Hello my father passed away and I want to sell his car. I could not find the VIN. The car was made in Canada and had a serial number. Its a 1957 Oldsmobile 98 Coupe 2 Door with a rocket engine and manual transmission. Where else should I look?

 

Did you look on the door jam?

 

 

Yes i looked there but there is a tag saying it was made in Canada with a serial number but not the Vin Format for that time

 

Yes i looked there but there is a tag saying it was made in Canada with a serial number but not the Vin Format for that time

 

I'm not sure there was a VIN tag for that time period. I think the other tag is on the firewall which describes the color codes, etc. - similar to a cowl tag. There are several members with more expertise who will be able to assist you. Here is the tag enlarged for them to view. GL

 

Evidently there is a firewall plate. I'm not certain of its location on the firewall. I assume it is located on the 'firewall' (inside the engine compartment) and not on the 'cowl' itself. You might grab a flashlight and take a good look. Here's a thread with a little information.

https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...in-info-25072/

 

If you have the title I assume the VIN is located on the title. You can enter the VIN into the decoder (below) for more information.
Look further up on the driver side door hinge pillar. Maybe the VIN is located further up the door hinge on the pillar itself.

https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...e-number-8072/

http://www.v8cars.hu/oldsvin/vin.php

 

In 1957 wasn't the VIN referred to as a "serial number"?

 

The serial number is the "vin". The '7' indicates it as an '88'. The cowl tag is beside the passenger side of the heater box above the right valve cover. Shows trim and body colours and accessories. '98's were only built in the states. Rubber floor mat = '88'.

 

Sorry for the loss of your father .

As stated " the serial number is the VIN " .
GM Canada used a different serial number format than the US GM cars .
That's why your number did not jibe with info found on the net .

You should try advertising on this forum by posting it in " cars for sale " .
'57s are popular with the antique Olds crowd , and stick shift cars are rare as hen's teeth .
If you can , we would appreciate you posting more pics of this car .

 

And in 1957 all 98's were equipped with automatic transmissions.

 

That GM of Canada plate IS the car's VIN/serial number. I'm not 100% familiar with Canadian cars' format from that time, but I think 7 is 1957, 3637 is division/series/body style (similar to 68-later US builds), and the last six numbers are the car's sequential serial number.

I wondered about a Canadian Ninety Eight with a stick too, since 1) in those years Ninety Eight were built only in Lansing and 2) HydraMatic was standard in Ninety Eight.

No matter what series, a 1957 stick Olds is a fairly rare beast and very interesting.

 

I found a tag on the firewall with style color data but not a VIN. Should I just title the car with the Canadian style VIN?

 

Do you live in US or Canada? Whatever your department of motor vehicles says do, is how I would handle this. But since that GM of Canada plate CLEARLY says "SERIAL", I would think that is the vehicle identification to use. Also check with your state or provincial police.

In the States, depending on what kind of knucklehead you encounter at DMV office, you may get some pushback because the serial # doesn't fit the 1981-later format. Stand your ground. They don't know anything about cars older than they are.

 

As rocket stated, the Serial Number contained on the door is the VIN. Use that number for title registration.

 

CarGal ,
Check the number on the title or registration papers .
If it matches the number on the door post , you're golden .