I had basically the same problem with a 70 albert blue T that was stolen and recovered. The insurance company resold the car with the bogus number on it to a dealer who sold it to a retail customer who had it for over 35 years until he died. I eventually got the car, took the dash pad off and was able to get the id number from the production number. Production numbers and id numbers do not follow in order (Dave Pateman knows about this) in that they may paint a bunch of albert blue bodies and throw them back with production numbers in order, but when someone orders an albert blue one, they go and grab it, equip it as ordered and THEN assign an id number