[D_lowrider]

Hey everyone I need some help with my VIN. I used the decoder here and my vin doesn't match my car at all. The VIN says its a 1989 LX 4cyl. but its a 5.0 GT. I'm starting to believe its a 87 GT, maybe stolen the man I bought it off of had to replace the ignition switch. I need to know where to find the VIN on the body/chassis.

[shakerhood]

Look at the Buck tag on the Radiator Support and you will find a build date and some other info. You can see it with the hood up it on the Drivers side of the Support.

[FoxChassis]

There should be a complete VIN in the following locations:

• stamped to a plate/tag attached to the firewall (most commonly viewed though the base of the windshield)
• printed on the vehicle certification label (aka the "door sticker")
• printed on a small sticker attached to every major body part and panel (i.e. front bumper cover, hood, fenders, doors, rocker panel ground effects, quarter panels, hatchback liftgate/trunk lid, and rear bumper cover)

There should be a partial VIN in the followng locations:

• stamped to a plate (aka the "body" or "buck" tag) attached to the upper radiator core support
• stamped to a plate/tag attached to outside of each inner fender (have to remove outer fenders to read them)
• stamped into a pad on the top-rear of the engine block
• stamped to a plate/tag attached to the transmission case

[Hack]

Originally Posted by D_lowrider

Hey everyone I need some help with my VIN. I used the decoder here and my vin doesn't match my car at all. The VIN says its a 1989 LX 4cyl. but its a 5.0 GT. I'm starting to believe its a 87 GT, maybe stolen the man I bought it off of had to replace the ignition switch. I need to know where to find the VIN on the body/chassis.

Like was posted, the most common area (and the one's the LEO's are gonna check) is the VIN that you can see under the windshield on the driver's side of the car. Does that number (and the other numbers) match each other? Do they match what's on the paperwork? They should. They better.

It's not that difficult to 'convert' a 4 cyl LX to a 5.0 LX. So you might just have a V8 conversion. No big deal if it was done correctly. But if yours has all the GT do-dads, then something is amiss if the tittle doesn't reflect it.

Sound's like you didn't run a CARFAX on the vehicle. Spend the $24.95 for the unlimited-it's worth it. Not that the CARFAX will reveal the entire truth behind 100% of the vehicle, but it will give you a good basis. Also, if you managed to get the car tittled and licensed in your state, they had to run some sort of VIN check on it didn't they? Not certain about how your state works on this, best to check.

[Kyle F]

Well, do you have the GT seats? Can you tell if your Ground effects are original?

[D_lowrider]

The VIN on the dash matches the title but the one in the door doesn't. I checked the door VIN and its for a 88 GT. I now believe that is what it is, for some reason the VIN on the dash was switched.

[Hack]

Originally Posted by D_lowrider

The VIN on the dash matches the title but the one in the door doesn't. I checked the door VIN and its for a 88 GT. I now believe that is what it is, for some reason the VIN on the dash was switched.

Possibly, but more likely that someone put a different door on the car. Check and see if the rivets that hold the VIN plate under the windshield look like they were replaced. Most people don't take the time to get the 'correct' blind rivet and use a regular Poprivet instead.

[Twister]

starting in 1987, the body code in the VIN stated if it was a GT or an LX...what is the VIN?

[FoxChassis]

And what about the dozen or so VIN stickers all over the rest of the car?

Doors are easy to replace. The VIN plate at the base of the windshield is not.

[shakerhood]

Originally Posted by Hack

Possibly, but more likely that someone put a different door on the car. Check and see if the rivets that hold the VIN plate under the windshield look like they were replaced. Most people don't take the time to get the 'correct' blind rivet and use a regular Poprivet instead.

Sounds like just a door swap.