VIN # LOCATION FOR 1963 220SB

[BrianR]

Looking fore the VIN number location on a 63 220sb car.
The number stamped in front of the radiator has only 13 digits (111.012.10.17944) with a 5 digit serial number.
Everyone I spoke with says Mercedes used 14 digit VIN # with 6 digits for the serial number.
Even if it was a low production car, the serial number would reflect six digits (e.g., 000123).
Several suggested the 13 digit number may be the paintwork # and not the serial number.
Even if a digit were added at the end of the number string (17944x), this number fall to high on the production list as there were only 161,126 produced.
The current CA title has a six digit serial number (086267), but it doesn't match what is stamped in front of the radiator.
Is there another spot on these cars where the VIN number is located?
Please help, before I panic.

Brian
63 220sb
72 250

[cth350]

Brian,

First off, you might well be looking at the number that says where the car fit on the production line, not in the total lifespan of the model. (Body number vs car number).

There should be TWO plates under the hood. One has the digits nicely lined up and the other has them blocked up in groups. That's NOT the right plate to look at.

Second, the numbers assigned as VINs in the 60s were sometimes VERY out of wack, since the dealerships basically assigned the numbers by whatever rules they felt were "good enough" at the time. There were no standards in the industry at that time.

-CTH

[rickjordan]

The vin number is stamp in the metal, on the firewall. My car has it's vin number there, as well as the small metal tag on the driver's side windshield pillar. My vin is 14 digits long. 1980 was the last year for 14 digit numbers.