I found the Vin , how can I check it

[bbfly_2001]

Hi I have a Sovereign 1973 31 ft

I found the Vin next to the door starting 131D3XXXXX

So total 10 digits .

But it looks like to check the VIN on the internet we need 17 digits.

There is 6 more digits above that could be the serial number.

But that would still be 16 digits total

So my question:
How and where can I check the Vin for that airstream?


Thank you

[jimmini]

Is it not stamped on top of the hitch A frame

[wkerfoot]

That is your VIN, the longer standardized VINs did not start until about 1980. http://vintageairstream.com/photo-ar...-sovereign-31/

Bill

Originally Posted by bbfly_2001

Hi I have a Sovereign 1973 31 ft

I found the Vin next to the door starting 131D3XXXXX

So total 10 digits .

But it looks like to check the VIN on the internet we need 17 digits.

There is 6 more digits above that could be the serial number.

But that would still be 16 digits total

So my question:
How and where can I check the Vin for that airstream?


Thank you

[Bubba L]

On your computer, go to 'Vintage Airstream Photo Archives' and scroll down to the 1973 Airstreams. They explain the vin sequence meaning for that year.

[ALUMINUMINUM]

131D3XXXXX

I'd guess that ...

The "1" is actually the letter I for International, 31 is the length, D is Double bed in the middle, 3 is 1973... after that, is ? and the production number, that is the xxx number built so far that year??

"sometimes", it's found stamped on the A-frame too... sometimes

[bbfly_2001]

Hi

Thank you all for your answers!

So I have the full 10 digit of the VIN
in addition there is 6 digits on the top of it (I guess the serial number)

I do not have the title for this airstream.

If I want to search the history of this airstream ,
with the VIN online they request 17 digits
so I can't access any data

What would be the process to:
1) see the history of this airstream

2) get a new title

It's a 1973 so it looks pretty complicated


Thank you

[nvestysly]

Welcome to Air Forums. I am not a VIN expert for Airstreams so I'll leave that question to others regarding how to obtain history of your trailer.

Your state - New York I guess - will have a process for obtaining a title. Find the division of motor vehicles or whatever it's called in your state and look for the form needed to title a vehicle. The process varies by state but most require you to submit a form at a minimum then they do some searching. Some states require you to bring the vehicle to a location to be verified. Some states send an agent to your location to perform the verification.

Good luck.

[robertsondh]

I am renovating a 1970 Overlander. The VIN is clear on the A frame. It was built in Jackson.
Above the VIN is stamped into the steel F147FJ.
Anyone have any idea what that means?

[overlander64]

Greetings bbfly_2001!

Welcome to the Forums and the World of Vintage Airstream ownership!

Originally Posted by bbfly_2001

Hi

I do not have the title for this airstream.

What would be the process to:
1) see the history of this airstream

2) get a new title

It's a 1973 so it looks pretty complicated

Thank you

The degree of complication in obtaining a title for a vehicle lacking a title to transfer varies greatly depending upon your state. Illinois, where I live, is a very strict title state, and obtaining a title for a vehicle lacking a title is an arduous process that can become very time consuming as well as very expensive. It always is worth a question to the person from whom you acquired the trailer if they ever had a title to the trailer, as it is far less involved and costly to obtain a replacement title for a lost title than it to obtain a new title.

Assuming that the person from whom you acquired the trailer has never held title to the trailer, my suggestion would be to make an in-person visit to your nearest DMV. At the DMV, ask to speak with their titling specialist, then get the details about the procedures that you must follow in order to get a title for your trailer. Do not be surprised if you are asked to do one or more of the following:

1. Obtain an VIN Inspection by a member of the State Patrol or County Sheriff's Office and get the appropriate form filled.
2. Complete and pay for a Police Report searching the VIN to verifty that the trailer isn't on any registries as a Stolen Vehicle.
3. Provide proof that efforts have been made to contact any previous owners of record including possibly documenting that they sold the trailer such as an affidavit.
4. You may also be asked to contact your local Magistrate or Circuit Court Judge if your state utilizes Court Ordered Titles, and in that case you may have additional conditions to meet.

I don't know whether they are still in business, but at one time there were several businesses located in states with more liberal titling/registration laws where owners of Vintage Cars could obtain title for cars without titles in their names and then transfer them to their names in their home states. These businesses advertised in Hemmings Motor News. Their fees were rather substantial, but no more than what you might spend going through the process on your own in a strict title state, but some of the strict title states began recognizing titles obtained through those services, and my understanding is that they may reject such titles when presented for transfer.

Seeing the history of your Airstream won't be an easy process. Most DMVs will not do an ownership history check for an individual. Those type of checks usually must be requested by an officer of the court or in some states automobile dealers have access to such information in their titling department. The other option that can sometimes yield some results is if there are WBCCI/ACI club numbers (Big Red Numbers) or the ghosts of those numbers on either the front or back of the trailer. There is a member here on the Forums who volunteers to look those numbers up to link to "possible" former owners -- the issue here is that those numbers belong to the member and follow the member and not the trailer so they may have been on multiple trailers over the years. Once a membership number has been dormant for a certain period of years, it is recycled and made available to new members as they register with the club.

Good luck with resolving your title issues with your 1973 Sovereign Land Yacht International!

Kevin