Classic/Antique Car Repair: Vin Tag / Title mismatch, chevy bel air, chevrolet 57

Question
I have a 1957 Chevy Bel Air and the title number doesn't match the Vin Tag in the door jam. I read that this is a common problem but I am not sure do you know anything about this. Even in the book I purchased Chevrolet 57' Restoration guide by Nelson Aregood they speak about the poor quality of documentation back then and that many cars had mismatched documentation but I would like to find out the real story and if their is any way I can have this corrected.

Answer
I've been in this hobby a long, long time, and I've never heard of this problem before, on any brand of vehicle.  In my opinion, you should take the car to a licensed vehicle verifier and have it checked to determine the correct VIN for the car.  Cars have a secret location for the VIN that is known only to licensed vehicle verifiers and to the state police (CHP in California) - they will determine what the correct VIN is, but if you have it done by the CHP or any other state police, they will also run that VIN to see if there is any record of previous problems with the title, and you could well lose your car if there is.  Therefore I suggest you find a non-government employee to do this for you.  There are "vehicle registration assistance" businesses, at least in California, that can guide you through the process without getting the authorities involved - and then perhaps tell you how to straighten out the situation.

If you bought the car this way, I think you have a right to demand that the seller straighten out the title situation for you, or else take the car back and refund your money.

Another way around it is to transfer ownership to someone you can trust in a non-title state.  There are states that do not require titles to transfer ownership for cars older than some cut-off year, and I'm sure a 57 is old enough for this.   My recollection is that most of the non-title states are in the southeastern part of the country - but I seem to recall that Connecticut is another one that allows this.

Once transferred to a non-title state, it can be "sold" back to you with paperwork that matches what is actually on the car's VIN plate - and then you can register that car in any state, so long as there is no report of that VIN being that of a stolen or totaled car.  If that VIN has been previously reported as stolen or totaled, you may not be able to register it - period!

I hope this works out for you.

Dick