Judge VIN tag put on regular GTO, opinions please.

[Pantera]

Here in OKLA it is against the law. Somewhere down the line someone may check the body Vin stamped on the firewall and see that it does not match the one on the post. The cops will impound it and you will have hell getting it back unless you have some mighty good records and then they may not let you have it. At the very least they will remove the main VIN # (transplanted VIN plate on the door post) and assign a OK state # to it, which will destroy most of the value of that car. They should have cut it across the floor and top and replaced it from there back. I saw a local dealer buy some cars that were stolen and the VIN didn't match and he lost every one. They will go by the stamped cowl # and it dam well better match the one on the post. I think it is a Federal crime now that I think of it to have anything to do with changing the VIN #.

[68z302]

Don't you think it's pretty easy now to cut out the Firewall VIN & cut that piece into another firewall?

[Steve_Hoog]

With all the welding techniques available now, I think anything is possible and some un detectable.

[yellowjudge]

I had 2 real 69 RA III TAs, both ROUGH!! The 4spd was restorable, but back in 1995, they did not bring that much, &amp; cost of resto far out weighed value. I found an 100% all orig. 69 RAIV TA, alot of orig. paint. I got it, &amp; parted both 69s. The car is now done to concours level, so much esaier , when you start w/super clean western car. <font color="blue"> </font>

[68z302]

Whith the value of muscle cars today.
Nobody will devalue a car they're selling by telling you it's been tagged

[yellowjudge]

Rob, they prob. would not. But I'm sure legal authorites would love to talk w/them. Don't get be wrong it's ashame to let any rare car get turned into a tuna can, but it's not right to switch tags &amp; pawn off a car to someone who does not know.

[68z302]

I agree with that, except the tagging is convieniently forgotten after the first sale.

[Steve_Hoog]

Larry

It was out of state. But there was a guy that is dead now; Mitch Adams, who lived here in Tulsa. He had a dark brown RAIV regular GTO that the exact same thing happened to as for the wreck and rearend, they did just what you said to that car. I saw the pics in progress and it was amazing.

But once again, that really takes away from the originality of the car. I am generally not interested in anything that has had Quarter replacement. Much less the entire rear section of a car. And with all the rebuilding going on now; it is hard to tell what is real, especially for the buyer that doesn't know what to look for.

Oh, and I do know some one in Tulsa that is probably doing a tag replacement on a Lt. Blue 70 Judge IV with pink stripes, I was VERY dissappointed in the approach he took on the car. I fed him the lead of where it was, it had been sitting in a feild since 1976 and the rust had taken it's toll on the car. What a shame too. Several times over the years I had thought about buying a tarp for the car even though I didn't own it, sure wish I would have now.

Steve