58 transtar help for a beginner

[travis58]

hello,
i have recently purchased a 58 transtar it needs alot of work but im willing to put in the time to fix it up IF i can get it titled, the man i bought it from is in his 80's and hasnt done nothing to it in 30 + years its been sitting in a barn/ garage covered in dust, and in pieces. he sold it to me but cant find the title anywhere, he had had plans of restoring it himself but life got in the way, he hired a guy that didnt know what he was doing and the guy started tearing it apart, he took the vin off of the drivers seat "post" and the engine compartment by the firewall, he also took out the engine and transmission, before the old guy found out he was selling the parts. then he took it back and never got to fixing it himself . so i need to find a vin number on it to title it before i build a truck from it. its got alot of potential but i dont want to put all this time and money into it if i cant do it legally with the MVD/DMV so my questions are...
1. is there another location on the frame where i can look for it?
2. is there a hidden vin number anywhere on the vehicle ?
3. i have the licence plate from california from 62 i believe, can i look that up somehow and get a lost title?
4. is there any other way to title the vehicle besides buying a frame with a title attached to it and building one car from two?

thank you for any help you can give me, iv never had a vehicle this old that isnt covered in vin #s i know the smart thing would have been to have title in hand, but i didnt think it would be this difficult to do,

[52-fan]

As long as you know everything is legal, you could acquire a Transtar with title, that is too far gone to save, and restore it with ALL of the pieces from the first one. In other words, use the VIN plate and title from the parts truck.

[PackardV8]

Each state is different; some easy to work with, some impossible. In most states it is technically illegal to move the VIN plate from one vehicle to another. Some states have provisions for "owner-constructed-vehicles." Only way to learn what is required in NM is to go in person to your DMV, ask to speak to a supervisor and then ask him/her a theoretical question, "If I were to buy a fifty-year-old parts car missing the title and VIN, what would be necessary to get it titled and registered?"

jack vines

[Skip Lackie]

There is no secret serial number on Stude trucks. As late as the late 1950s, some states titled vehicles with the engine number. Do you have the original engine? A registration card might have a title number and the serial/engine number that was used to register it. I don't beleive Calif keeps records on unregistered vehicles for more than 5 years.

[DieselJim]

Check outhttp://www.network54.com/Forum/23885/ Studebaker Truck Talk.