Hello all,
I recently purchased a '68 Camaro out of state. This weekend I picked it up, although in the excitement of finally getting the car completely overlooked verifying the official VIN plate. Well.. it turns out the VIN plate is missing. I think the Dash may have been replaced at some point in time. I have verified the partial VIN on the firewall, and recently found out about the partial VIN on the cowl as well. I have an appointment to have the car inspected for a Kansas title tomorrow (The car came from Nebraska). I'd like to do all the research I can before hand to insure the process is as smooth as possible.
Has anyone else gone through this process? What should I be prepared for? The original engine/trans are long gone. I have so far been unable to verify if the 10 bolt is original. Are there any additional partial VIN's that I am potentially missing?
Any help would be greatly appreciated, especially if anybody has any info on how the state of Kansas views this situation.

Thank you in advance!

The partial VIN numbers are under the cowl grille and behind the heater fan. I don't think you can get a replacement VIN plate. I would get the VIN on the title and check it against the one under the cowl grille. Could you post the VIN on the title for us here? You will not be able to verify that the 10 bolt the original one. Good luck, Kevin

Thanks Kevin. I have already verified that the partial VIN on the firewall, below the fan motor opening. It's a non AC car. I will be verifying the VIN on the cowl tonight when I get home. I can get the VIN to post, although I unfortunately don't have the title with me right now. I'm certain that I'm holding the correct title for the correct car, my only worry is getting it titled. I'm not sure what the DOT's take is on the partial VIN stamps. I'm hoping it's not as bad as I'm expecting although I'm not to confident at this point.

I know it's a legal grey area, although I'm half tempted to cancel my appointment and restamp the VIN. I'm not trying to pass the car off for something it wasn't. I know it was originally a base model 6 cyl. I'm only looking to build a decent driver. I've left a message with the previous owner asking if he has the VIN. Since he's owned the car less than a year, I seriously doubt he has the plate. I guess I'll try to keep going back in owners until I get something.

Is there anything else I can do besides verifying both partial VINs? The more documentation I could find, the more comfortable I'll be going into my inspection. I'd also feel a little more comfortable if someone has gone through this process before. Doing a search all I see is people saying "Run away" but I'm a little too deep into it now for that.

DONT restamp the VIN that is illegal, considered tampering with a VIN, no different than removing or altering it.
I think the DMV will look at the hidden partials and that will match your title, hopefully, and then issue you a state issued VIN. It will be different but without the original plate, its your only option.

DONT restamp the VIN that is illegal, considered tampering with a VIN, no different than removing or altering it.
I think the DMV will look at the hidden partials and that will match your title, hopefully, and then issue you a state issued VIN. It will be different but without the original plate, its your only option.

That's good to know. Thanks for the info. From info that I had read, it didn't look illegal as long as the VIN was correct. Of course, most of this info probably originally came from people who were restamping the vins.

If that's my only option, so be it. I just hope it's that easy. Like I said, I simply want a street legal car. I don't care what the title says. It's a base model 6 cyl. It's not like it's a rare car :D

My 68 was purchased in Springfield, Illinois and had it's top section of the dash replaced (the area where the original VIN tag would be attached).....The previous owner had the Illinois State Police attach (rivet)an assigned VIN tag, with the original VIN numbers, to the drivers side door pillar, just like the 67's.....This seems like something the previous owner should have done before he sold it to you or at least he should have advised you so you would have the chance to back out of the deal until you had a legally installed VIN tag!.....I'm hoping at least the title is legit!.....Sorry to hear this, man!

This seems like something the previous owner should have done before he sold it to you or at least he should have advised you so you would have the chance to back out of the deal until you had a legally installed VIN tag!.....I'm hoping at least the title is legit!.....Sorry to hear this, man!

Yea, I agree 100% It is something that should have been taken care of ahead of time. It is still my fault for not verifying it before I trailered it back 5 1/2 hours.
So far I have traced the car back three owners. The guy I bought it from, an individual before him, and then a bank before that. Surely the bank wouldn't sell it without a VIN. I guess I have narrowed it down a little. I'm going to try contacting him this evening. Otherwise, I guess I'll find out what the state of KS will do tomorrow at noon. <fingers crossed> :(

In MO. the Highway patrol verified the partial Vin on the cowl and created a new vin tag that they rivited in place of the missing tag on my hot rod. No hassles and went very smooth. Had to go thru that before I could title it.

A friend of a friend of mine had a 67 Camaro and I saw it at my friends shop .. I made my way to it and was curious.. I looked it over and then .. the shop owner started the car and I noticed the Vin was missing inside the door jam area.. I saw the rivet holes but no Vin .. Nothing but bad taughts were going thru my mind at that time ... I just wanted to clean all my finger prints off of it .. if you know what I mean .. I did'nt know about this site , nor the hidden vins . That car is somewhere in SAn Antonio I last heard.

Thanks for all the replies. If nothing else it at least sounds feasible to get a new VIN. It may be a long process, but as long as I get it done I'll be happy.

Just as an update, I spoke with the 2nd owner back last night and found that the car had been a theft recovery at some point. It was sold at police auction to the 3rd owner back. He then filed for a lost title (sans vin plate) and was granted it after they verified the partial VINs. He then sold it to the 2nd owner back who, in turn, sold it to the guy I bought it from.

I'm starting to feel a little better about all this. I have a title in hand with 2 matching partials and a back story that can be traced back to the Kearney NE police department. I think I have all the documentation I can feasibly capture in this short amount of time. I'll find out in a few hours what the State will have to say.

The Police should of had the NE HP issue a Nebraska vin if it was missing, prior to them selling it.

I dunno how hard it will be to get a state vin, can not be to hard.It has to be possible to obtain, because **** happens via wreck, rust, theft...

good luck and let us know how it goes!

How big of a problem is auto theft in your state? I think you might end up having the vehicle impounded for investigation because of the missing VIN and being sold across state lines which could end up involving the Feds... From there if the vehicle isn't found to be stolen your states DMV can issue a new VIN or just install a state vin plate using the VIN under the cowl.

I don't think auto theft is a big issue, but it could be due to me not hanging out in the right circles. A delay due to investigation isn't too big of a concern for me, as long as it's not excessive. Even a month isn't too significant compared to the time and effort required to get this car to the level I want. I'm not under a time crunch so it's not too big of a deal. I'm confident in the fact that I have a title that matches a car I've purchased. My only worries are (1)that the car could potentially be forfeited, and I'm out the money, or (2) there is currently another car running around registered under this car's VIN. I hate to think about it, but it is a distinct possibility.

Does your state have a lemon law? Just one avenue if you find out issues with the vin, etc... This type of thing could apply if he sold a car that can not be legally titled/inspected.

If that failed you may seek legal advice about fruadulent sale, etc...That is if you bought the car in good faith that everything was legit and titling possible.

/shrug

I dunno, I am no lawyer but reckon you have some legal protection afforded you for a certian amount of time after the purchase.

The last VIN gone wrong story here resulted in months and months of time involved, the buyer was the big looser, the seller got most of his money and the owner at the time the car was stolen got the car back...

There are too many ways this could go, lets all wish for the best for Rhino as he has the most to loose. Lemon laws don't cover used vehicles but there are many laws that could put this back on the seller. If the car's vin is clear things will go easy and quick. If issues arrise the law doesn't take equitable into concideration it would have to go to civil court to recover monies lost and that's where equitable can balance the loss some...

As I see it the out of state sale raises the red flag, it could have been sold several times over had it stayed in state. The lojack rep that spoke at our club 2 months ago said the big thing in car theft today (new and old cars) is vin cloning and unless the car is sold or moved and registered across state lines it isn't caught very often...

What ever happened to the guy that bought the silver camaro that had the vin from a nova on it? The one the police took and he was unable to speak of after some long posts?

Great news! :hurray: My Camaro is registered and I should be receiving a state of KS title in 4 to 6 weeks. The inspection process went very well, but only because I was able to do my homework before hand and made sure my partial VINs were highly visible. The only negative I can say is that my car is unable to be registered as an antique. To prevent the car being branded with an off-highway title, I have a standard KS tag on it. Because of that I will have to continue to insure it while I restore the car. With my current plans, that isn't an issue, but it could be for some.

Thank you to everybody who provided insight into what I should be looking for, or just offered words of encouragement.
This has to be the best first gen forum I've found. This isn't the last you've heard of me, I'm sticking around for the long haul. :thumbsup:

Great news! :hurray: My Camaro is registered and I should be receiving a state of KS title in 4 to 6 weeks. The inspection process went very well, but only because I was able to do my homework before hand and made sure my partial VINs were highly visible. The only negative I can say is that my car is unable to be registered as an antique. To prevent the car being branded with an off-highway title, I have a standard KS tag on it. Because of that I will have to continue to insure it while I restore the car. With my current plans, that isn't an issue, but it could be for some.

Thank you to everybody who provided insight into what I should be looking for, or just offered words of encouragement.
This has to be the best first gen forum I've found. This isn't the last you've heard of me, I'm sticking around for the long haul. :thumbsup:

Congrats Rhino, now go drive the wheels off of it.

Congrats Rhino, now go drive the wheels off of it.
I only wish it were that easy. :D I won't be doing much driving for quite some time! She'll get there, slowly but surely.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y169/RhinoSS/68%20Camaro/IMG_0947.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y169/RhinoSS/68%20Camaro/IMG_0961.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y169/RhinoSS/68%20Camaro/IMG_0955.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y169/RhinoSS/68%20Camaro/IMG_0948.jpg

That will all buff right out :D congrats :thumbsup:

Congratulations Rhino. Lets make the first order of business to get the 67 front clip off of that great looking 68. Have fun and good luck. Mike. :beers::beers:

Right on! Glad to hear things went smooth, did they place a state vin tag on the car? If they did, did they use the cars real vin or assign one to it?

Right on! Glad to hear things went smooth, did they place a state vin tag on the car? If they did, did they use the cars real vin or assign one to it?

Yes, they did affix a new VIN plate in the back of the door jam. Thankfully they did use the actual VIN, although there is an additional state of KS tracking number on it as well. I'll get a pic of it when I get home.

...Lets make the first order of business to get the 67 front clip off of that great looking 68....

I laughed when I saw this the first time. The drivers side fender is an actual 68 piece with a bad patch/bondo job over the marker light. As you can see, I'm in for a lot of sheet metal. If you know of any good deals, let me know. ;)

Glad it all worked out for you .

What kinda motor is that ?
" Powered by Rhino ! "

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y169/RhinoSS/68%20Camaro/IMG_0948.jpg

Here's a pic of the new VIN plate they riveted on. It's a little unsightly, although much better than having the car sit in the garage the rest of it's life.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y169/RhinoSS/68%20Camaro/IMG_0994.jpg

Hey, Congrats man!.....They riveted the VIN tag in the wrong area!.....I certainly hope you won't have to install a new quarter panel or you'll wind up having to have that tag reinstalled in the correct place, like the 67 models!.....Good Luck, Man!!