VIN/CHASSIS NUMBER LOCATION - 63 RIVIERA

Howdy! I've searched the site and I could have sworn I read someplace that the only place to view the VIN (or equivalent number) for a 63 Riviera is on the chassis where you have to take the body off. That must have been a nightmare, yes? Please say it was a nightmare!

My number on the registration and title in CA is 7J1032010 and I can't get the thing re-registered in California after it being in Italy unless someone can see the number and verify that's the one for the car the DMV is registering.

Can you please tell me where I'm supposed to be looking? I don't see the number anywhere on the data plate on the firewall, driver's side.

Thanks for all the help!!

Colin

On a '63, the VIN is stamped on a small stainless steel plate that is welded to the cowl under the hood, on the driver's side. It is also stamped into the top of the engine block.

Here are some pix because I can't find that number anywhere....the engine block is stamped with 5H906950 and halfway along the cowl upside down is the number 4747X19 or close to that. There is a prod code on the block but it's not the right number either. Not sure what to think now.

Thanks for your help, Jim!

Your engine block number with the second character being an H means it is from the year 1961 or 1962. J=1963. Count back from there. I am not sure if there was an I because it could be confused with 1. So if there was an I, then H is 1961. If no I, then H is 1962. Either way, your engine is not original.

You can't miss the VIN on the cowl if it is there. I guess someone removed it. Here is an example:

I don't know what you are going to do now.

thank you Jim...neither do I!

The 66 had the VIN stamped in two places on the frame. Both on driver side. One under the drivers feet and the other towards the back behind the axle.

I don't know when they started stamping the hidden frame VINs. I never tried seeing one of these numbers with the bodyy on but there is speculation it could be done if one was persistent.

I have heard the police have access to records of the existence and location of hidden VINS.

Maybe someone who has had their body off will chime in.

Thanks Jason...I guess I know what I'll be doing on Friday....hoping that I can see something stamped on the frame.

Your engine is from a 1965. The "5" at the start is the year. The "H" after it simply means it was a Flint built car. Buick started using the 900,000 serial number sequence on the Riviera and Wildcat in 1965-Flint plant only.

The production code to the left (looking to the rear of the car) on the same surface as the number you already found is probably an LT, LW or LX. The "L" is `65 specific.

Check for the VIN on the passenger`s side top frame rail adjacent to the transmission.

If your VIN tag is missing why not have CA issue a replacement tag for future purposes? How are you going to sell the car if the future owner needs to crawl all over and under the car to check the VIN? Or worse yet, what if there is an issue involving law enforcement? Like your car is stolen, recovered, but a VIN tag is nowhere to be found?

Tom Mooney

Many thanks, Tom..those are my concerns as well. I think the production code is LT, so now I know what year engine I have, at least. I'll work with the police and DMV to get some sort of certification regarding this or have another made and attached after I verify that the car's the correct one. Would have checked the VIN on a newer car, but with all the papers supporting this, I didn't think to check this one.

Tom, my understanding is that this VIN stamped into the engine would be from a '65 if it also has the body style code stamped in front of the 5H. That would be a 13 character VIN. If his engine really only has the 8 characters that he put in the note above, then the it is from a '61 nailhead. The 5 in front of the H is the body style code.

I know that the letter J in the VIN is 1963 model year when you have an 8 character VIN.

Buick must have changed their numbering scheme after '63.

One thing to consider as well is that if the engine were from a '65, then somewhere along the way the crankshafts had to be changed (or adapted) so that the dynaflow would bolt up to the engine. I'd think it would be a lot simpler to put an older engine in and not have to modify anything to bolt it to the transmission.

Ed

The engine is a `65 for the reasons stated. Buick didnt place model numbers in the engine stamping in `65. As I stated, Buick changed the numeric block for Riviera and Wildcat after the first 20 or so cars to a 9000000 block in the Flint plant only. Owner states production code of LT. That`s a very obvious sign the engine is `65 vintage. Who knows who put it together? Who cares...maybe they just were not smart enough to do it right. Or maybe the adapter bushing for Nail to Dynaflow isn`t such a new revelation. I did several of these conversions 25 years ago with a simple bushing my dad and I turned on his Southbend lathe. Been a long time. I dont remember much of the details. Sometimes "internet revelation" is a little older than the internet itself.

Tom Mooney

The 1961 would make more sense since it's got a Dynaflow bolted onto it and it works reasonably well...stiil need to crawl around under it and get the 'VIN'

QUOTE: "Owner states production code of LT."

Tom is right on if the owner states that the engine is an LT coded engine. The only thing necessary to do to adapt a '65 engine to a dynaflow is to use a crankshaft from a '63 or earlier 401. I didn't see that info in any of the posts but if that is the case, then that's a dead giveaway.