OK, usually I just read along, but now I have to jump in!! I just went through this on my 1957 444 model K, and also with several other PV544s. Sooner or later I'm going to have to do the DMV dance if I want to sell my Duett. Please correct me if someone knows for sure, BUT it's my belief that the PV444s (and Duetts) built before, say 1961 or 62 DID NOT HAVE STAMPED IN VIN's. The only readily identifiable number was on the aluminum tag, mounted with 4 small screws to the firewall in front of the passenger (i.e. the right side of the car). The number in question is the second one down, in the space marked "Chs. Nr.". This is a misnomer on a unibody PV sedan, but Volvos are curious cars. The number above it, "TYP" is the build specification; model (444/445/544/210, etc.), market (08 is the North America code). On B-16 PV544s, sometimes the series letter was used (A or B), followed by the year (1957/1958/1959, and so on).The metal tag which is screwed, with 2 screws, onto the left front longitudinal support member (AKA "frame rail"), in front of the driver, is the body number tag, and is usually about 300, or so numbers different than the "Chs. Nr.". I have never seen them be the same number. But, I have seen the body number used on a title as the VIN. WRONG!!!

To continue. On my California title is a number which does not match with the number on the second line of the aluminum plate. BIG PROBLEM. BUT, looking in the offical (crumbling) workshop manual, I see that sometimes the ENGINE number is used instead of the "Chs. Nr." on the aluminum plate. When I looked up under the exhaust manifold, there was an even smaller aluminum tag, secured with 2 tiny brass rivets, which had the 4 digit number found on my California title. BIG RELIEF!! (this is a B-14 engine, but the stamped in number on a B-16 should be used the same way). A friend who has been a classic car dealer for years told me that the DMV often did this with pre-war, and oddball cars, so it's not unheard of for the engine number to be the VIN. What happens should the
engine get swapped out is anyones guess.

Now, on the various B-18 PV544s, (1962 through 1966; models C through G beginning w/ VIN 330100), I seem to remember always finding a stamped-in number, ON THE LEFT (driver's) SIDE OF THE FIREWALL, (either near the coil, or near the fusebox, I forget exactly; don't have a PV544 nearby) which corresponded with the 6 digit "Chs. Nr." on the aluminum firewall plate. This stamped in number was flanked by a stamped in star(*). I guess so no shenanigans could occur. I'm not sure if the B-18 Duetts were any different, probably not. A possible urban myth tells me that on some PVs or Duetts, the actual VIN was also STAMPED on the front crossmember which supports the radiator. Any confirmations?

This all appears to be a matter of great confusion because for some reason Volvo didn't put those VIN permanently into the metal. Add to this the fact that N.American Volvo dealers and/or importers often titled the cars only as they were sold, not by when they were built. So a car built in, say May of 1958, but not sold to its first U.S. retail customer until February of 1959 would be titled by the dealer as a 1959, or even as a 1960 Volvo. So, in the end, the only real way to find out just when your PV was built is to check the VIN, AKA "Chs. Nr." with a serial number list. The Round Fender Register is a good organization to join for all these little secrets of PV ownership. All I can tell you all is that coming up against official scrutiny and doubt about your cars VIN will bring your Volvo fun to a SCREECHING HALT!! And if you are unlucky enough to be standing at the counter across from Homer Simpson's sisters-in-law (Selma and ?)then you're dead in the water. You can't go forwards, backwards, or sideways because there are no final authorities on this, and the DMV doesn't care. For all they know, you've been stealing old Volvos and swapping out the VINs. My local Volvo dealers are completely clueless. H@$#, they don't even recognize a carburator anymore!

I think that my next move is to contact a private registration service, one which can officially verify VINs , and only then go to the DMV. It's a serious pain in the ___ to get your titles, registrations, insurance stuff straightened out with the correct VIN, but it can really come back to bite you, believe me!! If anyone out there has stuck with me on this ramble, and has any clearer insight, please comment, because nothing, but nothing scares away a potential buyer than the whisper of shaky paperwork.