Re: [FWDLK] Help with a vin number

[Bill Watson <wwatson6@xxxxxxx>]

You're almost there.   The 1958 numbers started at 1001 and the astericks 
were used to fill the number out to 7 'digits'.   The first car would be 
**1001, the ten thousandth *10000 and the one hundred thousandth 100000. 
Thus all serial numbers are the same length on the tag, and no one can 
modify the number to hide a stolen vehicle, for example.   Without the 
astericks it would be easy to change 4567 to 14567 or 114567.

Of course, they could have eliminated the problem by having the serial 
number all on one line, thus eliminating the need to fill spots with no 
numbers.

The problem was solved in 1959 by having all numbers start at 100001.

Other assembly plant letters in 1958 were E for Evansville, IN (Plymouth 
only) and W for Windsor, ON

Bill
Vancouver, BC



----- Original Message ----- 
From: Tallfins@xxxxxxx
To: L-FORWARDLOOK@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Wednesday, June 18, 2008 8:06 PM
Subject: Re: [FWDLK] Help with a vin number


All,

My book shows the VIN on one line only, for example:

LD2L 1001

L = 1958
D = Dodge
1 = six cylinder, 2 or 3 = eight cylinder
4th digit is the assembly plant; Detroit = -, L.A. = L, and Newwark = N

And then the last four digits are the basic production number which doesn't 
seem adequate to me.

Dan C
Spanaway, WA

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