I own or have owned probably 40 pre-1980 Ford and Willys trucks or other vehicles...11 of those EBs. I was brutally made aware of how critical the VIN legality issue is as a result of a tragic accident involving one of my trucks - 1978 Bronco - driven by my brother at the time.
Maryland is full of vehicle inspectors that are as lazy and uninformed as any and I've never had one ever dig down and find the frame VIN. They look at the one on the pillar tag or glovebox and happily sign off. I never gave that a second thought..."worked for me" as the old saying goes.
My '78 was third vehicle in to a three-car accident and crushed the one immediately in front of it. One child dead...driver and second child badly injured. Of the two vehicles that initiated the accident, one was uninsured and the other was under-insured. So who did the lawyers come after?...yours truly, to the tune of 6.5 million dollars.
My Bronco was impounded for nearly a month as various inspectors poured over it, some trying to find liability, others trying to avoid it. In the end, they found nothing and thanks to a cooperative sheriffs office, no fault was found, my insurance company successfully defended the suit and it all went away.
BUT!....had the frame VIN not matched the title and insurance information, my insurance company could have - would have - simply dusted their hands together and said "sorry for you, pal....your truck was not legally registered and insured".
