Don’t Demo Your VIN plate!

[Dana Dracula]

Hey all!
I live in Florida and I’m going to get my bus registered tomorrow!
We have completely demoed and framed the bus, electric and plumbing is starting next week.
I was going through the forms in Florida TL 13 for reference. And I got to a part where it said I had to get them VIN plate checked by a notary on the bus. We have no license plate, so I had to pay a mobile notary.
They come out, we can’t find the VIN anywhere. It’s an international bus. I notice a sticker that was removed on the dash and my heart sinks. Maybe we removed it in demoing?
Then, the notary leaves after we can’t find it, we had also scrapped most of our metal too. I’m crying internally. Then we take a second look at the metal panel that was above the drivers seat (I saved it for a template for building) and there it is on a basic sticker. It’s no where else on the bus. It’s a 2007 international 38 footer.
I think I’m going to need to make a new vin plate now….
That is something no one ever mentioned to me I think newer skoolies need to plan and take note of!
So lucky we found it and the notary came back and cleared us!

 

[ewo1]

School busses very rarely have a metal vin plate. 99% of the time it is a factory stick-on label or a metal plate fastened by either screws or rivets, but a traditional vin plate down on the windshield...not common.

I have 2 Amtran busses, one from Kentucky(1999) and the other from Broward county fl (2005).

The 2005 does have a metal vin plate, real easy to duplicate, if needed to do do...nothing fancy.

Om the Kentucky bus I had to also go the "Notary" route as the tag agency I was using did not have parking space for the bus and I found it easier to bring in paperwork that was in compliance versus having a tag agency employee asking questions...

I would take that metal plate you found and find a way to secure it somewhere so it looks like it fits, and go the notary route.

I would also, if you can, have a laptop with service max and read the ECU with the notary present so that they can verify the in on the computer.

 

[twcook]

For what it's worth, on Thomas buses you can order a replacement official VIN plate (sticker) from any of their parts suppliers. There's a form they have which you can fill out. You can then put the new sticker in some safe, permanent place elsewhere in the bus.

 

[Dbacks2k4]

I always take a picture of the VIN sticker on my internationals as well as the data label on the engine cover and the Allison tag on the side of the transmission and store in my Google drive. Much easier to reference when I'm not next to the bus and need to look up a part or am dealing with insurance (on the party bus side anyway).

 

[somewhereinusa]

There should be a vin # visible from the outside through the windshield lower left.

 

[nikitis]

The 3box's have a plate on the firewall on the top corner on the passengers side. (Unless it's been removed. It's a metal vertical plate.

 

[s2mikon]

Check the frame by the steering gear for a number. It may not be a complete number if it was sold as a chassis only to a body builder. Been there done that.