Going to look at a '61 tomorrow. I'm a C2 guy so these straight axles are all new to me. Original block, rebuilt engine (by Jesper's -if anyone has any experience with them I'd be curious to know), body off a decade ago. The owner said the vin tag popped off during the restoration but he simply glued it back on the column. He has owned the car for 15 years and moved to Indiana several years ago where he changed the state registration. He claims the vin tag wasn't a problem then. Should I be overly concerned? Thanks, David #33277
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Re: '61 Vin tag
DAVE, this was a common problem for the steering column id tags. if you have the tag you can have it tig welded back on. by doing it this way it will not look factory. the only way to make it look correct is to buy a repro tag and spot weld it on like the factory did. -
Re: '61 Vin tag
The prospect of a repro tag is interesting to me. My 60 was a basket case that sat out in a yard for 16 years uncovered with the hood removed. The vin tag has all of the edges erroded and is fragile looking although the center with the numbers is intact and completely readable. Where would I go to obtain a repro tag? Should I?
DonComment
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Re: '61 Vin tag
email me and i can discuss source. mikeComment
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Re: '61 Vin tag
Maybe yes, maybe no.
The VIN tags for this year were spot welded to the steering column a few inches forward of the firewall. I understand that it was common for them to fall off. Gosh, your seller is lucky. It fell off and he was able to find it. Over the years, this became such a problem that the OEMS are now forced by law to make sure this can't happen. They must stamp the VIN all over the car, and display it on the cowl under the windshield on the LH side.
Good thing your seller is not unscrupulous, because, as you see, it wouldn't take much to remove and throw away the VIN tag from a "hot" car and get another tag from a wrecked one.
Not sure if the VIN for '61s was stamped on the motor and transmission. But I do know the VIN was stamped on the top of the frame rail under the driver's seat. Will take a mirror to see it without removing the body.
But if the VIN tag really is the legit, and it really belongs to the car you are looking at, it wouldn't take much to spot weld it back on. And in this instance, you are better off. When the VIN tag is lost, the state DMV usually wants to assign a number and affix their own tag. This would diminish the value of the car.Comment
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Re: '61 Vin tag
Just returned from lookingat the car. The engine codes are accurate for a '61 and the pad has the full vin. What the seller told me was half right in that the original was knocked off. What he didn't say was that someone went to the local engraving shop and had the vin engraved on a small plaque and it was glued to the firewall. No reason to suspect there is a problem with the car but I wouldn't want to have any state authorities scrutinize that vin tag. I passed on the car for other reasons, the primary being although the car was restored some time ago, it needs another full one now. Thanks for the input.Comment
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