VIN / Title troubles

[Rosco P Coltrane]

I recently acquired my 1978 CJ5 and I've had a lot of trouble due to the VIN being 13 digit instead of the newer 17 digit. The title said it was a 1972 but it was obviously not due to the boxed frame, T18A Transmission , AMC20 rear axle, GM steering column etc. I also decoded the VIN and it showed the year as 1978 but when I brought this up to the BMV they said I had to get a police officer to do a VIN check as they had no way of knowing? The officer said it came back as a 1972 and 1978! WTH? Anyway, the second digit is an 8 so I'm satisfied with it being a 78 and I got the title corrected to reflect that. Next, I called the insurance company and it took them about 10 minutes to figure out what kind of vehicle it was due to the older VIN. They asked if it was a car or truck or SUV. I said it's the original SUV, lol. Has anyone else dealt with this kind of headache when it comes to these older Jeeps? I've had older cars before and never had such issues.

 

[Torxhead]

Even my '86 had issues, my insurance guy said the numbers listed it as a Wrangler and had to come to my house to see it.

 

[Posi]

Sounds like someone at the DMV or title division typed in a 2 instead of an 8 when they made out the new title for the PO. I've owned over 55 Jeeps and out of those maybe 5-8 had typos on the title. However, most of the mistakes were with the model and year not vin, in your case it was one digit in the year.

A lot of the mistakes happen prior to Jeeps having titles (before 1980 in my state). Back in the day, folks would call the insurance company and give the Jeep's vin, make, and model over the phone, sometimes all the numbers weren't properly transmitted. When you got back your registration card and noticed a mistake most times you were told to let it be unless it was a vin error. The mistake (year, model) would just get passed down the line.

 

[Peanut Butter]

The biggest problem with the older vins {13 digits} is that everybody's computers are set to accept 17 digits. So when they type in only 13 digits it is rejected. Not knowing what to do, most people will add x's, o's. or 0's just to make it work. That really screws the pooch for future reference. Good idea to mention that the vin is an old style vin with only 13 digits, and that it is not computer friendly. Rod

 

[IOPort51]

I am in the process of getting some kind of a title on a 1946 CJ2a . As far as I can tell so far it may have never been registered/ inspected and they did not have a VIN in 46, just a serial number on a riveted zink tag on the body and the frame. Right now the trail has led to the North east Texas auto theft task force (cool name, don't you think?) who is doing deep background for stolen vehicle claims with the serial numbers supplied.

Believe me when I say you have no problems.

I would like to add that everyone I have delt with on this adventure has been as helpful as possible but information does not seem to be readily available on the procedure itself. Kind of like a Sherlock Holmes novel, one piece of information at a time. Kind of fun really.

 

[Hedgehog]

Yeah, the old 13 vs. 17 vin numbers gig has gotten me a couple of times. The first time I registered it, even with a clear title in hand there were troubles. Then the state refused to believe my vehicle was insured, they even froze my tag. In the end my insurance company finally worked everything out. But I expect similar trouble the next time the jeep is registered.

 

[hdgapeach]

The older 11 digit VINs are a big pain in the hind parts too when it comes to dealing with the yung-uns behind the tag office counter......

 

[Dolf]

I've owned over 55 Jeeps

Only 55? What a slacker!

 

[Saddle Tramp]

My cousin lives in the Bay Area and he had bought a CJ years ago with an Oregon title. California wouldn’t accept the title so he had to register it at my parents’ house in Oregon for years.

 

[51 CJ3]

After 3 years I finally opened the envelope for what I thought was a title for my CJ3a . The make is "Willys", the body type is "Land" and the model is "Over". There is actually 2 serial number tags on the firewall. One for a CJ2a and one for a CJ3a . DMV used the CJ3 number. The Jeep itself has a CJ2a body, CJ3a frame, CJ3a windshield and an M38 hood.

 

[51 CJ3]

While we are on the subject of title issues... I have decided to replace the tub on my CJ3, I am faced with a choice between taking the CJ2 body and serial number to build a second jeep or just selling tub and/or the serial number tag to someone (hopefully not a thief). Since there is no paperwork for the CJ2a part of my jeep.. Are salvage titles generally a problem? Are there any pitfalls to going that route?