[Allen]

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A lot of the cars in our hobby today were restored years ago, when they were worth a lot less money, and the rebody issue was not such touchy issue. I know of several very suspect cars right now, if exposed, would cause all h-ll to break loose. And who could blame someone for being upset, who had paid big $$ for a car, only to hear that it was bogus. And then, what about the seller, who suddenly was under attack, maybe even in court. A sticky wicket to say the least.



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Bogus? I'm starting to get confused.... (doesn't take much at times!)

There seems to be a need for certain lines drawn or definitions on the discussion - Bogus, rebody, fake, restamp, recreation, clone, etc.

To me, each issue has certain degrees of difficult associated with it.

I'd think a bogus car or fake car is one turned into something it originally wasn't - like taking a plain Chevelle, putting SS stuff and a 454 in there, and faking stamps, build sheets, etc. and then a miracle occurs and it becomes a rare LS6. That's a bogus/fake car. Something that never was, but now is. If the GM records miraculously appeared, there wouldn't be a car in that configuration with those numbers. Those are flat-out wrong.


Restamping engines or trannies or rears to fake them and make them appear to be original to a car when they aren't isn't right either. Then again, I feel the same way about new "dated" glass too, although most people feel differently about engine stamps and dates than glass dates.

The grayest area seems to be the repair/restoration of "real" or special cars and the process that's used. Repairing every piece of metal is apparently not a legal crime as long as you don't remove the tags, right?

However, while there usually isn't any original body panels remaining when a severely deteriorated car is restored, it's not morally wrong for the collector/enthusiast either if the whole thing has been rebuilt around a roof and firewall.

But, taking that original rusty car and transferring everything (factory drivetrain, wiring, interior, tags, whatever) to a better shell/chunk of original metal that rolled down the same assembly line through the same plant and was built the same way and treating it much like a repair part or panel is wrong? I know it crosses the legal line due to the tag swap, but overlooking that, how is it any different to the end result of restoring/saving a car?

Another scenario that gets real murky is when someone has a rusted hulk with pedigreed tags and NO factory original drivetrain or the parts that made it special in the first place. Taking a VIN, putting it on another shell, and then faking an engine and drivetrain and the rest of the car around it isn't right either. I see less of an issue with transferring all the original parts to a different shell than I do with taking a VIN and cowl tag and faking a drivetrain and car around it.

Each person has their opinion, and this will never be resolved. My intent was to just type and try and sort out my own thoughts. Thanks for reading!