Dan-O-Christensen Posted April 28, 2021 Share Posted April 28, 2021 Buick brothers, I am in a dilemma with my State of Iowa MVD folks. My 1948 Roadmaster has two VIN tags attached to her by screws. Is there an official publication somewhere proving that this is from the factory? Maybe pictures of other 1948 Roadmasters with the same fasteners on the VIN tags will help. Please help my "Emma" get clean paperwork! Thanks guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gdmn852 Posted April 29, 2021 Share Posted April 29, 2021 Hello here is a picture from my 49 that is similar to the 1948. The 1948 49 shop manual and 48 owner manual also shows placement of I D number. Hope it helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan-O-Christensen Posted April 29, 2021 Author Share Posted April 29, 2021 Thank you so much for helping me. My 48 has the tag on top of the data plate. My car has single slotted screws. There is also an identical tag on the driver's pillar. Are those phillips screws factory? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan-O-Christensen Posted April 29, 2021 Author Share Posted April 29, 2021 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gdmn852 Posted April 29, 2021 Share Posted April 29, 2021 Hello ,no they should be slotted screws as you have, the 49 also has the I’d number on drivers side door post also . I see yours is a Roadmaster Convertible mine is only a Super with Dynaflow, could use the power of the bigger engine,a little slow but smooth on acceleration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan-O-Christensen Posted April 29, 2021 Author Share Posted April 29, 2021 Wow, what a super neat ride! The nice (hopefully) DOT investigator is coming next tuesday. I did find a really small drawing of the VIN tag in the owners manual, of all places. I have to admit it would be beneficial to get a photo of another 48 roadmaster with the same fasteners for the VIN, but these cars are hard to find, I'm learning. On a side question...Can I disconnect the hydraulics to the top to just raise and lower it until I can fix the hydraulics? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuickBob49 Posted April 30, 2021 Share Posted April 30, 2021 I had some grief with the Washington State Department of Licensing when I registered my 1949 Super there many years ago. My frame number is 15I88I58. (Notice the two capital "I"s in the number.) It did not exactly match my out-of-state title that said 15188158. For some reason, Buick used a mix of fonts in its frame numbers in those days. The "I"s are actually "1"s. The inspector finally relented after we talked a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan-O-Christensen Posted April 30, 2021 Author Share Posted April 30, 2021 Thanks for the response. I'm feeling that when us old car guys have to deal with government, we have to teach them what is proper. That is why I was seeking corroborating evidence to state my case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stripgear Posted April 30, 2021 Share Posted April 30, 2021 (edited) Here's my '48 56c. It's been this way for 40 years. It's my understanding in Texas, they used the motor number back then. It created alot of problems when folks would get a replacement engine from a junk yard. You can disconnect the cylinders from the top frame to raise and lower manually. Edited April 30, 2021 by Stripgear (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan-O-Christensen Posted May 1, 2021 Author Share Posted May 1, 2021 Thank you so much for this photograph! This is exactly what I need to prove my case. Your screws are identical to mine. Emma and I will sing your praise! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1953mack Posted May 1, 2021 Share Posted May 1, 2021 (edited) On 4/29/2021 at 10:04 AM, Dan-O-Christensen said: Buick brothers, I am in a dilemma with my State of Iowa MVD folks. My 1948 Roadmaster has two VIN tags attached to her by screws. Is there an official publication somewhere proving that this is from the factory? Maybe pictures of other 1948 Roadmasters with the same fasteners on the VIN tags will help. Please help my "Emma" get clean paperwork! Thanks guys. The first digit "1" on the C.S.N. tag (top) = built in Flint, Michigan . . . the "L" on the Body by Fisher Number Plate (lower) = built in Linden, New Jersey I can see why the Iowa feds might have questions . . . (1) Anytime I see paint removed from either the Car Serial Number (C.S.N.) metal tag, the Body by Fisher Number Plate or any of the fasteners (rivets or screws), that raises a red flag in my mind and tells me to keep digging for more possible tampering/switching of number plates and tags. (2) Can you explain why the two different shades of green and no paint on the metal tag? The crease in the Number Plate by the right rivet is not OEM. (3) The slotted screw on the right in your C.S.N. tag picture has a rounded top . . . it most likely should be a flat-topped single-slotted pan head screw like Stripgear's two screws pictured in his post above and the picture below of a 1949 C.S.N. tag. BA on the BBFNP = built in Atlanta, Georgia . . . the first digit "6" on the C.S.N. tag = built in Atlanta, Georgia (4) The first digit of your C.S.N. is a "1" that indicates that your Buick was built in Flint-Michigan. The "L" on your Body by Fisher Number Plate's BODY N° line = a Buick built in the Linden-New Jersey assembly plant. In some (or all?) cases, convertible bodies were built by Fisher Body in Flint-Michigan and some bodies only were shipped to other assembly plants closer to a dealer/buyer for final assembly. If that was the case, instead of a "L" for Linden there would have been a "G" assembly plant code for Flint-Michigan on the Number Plate's BODY N° line along with a numeral "3" (3 = the code for the Linden-New Jersey assembly plant in a C.S.N.) stamped usually in the upper or lower left corner on the Number Plate. This might be a questionable item. You might be talking to the wrong person behind the Iowa MVD desk. The State should be telling you what the problem is in writing backed-up with copies from all their reference books that they should have access to after it's inspected. Good luck. Al Malachowski BCA #8965 "500 Miles West of Flint" Edited May 4, 2021 by 1953mack (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan-O-Christensen Posted May 4, 2021 Author Share Posted May 4, 2021 Update: The DOT investigators came for the title/registration check today. I invited them in and showed them some posts from earlier forums. I found a posting from Feb. 8, 2012 that had this same topic and photos of half-a-dozen pictures of 1946 to 1948 VIN tags showing the same screws that my car has. I also offered to call the technical advisor with them. They told me that they didn't need to talk to the advisor/historian, they were convinced. They went out to photograph and check the car for any obvious tampering evidence. They checked the numbers in their super secret files for stolen or wanted status, smiled and said, "No wrecker today, she checks out good." One more step closer! Now the file goes back to the admin DOT lady, who sends me a letter of value (hold on to your pants). I buy an insurance bond for $100 per year for three years, while it's registered, and then reverts back to a regular title. Things are seeming to get better! As a bonus, the nice DOT inspector left his high priced, State of Iowa flashlight on the fender. What a good day! 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1953mack Posted May 7, 2021 Share Posted May 7, 2021 On 5/4/2021 at 11:06 AM, Dan-O-Christensen said: Update: The DOT investigators came for the title/registration check today . . . They went out to photograph and check the car for any obvious tampering evidence. They checked the numbers in their super secret files for stolen or wanted status . . . IMO, IF the Iowa feds didn't visually verify to see if your frame rails were stamped with the same number as what's on your Car Serial Number metal tag . . . 14819100 . . . they didn't do their job and you were given a free get-out-of-jail pass. If they only checked their "super secret files" for number 14819100 and didn't find it . . . a 1948 Flint-Michigan build number attached to a car with a Linden-New Jersey Body by Fisher Number Plate . . . that doesn't prove anything in my books. Who's to say that a previous owner of your Buick didn't own a roached-out 1948 convertible and somehow came up with a better "stolen or wanted status" 1948 convertible and swapped out Car Serial Number tags? Do you know if the C.S.N. stamped in your frame rails match your C.S.N. metal tag? Thanks. Al Malachowski BCA #8965 "500 Miles West of Flint" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan-O-Christensen Posted May 7, 2021 Author Share Posted May 7, 2021 Please don't take me wrong about this but, at this point there could be a Mickey Mouse head stamped under that frame and I wouldn't care a bit! 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gdmn852 Posted May 8, 2021 Share Posted May 8, 2021 Hello again, as fat as the data plate this is the info on it,76-C Roadmaster Convertible. 48-4767X Fisher body no. with hydroelectric system. L 1981 Linden 1981 body built trim 75 is Redleather paint 25 is Aztec Green from master parts book Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puhshaw Posted May 25, 2021 Share Posted May 25, 2021 frame is stamped on top lhs just in front of bracket 3. Easy peasy just take the body off and maybe spend a few serious minutes with a power wire brush. i took a picture while body was off. don't want to have to prove it again. screwed on vin plates make all goverment types pucker up. here they prefer 3 easily viewed occurrences of serial numbers 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan-O-Christensen Posted May 25, 2021 Author Share Posted May 25, 2021 All, after posting a bond, I was given the ok for registration. "Emma" is now legal again! Thank you guys, for your help! Daniel 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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