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I am new to Packard and this forum I just acquired a 1940 Packard 180 custom super 8 touring sedan 1351-2xxx car is in need of a major restoration. The vin. plate has the # on it but all of the other information has been faded off and it appears that the place of origin was never stamped. Is their a way to research a vehicles history or have all of the records been destroyed.

There is no single significant repository of original sales records; I have original sales data on perhaps 1000 cars between 1935 and 1950 and other such data collections may exist elsewhere in private hands. Some owners have been fortunate enough to find old documents in the car or from prior owners and reconstruct some history, and that's probably your best bet to start. Generally you can forget getting assistance from state motor vehicle agencies.

1940 was a curious year in that for a portion of the year the cars were not assigned a body serial number of "theft-proof" number. My files are indexed by theft-proof number and if your car has one, I'd be glad to see if I have anything one it - but don't hold your breath, the chances are very slim.

This is something I just found online. It pertains to trailer VINs, but the information is useful nonetheless:

"I'm writing this post to pass along a solution to a very common, sometimes expensive, and always time consuming problem: a faded VIN on an older model trailer making titling and registration difficult in most municipalities.

"The Setup: I bought a mid 90's model PWC and trailer combination. We tried everything we could think of to read a very faded VIN on a Load Rite trailer. The prior owner could not produce any record of ownership for the trailer. At the Virginia DMV we had a senior detective and another experienced manager try every way they knew to read the faded VIN. We could read almost nothing from the existing label. Trying to avoid $150 for affixing a new VIN on the trailer, the detective spent 3 weeks (not continuously, of course) trying to find any record of the trailer. Dead ends everywhere. At this point the prior owner tells me the problem is mine and runs from the deal with me holding a trailer that could not be registered properly.

"The Solution: Some odd internet search results indicated that a UV light used for forensic purposes could make certain inks show up, a bit like an invisible ink in secret messages. Worth a try, so night falls and I pull out the black light from a dusty shelf, turn it on near the label, and like magic, 100% OF THE PREVIOUSLY INVISIBLE VIN WAS NOW LEGIBLE.

"I could not believe it was so easy and I had not found anyone reporting this method, other than forensic experts for criminal investigations. Of course, not every situation will be like mine, but many must be exactly like mine from the various search results I've encountered over the last month."

"I hope this helps at least a few of our readers from suffering through the same problems I had. Good luck."

--(from The Hull Truth Boating Forum: Want2Befishing)

Here is the link on Google:

google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=how+to+read+faded+vin+plates

One good thing you have going for you is the fact that the 180 was top of the line and produced in low numbers. If you can figure out what city it was originally sold in, you have a fairly good chance of determining the original owner. People would remember a car like that.

The VIN. is clearly stamped but no theft protect # on the firewall I got the car out of the Kansas/Missouri line. To many years between owners. I found reproduction VIN. plates but I would like to have all the info before their stamped.

G'day edsrandr,
to PackardInfo.

A longshot, if a prior owner of your Packard was a member of PAC or PI, one of their Roster Keepers may have some info on it.

And speaking of Rosters, more or less, I invite you to include your '40 One-Eighty Super Eight Custom Touring Sedan in the Packard Owner's Registry here on PackardInfo!

edsrandr for including your '40 One-Eighty Super Eight Custom Touring Sedan in the Packard Owner's Registry.

Another "nudge", how about a Project Blog on the resto as you do it in the Project Blogs Forum?