I can honestly say that I have never seen any other reason for a VIN to be ground off, painted over yes, polished frame yes, but ground off, only one reason. If it's that old it may have never been reported so you will never know. And it can get registered because after a cross reference has been done with the engine number, it'll give the VIN that goes with it. Then the number can be raised from the frame and if it matches, a tag will be applied that coincides with it. As long as it doesn't come back stolen, it will be fine. That goes for CA, not sure how the other 49 states complete the process. That's assuming that the engine can be crossed, not a guatantee. I'll try tonight or tomorrow. ;)