Mikesta Posted April 6, 2013 Share Posted April 6, 2013 Curious find today when replacing the tires on a Sunrader I own. The Vin plate looks to have been welded over with a Toyota Chassis Vin. It is different in the prefix... however the numeric value matches the Vin on all other places on the Coach. Was it common for Mr G to weld over the original chassis vin or is this a one off? If this is common does anyone know why this was done? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fred heath Posted April 7, 2013 Share Posted April 7, 2013 Not sure in your case. Most mfg.s purchased the cab and chassis from Toyota. Toyota assigns a chassis I'd # to each truck. As soon as the mh body is attached, the mfg. Then assigns their own vin to the completed vehicle. I'm not sure about later years but my 1978 has both a vin and a chassis I'd. The vin is what you need to register your vehicle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero Posted April 7, 2013 Share Posted April 7, 2013 Not sure in your case. Most mfg.s purchased the cab and chassis from Toyota. Toyota assigns a chassis I'd # to each truck. As soon as the mh body is attached, the mfg. Then assigns their own vin to the completed vehicle. I'm not sure about later years but my 1978 has both a vin and a chassis I'd. The vin is what you need to register your vehicle. According to what reps at Toyota told me, along with my NY motor vehicle office - 1978 Toyota trucks do not have VINs. The standardized 17 digit VIN system did not start until 1981. My 1978 Toyota Chinook has a metal Toyota tag that reads "RN28106873." Toyota told me that is not a VIN and is just an ID number. The reason why the subject came up is that Toyota has no computer database for parts lookup for USA trucks that lack VINs. Maybe it's just semantics but this is what I was told by so-called officials. My 1987 Toyota box truck has a plastic ID sheet glued over the original metal Toyota tag. The added plastic sheet was from the company that made the body for the truck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fred heath Posted April 7, 2013 Share Posted April 7, 2013 JD. If you go back and read my post I mentioned both numbers. My toy also starts with chassis RN28 ID. I'm not sure about your home state but my state NH and the sellers state of ME did not recognize the chassis ID for registration. The mfg. Decal on the coach has a printed vin which both states recognize in their computers. To save 10 paragraphs of rebuttal by you. I'm using the term vin as it relates to identifying the mh. Maybe I should say the "MIN" (motorhome identity number). Maybe NY uses the chassis # I don't know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek up North Posted April 7, 2013 Share Posted April 7, 2013 Though later (90's), I know that ME and NH used the Toyota assigned VINs and not any number assigned buy the MH manufacturers (in my case Winnebago & SeaBreeze). The only 'hiccup' to report is that ME used the Year the MH was built ('93). Registered it here (Quebec) and they went strictly by the year indicated by the Toyota VIN ('92). Things can get a bit 'muddled' with older vehicles (pre-standard VIN). I bought a 1960 MGA in NH. The Chassis Plate was missing (only ever screwed on from the Factory) and the paperwork for it all used the ....... Engine Serial Number!! I'm quite happy calling whatever number the authorities print in the 'VIN' part of the paperwork the VIN, whether it's a standard 17 digit VIN or not, though I prefer a 'standard' number as used at the factory. The MGA now has a 'Factory VIN' as I happened to have a spare Chassis Plate (or 2) in my possession. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fred heath Posted April 7, 2013 Share Posted April 7, 2013 Hey Derek, The 70's mh had no Toyota assigned vin. Only the chassis I'd # which in my case started with RN 28. I became knowledgeable on this because I was concerned when I could find no vin label attached to the chassis. My bill of sale showed a vin (or min) but I had yet to find the mfg. label attached to the left inside door pillar. Fearful of buying a stolen mh I did a lot of DMV research in both states before putting out any cash. My number which contains both letters and numbers showed valid in both states. I was so concerned I actually had the seller do a separate bill of sale using the chassis ID number. I'm sure any owners of older non vin (federal) toys have a similar # that's used for registration. Bottom line is chassis ID is not really of much use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero Posted April 7, 2013 Share Posted April 7, 2013 As far as I'm concerned - any sequence of numbers and/or letters on a vehicle is a "vehicle identification" number. But similar to boat "hull numbers", "VIN" is considered to have special meaning by certain authorities. As it applies to Toyotas - I haven't yet found any Toyota dealer that has parts listings in a computer database for 1978 trucks. Books, CDs and microfiche, yes. They have all told me the lack of a "VIN" is the issue. I CAN look up parts for a 1979 so maybe Toyota went to the VIN sysem then? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted April 7, 2013 Share Posted April 7, 2013 Toyota vin codes changed in "77" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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