Not sure about the real identity of your 37 Chevy or 38 Chevy? If you're like our friend Jimmy, you may have a confused identity. His 38 is somehow registered by the state as a 37. It has always been that way (he has owned it since 1959.) You better have your facts straight if you are attempting to convince the state to change your registration. Here are some tips to help with your identity crisis.
Car Number Plates (later called Trim tags and "VIN" plates) are hard to come by on old cars. When present, they tell you about your car. When missing, you have to go looking for information. Many number plates became missing when they were removed prior to painting: Some just lost, some never installed for lack of the proper rivets. Here are some details that I found about 1937 and 1938 Chevrolet tags and IDs.
From The Filling Station web site: A "common misconception with our old cars is that there was a VIN number used on early Chevrolets. Chevrolet did not use a VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) until the mid 1950's. There are no stamped serial numbers on the frame so engine serial numbers were commonly used by Motor Vehicle Departments for registration purposes. A plate was used that gives detailed information about the vehicle but it was not generally used for vehicle identification - Car Number Plates.
Starting in 1937, the plates referred to "Master" and "Deluxe Master".
- 1937 Serial Numbers begin with GA or GB. The GA indicated a Master Deluxe while the GB a Master series.
- 1938 numbers begin with HA and HB. Like their predecessors, HA stands for Master Deluxe and HB for Master.
The balance of the number tells you where and when your car was built. Our 37 & 38 Chevys used Car Number Plates to identify where the vehicle was made, which month it was made, show the series and the number of the vehicle as it came off the assembly line.
Here is an example of an old and very faded Number Plate. The five digit sequence numbers are hard to read and I have obscured the last two digits for privacy. The stampings read 5GA 08 429XX (where X means I've deleted the numbers).
The Car Number or Model Identification Plate shows the factory of manufacture and series designation. In this example 5GA = 1937 Master Deluxe, the month of manufacture and the car number. Using this example number, we will break down the code:
5GA 08 429XX
The first number or numbers indicates the factory where the vehicle was manufactured. Referring to the table below, the number "5" shows that the factory where this vehicle was manufactured was in Kansas City.
The letters "GA" indicate that this was a 1937 series passenger vehicle and the model was called "Master Deluxe". The rest of the numbers (08) show that it was built in August and was car number 42,9xx built.
