HELP decoding 69 charger vin!!

[hesd19]

Okay, I need some help figuring out what base model my 69 charger is. My grandpa got it from a wrecker's in the states years ago and gave it to my dad, who temporarily fixed it before parking it (where it's been sitting for the past 20+ years). The car has a fender tag and vin which both match. The problem is that the vin says XP not XS (r/t), but the car is supposedly an r/t (has the r/t stripe on the back). The vin on the dash and fender tag is: XP29F9B298259

So I looked up other places to find the vin and found that you can find a partial one on the driver's side top of the radiator core support and beneath the driver's side weather strip in the trunk. So I found both of these and they match (only lists last 8 digits), but are completely different than the fender tag and vin riveted on the dash. The vin found here is: B9250230

My question is, does anyone know how to decode the partial vins on the radiator core support and in the trunk, because it seems to be different in number and letter sequence? It would be great to know that the car is an actual r/t model.

Note: It should be worth noting that the car was supposedly used as a parts car for a 70 charger (hence why it was at the wrecker). So pretty much the only original part would be the body itself and maybe some minor interior.

[70 sublime]

Sounds like being from a wrecking yard someone just got enough pieces together to get it going
Got a dash and VIN plate with the paper work to get an ownership

XP on your paper work means the car is never going to be an R/T

[Alaskan_TA]

Since the body numbers do not match - someone swapped tags to another body, which is a felony.

Have your local state police check it out, the 'donor' body could possibly be stolen.

Best to find out what is up before investing any money in it.

If the body comes back 'clean' vs. stolen, the same state police can set you up with the proper forms to get a legal state issued VIN.

[Troy]

Since the body numbers do not match - someone swapped tags to another body, which is a felony.

Have your local state police check it out, the 'donor' body could possibly be stolen.

Best to find out what is up before investing any money in it.

If the body comes back 'clean' vs. stolen, the same state police can set you up with the proper forms to get a legal state issued VIN.

Ummm...

My grandpa got it from a wrecker's in the states.

Using my Sherlock Holmes like skills of deduction, I'm going to guess the car is in Canada.

Sounds like someone swapped tags to make a non-titled body legal. This seems to have happened fairly often - "back in the day" as well as today. The VIN you have is not for an R/T so, pretty much, the car you have cannot be an R/T - no matter what the body belonged to from the factory. You'd have to find the matching VIN tag to be sure. But for all practical purposes, it's easy (and common) to add a stripe - harder to add the HD suspension and brakes that would have come standard on an R/T. Even if the body and tags are both "regular" Charger you still have a 69 Charger which is valuable and desirable on its own. Having a questionable R/T probably isn't any better than having a base model.

Troy

[hesd19]

Since the body numbers do not match - someone swapped tags to another body, which is a felony.

Have your local state police check it out, the 'donor' body could possibly be stolen.

Best to find out what is up before investing any money in it.

If the body comes back 'clean' vs. stolen, the same state police can set you up with the proper forms to get a legal state issued VIN.

Ummm...

My grandpa got it from a wrecker's in the states.

Using my Sherlock Holmes like skills of deduction, I'm going to guess the car is in Canada.

Sounds like someone swapped tags to make a non-titled body legal. This seems to have happened fairly often - "back in the day" as well as today. The VIN you have is not for an R/T so, pretty much, the car you have cannot be an R/T - no matter what the body belonged to from the factory. You'd have to find the matching VIN tag to be sure. But for all practical purposes, it's easy (and common) to add a stripe - harder to add the HD suspension and brakes that would have come standard on an R/T. Even if the body and tags are both "regular" Charger you still have a 69 Charger which is valuable and desirable on its own. Having a questionable R/T probably isn't any better than having a base model.

Troy

Yes, the car was purchased in the states and later came with my dad to Ontario. My dad was in his teens when he got it and did most of the work on it to make it drivable. It has been sitting in the same spot since around the early 90s. My grandpa was "reportedly" told that it was an original r/t car.

I was just thinking since I found what looks to be the real (partial) vin, couldn't I use that to somehow get the full one sent out? Even if it's not an r/t car, I still think it would be cool to learn more about the history surrounding it, hence the post. Any more help would be much appreciated.

I also included a picture of the car in its current state.

[tan top]

 hello & welcome 

[Alaskan_TA]

I found what looks to be the real (partial) vin, couldn't I use that to somehow get the full one

Yes, it is possible.

The quest begins with your local law enforcement.

The original VIN records exist, but they have to be accessed via a formal request from a legal agency.

After an inspection, the locals can contact one of the agencies with those records. Two possibilities they can use are the NICB & / or the FBI.

You start that process for yourself by reporting the issue & having the car inspected locally.

[70 sublime]

So you think your car is or was an R/T
The car's R/T dash VIN and fender tag are gone and no longer on the car
More than likely the dash and VIN are now on another plain Charger that got transformed into an R/T
What are you going to do if you do manage to find it but it is now on another car ?


Welcome from another Ontario member

[4mayhemi]

top of the radiator core support is: B9250230
My question is, does anyone know how to decode the partial vins on the radiator core support and in the trunk

Whilst you are waiting the many moons for the legal guys to research as Alaskan said, you can concurrently ask some of the Charger registries and other VIN data holders if they have a match for the last 8#, or even a close range.  I would think that would be an easy search in an excel sheet.
The rad/trunk stamps reversed the first two spots from the VIN, so the VIN for this body would be either (engine size unknown and prob not an XX):
XP29?9B250230
XS29?9B250230
Assuming the car isn't too Frankensteined, there could be other tells on what the engine was with better pics. But you are stuck with a 318 non-R/T title-wise.
FWIW Hamtramck I thought the rad support stamp was on the side, not top.

Here is a thread with close sequence number of XP29H9B250220 http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php?topic=6998.0

[JB400]

Does the car have the goodies often associated with an R/T?  Torque boxes?  Dana 60?  Thicker torsion bars?

               

[hesd19]

Okay so I talked to my dad about it today, and I can now confirm (after pressing the issue a little bit) that the current tags on it are not original (but were not stolen either, another story for another day). The old ones were "misplaced" due to extenuating circumstances (again, another story for another time). He also told me that the original power-plant for the car was the 440 magnum package. Which in a perfect  R/T world, would leave the original vin as: XS29K9B250230

So, assuming this is correct, my question now would be if I can get the original fender tag and dash vin remade for the car? The tags and ownership now are for a Canadian car, but the original tags would have been for an American car, so I don't know how difficult that would makes things.

[hesd19]

Does the car have the goodies often associated with an R/T?  Torque boxes?  Dana 60?  Thicker torsion bars?

               

I will check for these things tomorrow, are there any other signs that I can look for that might say R/T or otherwise? I will also post some more pictures of the car as I just moved it today for the first time in 30+ years...

[Montclaire]

Your options most likely are, 1, keep the car titled as it has been for years, or 2, apply for a govt issued VIN.  Getting the car titled to what you believe the car is, with no dash vin or fender tag to back it up, is not going to happen.  Of the very small number of vendors who can/will recreate a dash vin, they require rock solid documentation and none would come anywhere near this car.  So, enjoy it for what it is or open Pandora's box.  And just assume that car is never leaving Canada because they check body numbers against the VIN at the border - this can get interesting since in 68 or so down they stamped the SO # instead of the VIN on the body. 

[Mytur Binsdirti]

The VIN and picture translate to it being a parts car.

[70 sublime]

You can not get a new VIN made for it to match what you might think the old VIN was

Something to look for to see if the body was a R/T in its former life ( not that it matters any more) if most of the car is original is does it have a single fuel line front to gas tank or a double line front to back ( double is an R/T thing )

What part of Ontario are you in ?
I am in Port Hope

[Ghoste]

I don't believe the engine designation in that VIN should be a "K".   There should be other indicators on the body to prove it was an RT as someone pointed out.  Brakes, suspension, exhaust hangars etc.
Would love to hear the "stories for another day" sometime. 

[4mayhemi]

I can now confirm that the current tags on it are not original.  The old ones were "misplaced"
the 440 magnum package. Which in a perfect  R/T world, would leave the original vin as: XS29K9B250230

It was pretty obvious to everyone the dash and fender tag were swapped to a body. That many years ago no one would have bothered switching body stamps whether wrecked or rusted. And you don't just "misplace" a dash pad and use that VIN paperwork on another body, it is swapped for a nefarious reason. It sounds like you're hoping the body is an R/T to cash out a little extra?

In 69 a R/T would be choice of XS29L or XS29J. The HD torsion bars and rear springs would be definite, but I would not believe anything on this car as being original.

[Montclaire]

I found this on another forum:

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums/canadian-events/1508926-how-to-get-a-replacement-vin-tag.html

And this:

http://www.icbc.com/vehicle-registration/buy-vehicle/Pages/Vehicle-identification-number-(VIN).aspx


I believe it's illegal to sell a car without a title in Ontario which is probably why the car has the wrong VIN to begin with.  You will probably have to apply for a new VIN (won't be a chrysler number or affixed in the standard place), unless you can find the actual tags that the car came with.  Then you can probably file to amend the VIN listed on the existing title as an error.  This is assuming that they weren't removed for an illegal reason in the first place.

[paironines]

Show a pic of the taillight panel or the rest of the quarter both inside and out and that may help determine if it was an R/T.

[Moparsaver]

Lets have the whole story.   

[4mayhemi]

Show a pic of the taillight panel or the rest of the quarter both inside and out and that may help determine if it was an R/T.

Grilles, tails, fenders, emblems were commonly swapped on Chargers/Ebodies to achieve desired "looks." This being "wrecker" obtained and the dash swap I wouldn't trust any items on it being original.  Maybe it was sandwiched and repaired with a donor front/rear clip?

Maybe I'm missing something, but I gather the OP has a title (salvage?) for XP29F9B298259, a bottom of the barrel Charger, albeit a 69 Charger.
And all the VIN talk is OP hoping the body is from a R/T, where if found so, he would scrap the XP dash/fender tag and get a new VIN plate and title for XS29L9B250230 and thus have a car worth a bigger potential payout.  Is this it in a nutshell?  I think the stories "for another day" would shed some light and be fun reading, but we all know what the ending to this plotline will be.

[Baldwinvette77]

ontario is strange with vins, even if it was a salvage car in America, it could be registered here as a clean car because the car has no canadian history as being a wreck.

[Homerr]

Dash/fender tag:
XP29F9B298259


So the body VIN could be any of the following:

XP29B9B9250230  (225 /6)
XP29F9B9250230  (318)
XP29G9B9250230  (383-2)
XP29H9B9250230 (383-4)
XS29J9B9250230  (426)
XS29L9B9250230  (440)

I also tried XX29J9B9250230 and XX29L9B9250230 for fun.

Google search comes up with zip for all those combos.

Does 'B9250230' definitely fall in to a 1969 VIN range?  Seems like a 1969 front clip and dash could have been put in to a 1970 body.

I googled the possible XH, XP and XS combos for 1970 as well, no hits.

[Montclaire]

I'll ask a dangerous question - is there a door decal?

[6bblgt]

I also tried XX29J9B9250230 and XX29L9B9250230 for fun.

Does 'B9250230' definitely fall in to a 1969 VIN range?  Seems like a 1969 front clip and dash could have been put in to a 1970 body.

Daytona or 500 not possible & the B9 stampings on the body = Hamtramck & 1969

& the car appears to have a bunch of original paint - tons of clues there to ID - WHAT IT WAS!  more pics?

[hesd19]

Okay, the car was salvaged with the ORIGINAL TAGS but had no insurance or ownership. The original engine and parts, as well as some of the interior were taken for parts (used in 70 charger as mentioned earlier).

Moving on...after putting the current engine it has in it now and other things to make it drivable, my dad brought it to Canada as a 17/18 yr old and bought the CURRENT TAGS on it from a friend that were off a recked charger that used to be parked not very far from where I currently live. He took the ORIGINAL ONES off and says he doesn't know what he did with them. He said he just misplaced them over the years as he never really thought about the importance of holding onto the original tags being a young kid.

So, I personally have little doubt that the car was an actual R/T car anymore, I just can't prove it (legally that is). The diff is actually a DANA 60 I believe (I could see the number 60 on it). There are also 2 fuel lines running to the fuel tank as was mentioned to be an R/T thing in an earlier post. I'm not too sure what to compare the torsion bars to to show that they're more "beefy," but they also look to be a good size. The tranny is also the original 4 speed from the factory.

Today, I just tried to clean it up a bit and also removed the power-train and separated the engine and transmission. The body itself is going to need a lot of work...

Lastly, I wanted to thank everyone for their helpful posts with me being a newbie and all. I would also like to add that the car has been in the family for over 30+ years and I or my dad have every intention on doing a full restoration. My dad has had many people over the years see it from the road just driving by and try to make him an offer for it. We have no intention on selling car. I will post a couple pictures in the next couple posts.

[JB400]

Glad to hear that you now know the full story.  Hopefully, your family can find the original tags and title for it.

[hesd19]

Here is the diff.

[hesd19]

And here are the engine and trans separated

[Troy]

The transmission should have a VIN stamp...

Troy

[6bblgt]

& that LH exhaust manifold is c-bosy

[hesd19]

The transmission should have a VIN stamp...

Troy

Just wanted to post this picture, just went outside to check it out!

If you can't make it out, the vin reads: XS29L9B250230

Looks like the numbers matching vin for the body and trans, I hope...

[Montclaire]

You might want to hold off on pulling the car apart any further until you get the VIN issue resolved.  Photograph whatever you do have apart in detail.  Tell pops to start looking for those tags!   

[dual fours]

OK this is the current motor but not the original, can anybody tell me what these two lines cast on the heads mean.
Thanks in advance.

[Homerr]

346 heads, from 71-73 B/RB motor.