?
4. What information on the cowl plate directly links to the window VIN? They obviously both indicate that its a Chevy model category "Z" with a 2 door couple hardtop, they both show the model year being 78, and they both indicate the "Z" factory of Fremont, CA. All these things would be true for a lot of individual cars though - but.I assume that's the extent of their "relationship" and that it's not possible to say for sure that this VIN belongs to this cowl plate?

 

[Ribbedroof]

asgeirogm​

Cowl tag is a Fisher Body tag, and bears no correlation the the vehicle VIN

Partial VIN on top of frame, usually near the door opening

Appear to be the correct rivits on the VIN plate. These are stainless steel, so they do not corrode like the steel parts

Additionally, when the VIN is swapped, the examples I've seen always have hackery/tool marks around them (Underside of bracket grinder marks on the El Camino). Most thieves would not have pulled the windshield to properly drill the rivits, hence the hackery.

The printing on the door label is seldom readable at this point for cars that were used as dailys, and 78 did not have a SPID label on the trunk lid.

Based on the web hit on the VIN, I'd assume if it was stolen it would have been caught when it was imported in 2006

Might want to redact VIN for privacy

 

[ssn696]

The body number and vehicle number will not match. When I brought my wagon in for the VIN inspection when registering it, the number on the door tag was illegible, but the original owner saved my bacon when I found the original window sticker/paper folded up inside the owner's manual in the glove box. Both ID numbers were printed on the document, and DMV went away happy. If you have a title for the car, you are good to go.

 

[asgeirogm]

Thanks for the replies, I appreciate it

Based on the web hit on the VIN, I'd assume if it was stolen it would have been caught when it was imported in 2006

I'm just curious, where did you look up the VIN to see it was imported in 2006?