[Keith Seymore]

If the stamps were done manually in a hand gang I would be a little surprised (because that represents more manual work).

But - if they were done mechanically then I would not be surprised at all.

I supervised the chassis line in the truck plant where the "secret" VINs were stamped into the frame.

The VIN stamper is a large hydraulic "press" hanging from a tool rail and with the weight offset by a "balancer" (imagine a Harley-Davidson hanging from the ceiling that you are supposed to deftly maneuver into position and press a button - 60 times an hour). It is supposed to index to the next digit automatically -but - pretty regularly it would mis-hit, not hit, or double hit. Often nobody would notice until the vehicle was twenty or thirty job stations beyond the stamp operation.

If the number was wrong, or missing, that could be a problem. For the correct number simply hit twice - I'd let that fly.

K