VB - VK Vin numbers

[ange80rave]

Hi All

Just wondering if anyone can give me some info on 253 Engine numbers for this series commodore as I am currently having a dispute with Holden.

My situation is that I have a V6 Supercharged VY commodore that I have just purchased second hand from a private sale. Dumbo me forgot to do a revs check on the car before purchasing so now I am in a bit of a pickle.

When i did a revs check that night after picking the car up the engine has come back as stolen and now I am unable to get it registered in Qld without either getting the stolen status removed or getting a surrogate engine number restamped on my motor which Holden is telling me i have to pay for as they are claiming they haven't duplicated engine number.

This is the thing my engine number is VR406*** and apparantly the same engine number was recorded stolen in a 1983 Gold Holden Commodore and from what I can see back then Holden stamped the 253's with the first 2 letters VR and then again in 2004 with my vehicle and they have even given me the letter of authenticity.

Just wondering if anyone can point me in the direction to get proof so that Holden can rectify this problem so that I can get my car registered in my name.

 

[Bigfella237]

Interesting problem, I don't have anything you could use for proof but my notes confirm what you're saying. The "VR" prefix was used for both the early VB/VC/VH Commodore 4.2L V8 engines and also for the later VX/VY/WH Supercharged V6.

The prefixes are unique to the type of engine but the numbers run sequentially and are shared across all the different engines, so the chances of the same number being used would be rare, it would have to land on both a 4.2L V8 and the S/C V6, if one was on a 3.3 or a regular ECOTEC V6 then the prefix (and therefore the entire engine identifier) would be different.

But obviously it happened. Stolen cars aside, surely a duplicate would've raised a red flag with the rego authorities by now, you can't have the same number registered in two different cars... or can you?

Has anyone beside the REVS check said anything, or are you just expecting trouble when transferring the title or something?

If you can prove that your particular car has been registered with that same engine number since new, surely that would be proof enough?

 

[Bigfella237]

Just to add fuel to the fire, that's not the only time a prefix has been reused...

The "VA" prefix was used on both the 304ci V8 in the VK Commodore, and the 3.8L V6 in the VT/VX/VY/WK

The "VK" prefix was used on both the 3300 EFI black motor in the VK Commodore, and the 304ci V8 in the VN/VP Group A

The "VL" prefix was used for the 3300 carb engines in the VB/VC/VH Commodores, and the 355ci V8 in VR/VS

The "VN" prefix was used for the Starfire 4 cylinder in VC/VH Commodores, and for the HSV 304ci V8 in late VS & VT

And "VP" was used for both the 304ci V8 in the VL Walkinshaw and again for the 355ci HSV VT

In all those cases, except the last, the different engines are very different, as in 4, 6 or 8 cylinder so they could hardly be confused physically.

 

[Smitty]

.. why can't Holden just supply you a letter stating that-
your V6 engine, engine no VR.... was fitted to Commodore
VY model VIN number built .. whenever what date

and you use that with the rego authorities

 

[ange80rave]

thanks guys ...my hubby and i were laughing that you would have more chance of winning gold lotto then to have 2 matching engine numbers from holden and one happened to be stolen. qld transport dont care that they are totally different era engines or cars. the engine numbers are match end of story. it comes up on police records in both qld and western australia. the stolen one was reported 4 years before mine came off the factory floor.

 

[ange80rave]

i do have a the letter of authenticity from holden and all original build sheets from the previous owner who bought it new. but qld transport wont acknowledge that. spoke to WA police today and they will not lift the stolen status as the car that was stolen was never recovered. so now i have to pay fir a surrogate engine number to be stamped. unbelievable when you have proof they 2 totally different engines.

 

[sire01TMK]

Rip v6 engine & box out and throw away, replace with v8 LSX engine & box, might have to upgrade the diff too Just a thought...

 

[ange80rave]

haha sire01TMK I wish don't think hubby would trust me in a V8 - Ive got the nickname crash test dummy lol

 

[griezy]

surely you can find someone with some brains at transport that knows a holden V6 was not built in 1983, and holden should be able to supply the records of the engine that the vy had when new, have you asked to speck to the manger

 

[NPreston]

Here's a bit more confusion. I have an L67 out of a VT in my VC, it has only 8 digits and no letter prefix and is not the engine fitted to the VT when it left the factory. I am guessing a crate motor maybe?

 

[NPreston]

Here's a bit more confusion. I have an L67 out of a VT in my VC, it has only 8 digits and no letter prefix and is not the engine fitted to the VT when it left the factory. I am guessing a crate motor maybe?