so then cowboy, if someone kept the frame of the car and put a new shell on it, you would be okay with that if you were going to buy it?

 

The legality of a VIN swap to a shell is still in question. An example - new Cobra clones are being sold today with and withoutengines (kits and complete too) but they all must carry the current year of manufacture VIN. (The latest versions are made in Poland.) They must also meet current safety, economyandemission standards, and that's theproblem. They don't.
Jim

 

ther ain't much left of a 40 year classic from the mid west with the salt and all, so there goes the front fenders, most of the rear's ,,, and god knows about the frame and floor pan's,,so where's the line drawn from spending x amount for all the above ... and dropping a shell over the frame,, I gotta admit I like the idea of fixing the original,,,,, piece by piece ( buget action here) but also if ya got the money for a shell and the trucking , etc,,etc.... that comes with it,,, then why not but a kit or cable tv type thing and label it as such

 

I only stated the legality of swaping VINs - back in my Dune Buggy days, we soldcutout VINs and 'pinks slips' all the time. You could make up anything you wanted. It was part of the 'culture'.
Jim

 

In many cases, as stated by another poster, most of the original car is gone or been patched up in the last 40 years. I love the fact that my car body is almost totally orginal, but I looked long and hard for that when I was purchasing. If I were faced with buying a car that was rusted out and had been hacked up with patches verses buying an orginal frame with a new sheet metal body, I would pick the new sheet metal. Now, I guess the problem would be if you bought a new body car and did not know the history, that might be an issue in some people's mind. I still say, if it is the car you want and the body is brand new, you might be better off than most who have had to hack one up. My reasoning is this, wouldn't a new body be more safe, last longer, and be stronger than 40 year old car with replaced floor pans, fenders, and quarter panels? What is the soul of the car? If it is the body, then many of you out there have a car with a deminished soul! I know when I am faced with whether to fix something by patching a partup or buying a reman. part that looks like new, I go with the reman. I would try, of course, to get an original part if I could, but I would rather have a good part than a patched up part. Why not extend that logic to the unibody?

Edit: Someone can still look for a good orginal body, but if they cannot find one, they buy and install a reman. Seems logical to me, and I would never loose sleep over it. Just food for thought.

 

first off the dynacorn body isnt a kit car its a shell made out of parts stamped with the same dies ford used on our mustangs.going by the dmv if you have a vin for a car thats totaled it can be transfored to a brand new shell that doesnt have one.and no you cant change the vin on a car that already has one thats illegal. on a true kit car the dmv gives you a sticker thats a vin and bar code you place on the drivers door.one of my friends bought a dynacorn camaro shell and had to do that but the fit and finsh of that bare shell looked better then any camaro i ever seen. why care what code the car is restomods are worth about the same as a shelby dont believe me look up the yellow fastback boyd coddington did he sold that for well over 100k and its a restomod.

 

Each state has its own laws about homebuilt/kit/rebuilt cars. Some states you cannot register a car unless it was manufactured with its original VIN, if you do it has to conform to the year it was built, all the safety and emmisions for that year must be in place as well. Other states its a simple matter of proving that NONE of the parts used are stolen. It varies and you need to know what the state you are in needs for a vehicle built like that.

Rebody is one of those grey areas when you have an aftermarket shell available. Its new so they are still figuring that out.

Taking a 6 cylinder Mustang swapping a 427 in it and attaching a junkyard vin from a 7.0L Stang is illegal and fraudulent if it is passed off as the real deal. Clones of cars that look like the real deal, but have the original VIN and are admitted to be clones are okay. Passing off a LeMans with a 350 as a GTO with a Ram Air IV 400 and swapping the vin is fraud and illegal. Putting GTO parts on a LeMans and putting any engine you want in it but keeping the VIN is legal.

Right now there is a 65 GTO covertible on Ebay that has a VIN that states its a 2 door post, the seller is saying its a factory mistake yet the rivets are not factory on the VIN tag. The tag that tells what color and trim options the car has is all wrong too. Would you pay $55,000 that the guy is asking for it? What are the chances that car is stolen and just retagged? I know I wouldnt.

The thing is, the factory assigned a number to the car. It gives various information on the car, and when you change the main part of the car its attached to be it the body shell or the frame, you add another cars unique number to that car. Theft is the main thing the legislation is there to combat. Fraud is a lesser reason because its a niche market for a vehicle with certain drivetrain or body options. Ricer kids are having their cars crushed for having stolen parts on them out in California.

Can you prove the car you have now is yours if someone steals it, paints it a different color, and changes the VIN tag? That is why the law is there, and trying to get around it through a grey area for whatever reason can result in you having some big problems.