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There is no specification for squeezing a rivet and producing a reproducable outcome on the back side that could be used to ligitimize or dismiss a car, its tag or its restotration as a fake.
This is a serious board that many in the hobby look up to right?
If we are joking around we have a lounge....
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There is no specification that I am aware of for squeezing a rivet, but if enough are studied you will find a trend of some sort that will differentiate an original from a fake.
The mirror method is an old school idea which does not lend itself to documenting the backside of TT. A fiber optic scope is the best method and will allow you photographically document the reverse side of trim tags.
Not to mention that it will also allow you to ID sections of firewall that have been transplanted with the intent to preserve original rivets.
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Years ago I Did exactly that - trying to find a pattern when the first repop TT's came out. I Stomped around several salvage yards in the late 80's with a dental mirror. My conclusion was that because these cars were mass produced there was no time to worry about much more than if the rivit properly attached.
Additionally since there is no specification within the AIM for how the rivit is to be compressed - then there is no standardization. What you are left with is cosmetic variations.
As to the visual indicator of firewall transplantation I suppose you could observe that if the work is sloppy or seam sealer was not applied.