The Rover-Landers of BC

New here to this club and new to 'Roverland'. So here is the question (and I apologize if this is the wrong place for it), I've dreamed of owning a Land Rover 88 S2a for 50+ since growing up in the UK. It was my dream vehicle. From Dinky and Matchbox versions to plastic model kits, the iconic Land Rover was always one of my top three bucket list items. I also wanted one I could restore from the ground up. I just loved the idea of bringing an old shorty back to life. Soooooo.... I JUST took the first step towards my dream and purchased a pretty beat up 88 S2a. The good - chassis and bulkhead are I great shape. The bad - it's pretty much a shell with no engine. Will need everything from headlights, guages and wing mirrors to new rubber and maybe even a couple of new body panels (if they're too far gone to fix). Not worried about any of that. What I AM concerned about is there is a VIN stamped on the chassis but it's almost unreadable (I can make out 4 or 5 of the 9 numbers - can probably guess at 2 more, but the remaining numbers are unreadable unless there's some trick to "bringing them out" - an acid wash or something??) The vehicle came with no papers (other than Bill of sale). Before I begin anything, am I completely screwed or is there SOME possible way, once restored, to register it? (And no, there's no VIN plate on the bulkhead). Thanks for any and all feedback.

is there a license plate with it? you can do a reverse lookup through ICBC (If its in BC), you may be able to convince ICBC to issue you a VIN if you provide them the requisite numbers

https://www.icbc.com/vehicle-registrati ... (VIN).aspx

https://www.icbc.com/vehicle-registrati ... (VIN).aspx

Worst case scenario you can apply for an assigned VIN as well. A bunch more work and added hassle, but as you don’t have any paperwork as it is, it’s pretty much the same amount of work and a similar process to get it registered.

Far from hopeless, but it does take some time and persistence to get it registered in your name.