Buying/Selling Firewall Tags......

[Verne_Frantz]

Resto,
I do believe that most of the repro tags I've noticed ('58-'64) have been for just that - a color and/or trim change. Although the tag makers claim to "have all the codes", I am positive they do not. Luckily, for my segment of the hobby, there is a lot of confusion concerning the cryptic accessory codes. In those 7 years of production, there were 15 different assembly plants pushing out those cars, and most had their own unique coding method. Not only that, but most plants changed their own coding methods as the years went by.
So, even if someone discovers what one code means at one plant, if he applied that code to a car from another plant via a new tag, it would stand out like a sore thumb. I've seen repro tags on restored cars that had option codes that did not agree at all with the equipment on the car.

Verne

[Pantera]

But it was not the original vin plate they put back on the car, but one stamped on sheet metal and pop riveted on. NO? They had good reason to use the old # in that case as the rest of the hidden #'s will jive with the dash vin. Each state handles it slightly differently but on he whole they are all doing it similary and with documation that has to go with the car or be registered with that state. Somewhere down the line someone may question the new vin plate and the state assigned # and records of the deal will tell the story.

We as a body of car nuts want to see things like this happen so that each of us is protected from some bastard selling stolen cars. So if you see a vin that has just common old pop rivets holding it on you know to look harder at that car.

Pantera

[firstgenaddict]

Exactly Pantera. That is how the guy got popped. He did not have a tag on the car so the officer asked hime for registation info. The officer also asked him to pop the hood.(we had located the car and informed the police that we suspected it to be stolen) He checked the vin plate in the engine compartment, it didn't match the winshield one and Boom guy goes to the slammer. Turns out he had been buying Corvettes, shipping them out of the country then keeping a record of the Vin#'s. Stealing Corvettes then using the Vin's of the cars exported. Thus there was no overlap in the registrations.

[njsteve]

[ QUOTE ]
Steve, wouldn't GM have some responsibility if it was brought to their attention that the trim tags were being used to defraud buyers and they didn't take action to stop their production, or license their procuction?

[/ QUOTE ]

Absolutely not. GM is not responsible for the illegal actions of another. Should GM be sued by every homeowner every time a drunk driver plows his Suburban into the homeowner's tree?

[njsteve]

[ QUOTE ]
If I was a guy that scrapped a bunch of cars over the years and kept the trim tags as a collection then needed money and decided to sell them, hopefully to someone else that collects them. Any harm in that ?

[/ QUOTE ]

No harm in that if you cut them in half, first. The data is still there for novelty sake, but it prevents it from being rivited onto another car.

[njsteve]

[ QUOTE ]
What about a legal body swap because your 67 ss was a rusted out old bucket and you found a solid donor 67?

you changed both vin and trim and had both cars properly inspected.



[/ QUOTE ]

Absolutely illegal. No such thing as a legal body swap. And you would lose the car when it went for inspection if they learned of the VIN swap: they would confiscate it on the spot.

[Stuart Adams]

I guess these guys think that CHROME/POLISHED trim tags are the start of a new restoration!!!! It wouldn't be complete unless the tag was sparkling!! It just cars, but selling/swapping tags has no ethical place in the hobby, period. This is a great site and full of straight shooters that try and keep the hobby real and fun. Verne, great way with words.