VIN's don't match!

[Biggregb]

Wasn't sure where to put this so please move it if needed.

I have a small problem. The VIN on the title doesn't match the VIN on the body. I've known about this problem for a couple of years now but the jeep has been parked the whole time and now I'm getting ready to drive her again. The jeep was purchased from my uncle so when I bought it over 10 years ago I never even bothered to check. Not to mention I was in my early 20's and didn't really care. My uncle bought it from his buddy who built the jeep from several different sources. I already checked the frame rail behind the passenger for that number and apparently that was the number they used to title it. However those numbers don't entirely match. On the title there is a 0 but when I looked I saw a 6. The jeep likely will never leave my family so I'm not worried about selling it, but it bothers me and I'd like the numbers to be correct. Id also like the VIN plate on the firewall to have the same numbers as the rest of the jeep. Any ideas on what I can do? I live in Colorado if that helps.

 

[CJ MAN]

The VIN number on the frame rail is usually not a complete vin, but has enough numbers to match to fire wall vin. If the vin on the firewall doesnt completely match the vin on the title, that is a Big problem. Does the vin on the firewall somewhat match the frame vin? Sometimes the frame vin is not very legible, but should have enough numbers to clarify. If the paper title does not match the vin plate on the firewall, you can throw away your paper title, its for another Jeep. If the paper title matches the frame vin, its still good, you just need to apply for a reassigned vin for the tub(maybe swapped at sometime). I just went through this process for mine, and its a pain. Is the original dash vin still there and what does it match??

 

[susie]

When we built a pick up, only the VIN in the window matched and it was ok.


But what do I know...

 

[Biggregb]

The VIN number on the frame rail is usually not a complete vin, but has enough numbers to match to fire wall vin. If the vin on the firewall doesnt completely match the vin on the title, that is a Big problem. Does the vin on the firewall somewhat match the frame vin? Sometimes the frame vin is not very legible, but should have enough numbers to clarify. If the paper title does not match the vin plate on the firewall, you can throw away your paper title, its for another Jeep. If the paper title matches the frame vin, its still good, you just need to apply for a reassigned vin for the tub(maybe swapped at sometime). I just went through this process for mine, and its a pain. Is the original dash vin still there and what does it match??

Hmmm.. not sure where is the VIN on the dash? The VIN's on the body and frame are totally different. In fact the body VIN plate is not even riveted to the firewall it's screwed to it. the frame VIN and title VIN are almost right except for one number. I don't know where they got the rest of the number because like you say the frame number is only a partial.

 

[CJ MAN]

You know maybe on a CJ5 there may not be a dash vin, it would be on the windshield wiper motor cover right in front of the driver, Im not sure CJ5s had them. It sounds like someone did a tub swap and put the wrong vin tag back on the tub. The right way to do it would be to get a reassigned vin for the tub that matched the title you have. Since the chassis numbers and title match close enough it shouldnt be a problem. I would check with the local tax office for Colorados regs, it will probably require an inspection by your local PD to verify the chassis numbers match the title, and they will issue a new vin for the tub that matches the title. In Texas your not required to have a vin on the body to be legal, but with a Jeep, the frame vins are suspect to deteriorate, so the safest thing is to go ahead and get it done right. Be sure before you get your local PD to inspect that you are pretty sure the donor Jeep had a pretty clean history. if they deem any of it fishy, they can confiscate the whole rig, no questions asked....I hope this helps. The whole process took me about three weeks to complete and cost a whopping $2.00

 

[Kane]

The only thing original on my Jeep is the body riveted Vin tag and I have no issues with it. That is the only thing the CT DMV looks at anyway.