1967 trim tag anomaly...

[Joe L.]

Re: 1967 trim tag anomaly...

With great difficulty unless the body has been pulled.

Michael-------


And, as I mentioned, that's exactly why the frame VIN stamping is the most important one to check; it's very difficult for anyone to tamper with.

The VIN plate and the trim tag only tell what car they were originally installed on which is not necessarily the one they are installed on now.

So, suppose the VIN tag matches the VIN derivative on the engine and transmission. Is that enough verification? Not to me. The engine, transmission, and VIN tag could have been transferred from another car (like a car wrecked without insurance) to a stolen car. In that manner, the stolen car assumes the identity of the wrecked car and the stolen car now has the paperwork of the wrecked car. So, from a wrecked car, the thief now has perfectly good car with all paperwork in his name. Everything is perfect EXCEPT for that pesky frame VIN stamping which no one checks.

Sometimes, only the VIN tag is changed. The engine and transmission remain that of the stolen car. In that case, folks just assume the car has a replaced engine and transmission and no one ever thinks to check the engine/trans VIN stampings against stolen car lists. Engine and transmission VIN derivatives appear on no official documents for the car. I have heard of cases in which the VIN tag on a Corvette was not even a VIN tag for a Corvette. As long as the VIN tag matches the paperwork, that's all that anyone cares about, especially in the many years that these cars were just old used cars, sold and re-sold by used car lots. As we all know, transferring VIN tags on pre-1968 Corvettes is child's play.

Folks need to remember or be instructed about how things were in the old days when these cars were young. Lots of young guys "just had to have a Corvette". So, they scraped together every penny they could for a down payment and took out a loan that cost them 1/2 or more of their pay check every month. Then, they found out that insurance was so high they could not afford it. So, they drove without insurance or with liability only under state assigned-risk plans. Sometimes, if they had a loan on the car, they got collison/comprehensive insurance through the loan institution with the exorbitant cost added to their monthly payment. But, if the car was totaled, that only paid off the loan; they were left with nothing but a wrecked car.

Those same guys were the kind of guys that got in lots of accidents (that's why the insurance companies wouldn't insure them or charged a fortune for insurance). So, they got in an accident. Now, they had no car (except for the wrecked one). What to do? Well, one alternative was to find another Corvette, steal it, and transfer the VIN tag from their wrecked Corvette to stolen Corvette. Some might even have transferred the trim tag thinking that it was somehow related to vehicle titling. Now, they have a perfectly fine Corvette which they have the paperwork for. Except for that pesky little frame VIN stamping. That's the "skeleton in the closet". But, no one ever looks at that anyway. And, after they eventually sell the car, it will be someone else's problem.

[Dan K.]

Re: 1967 trim tag anomaly...

I have a 67 convertible that according to the trim tag, the body build date was January 4, 1967 and the final assembly date was January 3, 1967

[Ronald L.]

Re: 1967 trim tag anomaly...

How do you know with exactitude the final assembly date?

[Dan K.]

Re: 1967 trim tag anomaly...

I am waiting on the NCRS shipping data report to determine that with certainty. The F04 body (Jan 4) build date is on the trim tag. The "Trim Tag/VIN decoder" database provided by the St Louis Chapter of NCRS returned a reply that, based on the VIN ending in 7282, the final assembly date was January 3.

[Domenic T.]

Re: 1967 trim tag anomaly...

Saw some MAJOR mistakes in Van Nuys at the GM plant. The cars were removed from their place in line so work could be done in the plant. You know what happened! they were not put back in order and all he?? broke loose when Red Camero got a black Pontiac hood and other mixed options.
They had major problems and who knows how far back they had to go to get things right?

Dom

[Ronald L.]

Re: 1967 trim tag anomaly...

You are making a bad assumption and will never know unless you find the records that are safely hidden away

The ship date has nothing to do when the car went down the day line

[Roy S.]

Re: 1967 trim tag anomaly...

Dan, I would not worry about this anomaly until you get the actual production date from NCRS and even then I would not be upset if it showed something within a day of the tag. Cars went to heavy repair, had paint touch up issues, leaks, rattles, etc., a lot could have delayed it a day or two from whatvyou are assuming was the production date based on assumptions in a calander.

[Carl N.]

[Dan K.]

Re: 1967 trim tag anomaly...

Thanks to everyone for input on the trim tag anomaly. I believe the shipping data from NCRS will be a bit different than the decoder which may be based on inaccurate info for all the reasons you all stated. Thanks again.

[Philip C.]

Re: 1967 trim tag anomaly...

Hi NICK OMG I can't, all the above droooll. I WOULDN'T start with the Vin on the chassis or any place else it really has nothing to do with the trim tag. If all the other info ( build date ,body number colors, plant) on the tag matches up I bet the ranch you tag is real, that happen A-LOT take a real good photo of it and send it to Al Grenning he'll tell in two seconds. I can't believe Roy the co-writer of the Trim tag book didn't mention it (or maybe he did) If you can get a copy of the book your self, you can tell if its a real tag. I seen a number of anomalies on trim tags and vin plates. My 64 coupe has a roadster trim code, 100% real, and if anyone wants to step up ? come on! my 2 1/2 cents Phil

[Joe L.]

Re: 1967 trim tag anomaly...

Hi NICK OMG I can't, all the above droooll. I WOULDN'T start with the Vin on the chassis or any place else it really has nothing to do with the trim tag. If all the other info ( build date ,body number colors, plant) on the tag matches up I bet the ranch you tag is real, that happen A-LOT take a real good photo of it and send it to Al Grenning he'll tell in two seconds. I can't believe Roy the co-writer of the Trim tag book didn't mention it (or maybe he did) If you can get a copy of the book your self, you can tell if its a real tag. I seen a number of anomalies on trim tags and vin plates. My 64 coupe has a roadster trim code, 100% real, and if anyone wants to step up ? come on! my 2 1/2 cents Phil

Phil-------


Whenever there is any sort of VIN tag or trim tag anomaly, I strongly suggest that the owner check the frame VIN derivative. Most of the time there should be no discrepancy found but, to me, that's not a reason to not check.

As a matter of fact, when anyone is contemplating buying an old Corvette, whether there is anything suspicious or not, they should ALWAYS check the frame VIN derivative to ensure it matches the VIN tag. As I said previously, lots of "funny things" can happen with VIN tags and/or trim tags. Lots of "funny things" can also occur with engine and transmission VIN derivative stampings. But, it's extremely difficult for "funny things" to have occurred with the frame VIN derivative stamping. It is, by far, the most reliable source of authentic information. Just to be clear, most of the "funny things" I'm talking about would likely have occurred very early in the car's life and have remained unknown through multiple owners because no one ever checks the frame VIN.

On the other hand, I suppose that once someone actually owns a car, they do not want to check the frame VIN for fear of what they might find. As the old sayings go "ignorance is bliss" or "let sleeping dogs lie". That's not how I look at it, though. To me, a stolen car is always a stolen car. It NEVER becomes a legitimate car unless it's returned to its rightful owner. No matter how many people have "owned " it or no matter how much they've paid for it.

[Philip C.]

Re: 1967 trim tag anomaly...

Phil-------


Whenever there is any sort of VIN tag or trim tag anomaly, I strongly suggest that the owner check the frame VIN derivative. Most of the time there should be no discrepancy found but, to me, that's not a reason to not check.

As a matter of fact, when anyone is contemplating buying an old Corvette, whether there is anything suspicious or not, they should ALWAYS check the frame VIN derivative to ensure it matches the VIN tag. As I said previously, lots of "funny things" can happen with VIN tags and/or trim tags. Lots of "funny things" can also occur with engine and transmission VIN derivative stampings. But, it's extremely difficult for "funny things" to have occurred with the frame VIN derivative stamping. It is, by far, the most reliable source of authentic information. Just to be clear, most of the "funny things" I'm talking about would likely have occurred very early in the car's life and have remained unknown through multiple owners because no one ever checks the frame VIN.

On the other hand, I suppose that once someone actually owns a car, they do not want to check the frame VIN for fear of what they might find. As the old sayings go "ignorance is bliss" or "let sleeping dogs lie". That's not how I look at it, though. To me, a stolen car is always a stolen car. It NEVER becomes a legitimate car unless it's returned to its rightful owner. No matter how many people have "owned " it or no matter how much they've paid for it.

Hi Joe long time, good you see you and a lot of other old timers still in it. , I've been away here. Nick question was about the trim tag on a roadster that showed it's a coupe. vin on the chassis doesn't tell you if it's a coupe or roadster. A lot of times we all jump to conclusions from these questions. WE don't always get the three sides of the story. The stories and scenarios are many as the stars. On the face of this story I see a error on a trim tag. Phil

[Joe L.]

Re: 1967 trim tag anomaly...

Hi Joe long time, good you see you and a lot of other old timers still in it. , I've been away here. Nick question was about the trim tag on a roadster that showed it's a coupe. vin on the chassis doesn't tell you if it's a coupe or roadster. A lot of times we all jump to conclusions from these questions. WE don't always get the three sides of the story. The stories and scenarios are many as the stars. On the face of this story I see a error on a trim tag. Phil

Phil------


I agree with you; the liklihood is certainly that it's just a manufacturing error. Also, the VIN derivative will not identify whether it's a coupe or convertible. However, my feeling is that whenever there is any sort of VIN tag or trim tag anomaly, further investigation is warranted.

I always wonder how many folks out there with Corvettes (or, even other Chevrolets) have checked to insure that the car's frame VIN derivative matches the VIN tag? If they don't match, there's a VERY high probability that the car is stolen. The only exceptions would be for a replaced frame or if the VIN derivative is only 1 or 2 "off" which could indicate a factory stamping mistake. In the case of a replaced frame, a bill of sale including the VIN derivative of the replacement frame should always remain with the car's paperwork.

[Neal K.]

Re: 1967 trim tag anomaly...

The Trim tag on my early production 67( September 6, 1966) convertible has a Trim code of 421AA. I bought the car in September 1966. Vin is 194677S100179. I sure hope the Trim code is an anomaly because my car looks like a convertible, leaks like a convertible and rattles like a convertible. Correction, I bought the car in September of 1969.

[Philip C.]

Re: 1967 trim tag anomaly...

The Trim tag on my early production 67( September 6, 1966) convertible has a Trim code of 421AA. I bought the car in September 1966. Vin is 194677S100179. I sure hope the Trim code is an anomaly because my car looks like a convertible, leaks like a convertible and rattles like a convertible. Correction, I bought the car in September of 1969.

Hi Neal Does your car have Saddle Leather interior ?? 421 AA = Saddle Leather Phil