[JamRSW6]

I would like to have a PHS packet on my long departed 73 Trans Am. Problem is I don't have the VIN. I do know the license plate which was DRY-455. Got the car in 1975 here in Waco, TX. I contacted PHS but they can't do anything without the VIN. I recall finding the build sheet in the car and the selling dealer was Joe Pistacoco (spelling?)Pontiac in Wichita Falls, TX. Sold the car in 1977 to the local Pontiac dealer. Car was Bucaneer Red, white custom interior, 455 with automatic, hood bird. It did not have power windows or power door locks. No tilt. Had am/fm and I added factory 8 track that I bought from the local Pontiac parts department. Had rear bumper guard option. Loved that car and I regret ever selling it. I heard at the time that the car went to San Antonio, Texas. Been to the local DMV but they say they don't have any history that far back. Everything I have tried comes to a dead end. Anyone have any ideas? Thanks, Jimmy Rhodes

[Held for Ransom]

No old insurance papers? Unless someone on here has it or knows of it, it's going to be a real uphill battle.

[JamRSW6]

No insurance papers. No build sheet. Just a few Polaroid photos and memories. I was hoping the license plate could help. I don't think anyone at the DMV really cared about some old guy trying to dig up something from 40 years ago.

[3tas4me]

Sometimes, some DMV's can do a history search. In my state, they can search by VIN or license plate. May be worth asking if they can do a search by plate number since you have it.

[JamRSW6]

Yes sir, tried the DMV. No luck or no interest on their part.

[RicksGTO]

Joe Pistacco Cadillac - Pontiac was the dealer in Wichita Falls, was still in business until recently. I've used the form attached a couple of times and you may find it was in Texas long enough for the history search to pick up the last record on it where the local DMV folks couldn't.
Check the "Title History" box on page one, and then choose the reason that starts with "use in research or producing statistical reports..." on page 2 and mail it to the address on it in Austin, only costs a few bucks and it might work.

[JamRSW6]

Thank you RicksGTO. I will give that a try. Thanks for verifying the selling dealer name. I had it misspelled but I was fairly close considering 40 years ago I read it! Jimmy

[John V.]

I got lucky, I'm a pack rat. While digging thru a file about a dozen years ago, a slip of paper fell out. When I picked it up I saw it was the loan application my dad had to co-sign for the '73 TA I bought in '78 and sold off in '80 (not Red sorry). It had the VIN on it. My sister worked for an auto insurance co. at the time and was able to run the VIN for me and to my surprise, the car still existed and she was able to give me the Owner's address who I communicated with. The car was still in the same general area where I had sold it decades before. A year ago, I bought the car back from him.

Not so lucky with the '64 GTO convert I owned from '73-'79. That car was unceremoniously towed away and I decided not to recover it. Either all the paperwork (title, insurance papers, etc.) was in the car when it was towed away or my parents would have had that stuff in their files. Either way, years later when I thought to ask them about it, nothing was found (they were NOT pack rats!). I have another '64 convert today so wouldn't want that GTO back but for sure I would love to know if it still exists and pull a PHS on it. But no soap but aside from mentioning it on the forums here, haven't ever tried to track it down either.

POCI has a classified section in Smoke Signals, guys like you looking for cars. Most have VINs, but some don't.

As HFR says, without a VIN, will be a battle.

In your favor, fewer than 5000 were built. A lot fewer than the '64 GTO.

So if you cast the net wide enough, you could get lucky.

Put an ad in Smoke Signals, also contact the local chapters of POCI and check out some Trans Am specific forums.

Internet searches could also help.

Name of the dealer was Joe Pistocco Pontiac in Wichita Falls, TX. Knowing that helps narrow the search.

I doubt that dealer sold more than a handful of '73 TAs. If it exists, the owner likely knows it came from that dealership from the PHS record.

Do a search for '73 TAs for sale. Start contacting Sellers and ask questions that would help you determine if it could be the right one.

Good luck!

[RicksGTO]

will be interesting to see if they find it, note that they want you to sign/initial in the page two blank that applies and send a copy of your Texas DL in with the form. Who did you have your auto insurance thru if you remember? If they are still in business you never know what they might have kept as it would have had the VIN on it. Long shot but just thinking of things that might have the VIN on it

[John V.]

Pistocco, not Pistacco.

Not sure if it would help but the VIN will be:

2V87Y3N1*****.

Only need the last 5 digits!

Back when my sister could use the national insurance database, she could search based on the partial VIN as I remember it.

[JamRSW6]

Thanks for the reminder on the form Rick. I don't know who had the insurance. I was in college at the time and my dad provided the insurance. He passed away in 2004 so I would be guessing. Forty years has done a little erasing on who the insurance carrier was. I can always remember the license plate. Dad was in the used cars business then and made daily trips to the "court house" for vehicle registrations. They knew him very well and he thought I might like to have 455 as the ending number since that was the engine size. Just lucky that it had DRY in front of that. I always could remember that since the SD-455 cars had a dry sump provision.

[JamRSW6]

Thanks John V. for the correct spelling. I always thought that was such an unusual name. The unusual name and being in Wichita Falls all helped me remember as my dad was stationed at Sheppard Air Force Base from 1966 to 1968.

[1969GiPper]

Originally Posted by RicksGTO

will be interesting to see if they find it, note that they want you to sign/initial in the page two blank that applies and send a copy of your Texas DL in with the form. Who did you have your auto insurance thru if you remember? If they are still in business you never know what they might have kept as it would have had the VIN on it. Long shot but just thinking of things that might have the VIN on it

While you've already tried the DMV for their records on the car, how about your driving record from back in the day? Get any traffic tickets or parking tickets with the car? If yes the VIN should be on them. Try to remember as much as you can about the ticket like when (month and year) and where (e.g. city). Remember as much detail as you can and then visit the appropriate law enforcement location and inquire. On a similar note did you fight any tickets in court? I would think they may have a record still on file in some back storage room. Did you hire a lawyer to defend you? If yes he/she may have an old file with a xerox of the ticket. Lastly did the car ever get towed and/or impounded? All are long shots but you never know.

[starlightblack]

Try Newspaper Archive.com too - The Wichita Falls Times seems to be searchable there. Maybe a private individual bought it from Pistocco and re-listed it a few years later in the Cars For Sale section, maybe the phone number is still good and they still have insurance info. Maybe Pistocco sold/traded it to another dealer who actually listed VINs in their ads. Or maybe by 1977 Pistocco did too and your car is in one of their ads. These are from '72 , but no VINS.

[JamRSW6]

1969GIPper, Good idea, but I never got a ticket in that car. Only had one ticket in my entire driving career. Got that ticket in a 1974 Super Duty Trans Am I had back in the 80s. I seemed to have had a heavy foot leaving a stop sign.

[1969GiPper]

Originally Posted by 1969GiPper

While you've already tried the DMV for their records on the car, how about your driving record from back in the day? Get any traffic tickets or parking tickets with the car? If yes the VIN should be on them. Try to remember as much as you can about the ticket like when (month and year) and where (e.g. city). Remember as much detail as you can and then visit the appropriate law enforcement location and inquire. On a similar note did you fight any tickets in court? I would think they may have a record still on file in some back storage room. Did you hire a lawyer to defend you? If yes he/she may have an old file with a xerox of the ticket. Lastly did the car ever get towed and/or impounded? All are long shots but you never know.

A few more long shots. When you bought the car did you pay cash or finance part of it? If you financed then do you remember who the loan was with? Did you have any body or paint work done while you had the car? The VIN should have been on the repair order at the bump shop. Also remember that repair shops (e.g. Midas, Tuffy, Ziebart) back then gave lifetime warranties on mufflers, shocks, etc. Those warranty documents should have the VIN. Same for tires. Remember any time(s) when the car was out of your pocession overnight? If yes where was it? Repair shop (VIN on repair order?). Hope something rings a bell because I'm running out of ideas.

[Formulabruce]

You can help narrow down the Build date to a few months possibly. Did your car have a ONE PIECE headliner? Was the engine a DARKER Bluish than older Pontiac engines? If Both these are true, enough of us with Late '73's might be able to get you "near" "your number" just by elimination...

[JamRSW6]

Formulabruce, I don't recall the headliner. I am guessing and fairly certain that it was not a late build car. I would have remembered the engine color change as dad had 3 1973 Pontiacs that he special ordered that year. He was always an early buyer. First 73 was a Grand Am. Floratine red, 4 door, 455 (7.4 litre). Next was a 73 Grand Prix SJ. White paint, white vinyl top and white interior. Last was a 73 Grand Am, white paint, white vinyl top and red interior. Again with the 455 engine. All of those cars were bought by Christmas of 1972. He still had the white Grand Am when I got my Trans Am in early 1975. No engine paint difference between my T/A and the Grand Am.

Lots of good ideas from all of you. Thanks for your suggestions and thoughts. I sent off the title search form to the State of Texas DMW last night. I gave them the license plate and the first part of the VIN that John V. suggested. Hoping for the best! I will let y'all know what the state comes up with.