Decoding Your VIN # Cdn / USA

IN2TRUX

Active Member
There seems to be a difference between decoding a Canadian VIN# as apposed to an American VIN#

I've been searching online and on pg 10 of the LMC catalog

Apparently my Serial Identification Number should start with a letter.

My VIN # plaque says General Motors of Canada.
So I'm guessing it's Canadian made truck
Is there a GMC / Chev truck VIN decoder website for Canadian VINs ???

This is the tag to my 57 GMC Panel

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Canadian GM tags of that era are fairly easy to figure out.
The first digit is the year, in your case 1958. Sorry, it's not a 57 like you thought.
The next 4 digits are the model or series, 3105.
The last 6 are the actual production serial number.
 
So for instance.... It's June 2009 and They are building 2010 trucks right now.

If I bought one of those new 2010 trucks??? Would my ownership say 2009 or 2010 ??

Cause that tag that says the first number means my truck is a 1958 is on this truck . My ownership says it's a 1957 GMC
Hood maybe.... But the rest don't look like no 58... 57 maybe
Not a GMC either.

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Steering wheel is a 1958 GMC/Chev piece, but the dash is Chev, without a doubt. The hood is GMC, the grille and front fenders are Chev. From the firewall forward, the sheet metal can interchange. And yes, that VIN indicates a 1958 truck.

If you bought a 2010 model year truck now, the vin would indicate a 2010 model, with the build dates on all the components saying June 2009 build. Like buying a 1968 Camaro in Sept. 1967. September used to be the launch month of the new model year. Now the launch is whenever they happen to feel like it.
 
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Steering wheel is a 1958 GMC?Chev piece, but the dash is Chev, without a doubt. The hood is GMC, the grille and front fenders are Chev. From the firewall forward, the sheet metal can interchange. And yes, that VIN indicates a 1958 truck.

If you bought a 2010 model year truck now, the vin would indicate a 2010 model, with the build dates on all the components saying June 2009 build. Like buying a 1968 Camaro in Sept. 1967. September used to be the launch month of the new model year. Now the launch is whenever they happen to feel like it.

But would that Camaro ownership say the year of the car is 68? or 67?

Cause the ownership of my truck says it's a 1957 GMC
Even thow the VIN # says it's a 58 and the cab says its a Chev
If it wasn't for the match VIN # I would say this was the wrong ownership for this truck.
I wonder if I can get the MTO office to change this up for me??
 
It would be a 1968 Camaro.

I would have the Ontario Motor vehicle branch change the year to
1958. They may have to sight the vehicle to do that.
 
It would be a 1968 Camaro.

I would have the Ontario Motor vehicle branch change the year to
1958. They may have to sight the vehicle to do that.

Good luck with that!:D
The MTO can be pretty stubborn about changing anything other than "colour" on your registration (Ownership) I had to go to a General Motors dealership to correct the serial number on my '35 Chevy. Years previously, the letter "S" had been misread as the number "5" and never noticed for many years, as the car was with the same owner for over 30 years. After I bought the car, during the certification process, the mechanic checked the numbers on the firewall against the numbers on the Ownership and found the error. Try to convince the beaurocrats that original records no longer exist so how do you verify the "correct" number? The Ministry finally agreed to accept a letter, on any GM Dealer's letterhead, verifying the correct number on the car.
I was involved in a case recently where there was a problem with a motorcycle's number. Again, a case of misreading a number or a typo error. In this case, the Ministry required a document from a local "car" club verifying the numbers. So, Cooter & I took close-up pictures of the plaque on the bike and signed a paper verifying the numbers and the Ministry was satisfied:D.
Go figure!!
Mike
 
57-58

i don,t know what the big deal is, if you have a actual reg. with the right #,s just go with what it says, you could open up a whole new can of worms having the goverment having anything to do with this!
 
Hood says it's a GMC ... Grill says it's a Chev
IMG_0699.jpg


Dash says it's a Chev.... Steering wheel says it's a Bow Tie
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Hub caps say it's a Chev
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Ownership says it's a 1957 GMC series 3105
VIN says it's a 1958 GMC
?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

Should I ask them to fix it at MTO Can they fix? or like 30sx says could this be the beginning of a nasty can of worms.
I'd like the ownership to say 1957 Chev
 
'58, would it not have twin lights up front?

I had to make VIN changes to my '58 Chev, took a couple of pics and a pencil etching of the tag to my local GM dealer. They wrote me a letter to verify the changes and no issues at the MTO.
 
OK here is what I see 1958 Chev
Panel truck, 6 cylinder
Then your production number 8643

I also see a 58-59 Chevy steering wheel and dash cluster so I would say the nose is a mish mash of parts of 55-56 Chevy and a 57 GMC hood and there are no side emblems of fender id and the licence bracket on the rear is not 55-56-57 they have a larger oval light and brake light there..
If you have a registration that matches those numbers don't muck with it......
 
'58, would it not have twin lights up front?

I had to make VIN changes to my '58 Chev, took a couple of pics and a pencil etching of the tag to my local GM dealer. They wrote me a letter to verify the changes and no issues at the MTO.

Like I said earlier, the sheetmetal from the firewall forward interchanges from 55 to 59. If it had 58 or59 front fenders, then yes it would have quad headlights. Someone at some time has installed 55/6 front fenders and grill, and a GMC hood to the 1958 cab.
 
The way I see it you have a 1958 body cuz the name plate say's so .Your fenders can be 56 or 57 but the grill is 56 .The hood of course is gmc .If someone put 57 on the ownership ,that was an error somewhere along the line .If the ownership numbers are all the same except for the first letters ,that verifys the error .Maybe one of the previous owners complained and thought it was a 57 and made the change .Either way all of that is not important unless you have purist ideas and want everything correct .Then you have to switch the front end to a 58 chev cuz it is a chev . Who cares ,,drive .Have fun Oh ya Johnny your right too

Bob
 
The truck may have been in an accident sometime in the past and had the front sheetmetal replaced with what ever the owner could find that was in good shape. The rivets on your vin tag don't look like they have been messed with. I would just live with the fact you have a 58 Chev panel and the front sheet metal has been change some time in the past. Or try and find a 58 Chev front end for it and change it over.