Unknown year of manufacture - help!

[maddawg308]

Picking up a deuce tomorrow in Chambersburg, I can tell the year for the most part on most data plates, this one is kinda weird.

Truck was made by Reo Motors company, number on the data plate is

NKO2HT0539-15814

 

[acetomatoco]

If the frame # is 0539-15814 it certainly is not a REO. American Motors General, or Kaiser Jeep maybe. So many replacement data plates were made when trucks were rebuilt it is tough to figure out sometimes. End user units were known to "make" trucks to replace some which were "lost". Unfortunately, when they are turned in to DRMO the info on the TID becomes gospel, so to speak. If there is a contract # or a rebuild tag on the unit, I would use the date of the contract as the build date, unless you want to research the frame # and have it validated and notarized by a recognized expert in the field. Now you know one of the reasons GL wants you to provide the info for the SF97.

 

[maddawg308]

I guess they replaced the data plate somewhere along the line and used an old Reo data plate. Unfortunately, I am going to have to register it as a Reo-made unit since I have nothing else to go by. I will use the contract date as the year of make.

 

[DDoyle]

The truck in question was made in 1972 by AM General. You are obviously counting no one at DMV realizing that by 1972 Reo Motors was gone.

Regards,
David Doyle

 

[maddawg308]

Good deal, David. Will take your info as gospel, and get a repro AMGeneral plate from Rod Shaver, and stamp the correct serial number into it. Thanks!