Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

ok, dig this.. my '55 clipper has not been on the cal.dmv. system for a long time.(can ya see where this is goin). and thay want the VIN. well my $64 dollar question is.. is that the number on the left hand side of the firewall(if yer lookin at the motor w/hood up..-or- is it on the door, next to the paint #'s?.. HELP!.the CHP, wont do crap without the dmv's say so....

number on door.

Correction, number is on the driver's side door jamb on a shiney steel plate.

The large numbers stamped on the firewall represent a body serial number - much like a motor or transmission will have its own, unique serial number. That body serial number, based on what I've read here from others, was not recorded by the state registrars, but kept on file by the factory - in case of theft. Thus, it is also known as the thief-proof number. Unfortunately, those records are long lost.

The vehicle serial number is stamped, along with paint and trim codes, on stainless steel plate that is spot welded to the driver's side hinge pillar, but sometimes it gets painted over. A true VIN number is a much more complicated number that came into being long after they stopped building Packards, but for a car of that era, the number stamped on that plate is as close as your gonna get.

The vehicle serial number was also stamped on the engine block, during vehicle assembly (at the Connor Ave. Plant, for the V8s) - on a machined surface, near the oil fill tube. Check that number to see if it matches the plate on the hinge pillar and model of your car; the first four digits should represent the model of your car. See this site's Model Info feature (or the RPO charts I compiled for the 55th and 56th Series) for more info on model numbers.

BTW, the motor serial number, which is a completely different number, was referred to as the Utica Engine number by Packard. Initally, this number was stamped on the block (by the Utica Engine Plant), near the right rear exhaust port flange beginning with the 1955 production run, but that later changed to the front of the block, at the same location on the engine as the vehicle serial number.

I've posted it here before, but to elaborate on BH's comment on the embossed thief-proof number, here's Packards explanation from the 7th series owner's manual. Though no record of these numbers has survived, I've been collecting them for many years and would always appreciate new data for the file. I particularly need data from unmolested cars of the early 30s, and 1951-52; the data I'd like includes the full VN number, the thief-proof number, and for the Briggs-built bodies, the Briggs number (small tag near the heater).

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Though I never did find it on my own V8 Packard (perhaps repainted too many times), I've heard from others of finding the vehicle number written with grease pencil or similar on the underhood cowl, and I've seen a couple of photos of same. Just ran across this old photo which shows this quite clearly. I wonder when this originated? A guess would be when Packard took over body production from Briggs in late 1954.

Photo from an old issue of The Packard Cormorant.

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Strange that the anti theft number is'nt the least bit apparent tho it is an excellent photo.

If u have it loaded to disk try a reverse polarity on the photo to see if it shows up.

Owen, did u see the post i made regarding the cam plate???'

It is titled V8 cam retainer plate.

Sharp eyes and a great observation! Perhaps it suggests an answer to the question of when the BDNs were actually embossed on the body. Early on I thought perhaps they were stamped sequentially as the cowl stamping was made, though that photo would seem to rule that out and indicate they were stamped at some point well along in the body construction. That being the case we should see a pretty good correlation between production sequence and BDN which, with the exeption of immediately postwar period and a few V8 cars, seems to be the case.

Sorry, did I miss something or owe you something on the cam retainer?

EDIT: Yes, I did see your post and thanks for the clarification. I suspected the picture in the Benjamin article was in error which you've confirmed.

Sheet metal stamping process would almost make it impossible to stamp the Anti-theft number at the point of assembly shown in the pic.

My guess is that it is there but just does not show up (altho that pic is excellent quality) OR it was some homolagation unit. I wonder if that VN is accounted for????