If the intent is not to walk that fine line that starts out as the first buyer being straight up and the next buyer passing it off as the factory made/stamping, why not stamp the underside with repo? Just like I seen Jason the other day poking at how people rather see a rotted out car go for parts instead of getting a vin swapou: I know for a fact here in Canada you can do jail time for a vin swap. Tell me straight up guys, in what state in the USA can you by law do a Vin swap? I have seen first hand what happens to a person that got sucked in here on this board with a big dollar, yes nice looking GS but if you get out the grinder you can find the spot welds filling the Skylark emblem holes. I also know of one of your distributors that has been sold as the real deal for the real price. Why pay way more money for a low mile survivor Stage1 when you can just pick up a cheap rare rotten car and restamp the SS code block and vin swap to nice Skylark. Maybe the guy selling the carb cores is buying the restamp carbs from a core guy and doesn't know they are restamps. I think its great that you are out in the open with your distributors but its down the road that is the problem. I think it is beyond someones comprehension alright I have tried like hell not to post on these types of threads for along time now so feelings don't get hurt, but a restamp is a restamp and a rebody is a rebody no matter how much smoke and how many mirriors you use.It has nothing to do with anything other then $$$$$$$$$....... Chris
Technically, even removing the VIN or trim tag from a vehicle constitutes a crime in the US. So everyone that has ever done a concours resto should be doing time in a federal pen right now.
Now it is to the point that you can't believe anything you here or even see even if it can be proven with documentation. Everyones perspective seems to be that only a #'s matching car is a nice car and is worth the $$$$ spent on it. I have noticed at car shows people looking through windshields at vin #'s trying to see if it's "A REAL GS", the fact of the matter is most people only value cars if they have that GS vin tag and now we can add the correct number distributor and carburetor to show everyone are cars are worth a lot of money.:laugh: I am sure there a plenty of clone #'s matching cars already out there, so buyer beware. In my opinion restamping will only hurt our car hobby!
I don't want anyone to think I'm saying repo parts are BAD, I am only referring to re-stamping and re-body's. I think repo parts are great, look at the price of grills, the days of seeing $2500 67 NOS grills or $1500-$2500 71 NOS grills, or $1500 NOS 70 grills are gone thanks to the re-popping of them. I have seen $700 NOS 70 grills, I think its great that we have options now. Look at Then and Now, they are dealing with the lack of good pass side inner fenders along with other body panel's you couldn't buy a couple years ago. Michael Garrison (RACEBUICKS) here on the board also repo's some hard to find parts for our GS's just to mention a few. Chris
They have been stamping blocks, distributors, carbs and everything else in the Corvette world for years. You dont see 63-67 Vette prices in the toilet do you?
It is funny you mention that Jason, I have never, not even once seen or heard BJ or any other forsale adds say " restamped matching #s" There is alot of pissed off people in the Bowtie world over this BS also, EG: Some how there seems to be way more SS cars out there then ever built at the factory. The fact is if matching #s didn't make the car worth more money they wouldn't be done it. Chris
Let me preface this by saying that Ive never have or never will condone ripping people off with fakes or anything even remotely similar to that. No matter what the interest, antiques, artwork, cars etc, there will always be people out there that will try and profit from passing off fakes to unsuspecting buyers. Its nothing new, its been happening for centuries Chris. No matter how perfect the restamp is or how perfect the clone, there are always ways to tell. machining marks, broaching marks, milling marks, style of font, pictures of originals for comparison. etc. We need to get up to speed and get better at spotting the fakes. This site is a perfect resource for that. I posted a thread about a 71 Stage 1 that a friend of mine was interested in. Its a fake. And quite possibily a 350 car thats beinfg passed off as a Stage 1. If you know what your looking at, and take whatever the seller says with a grain of salt, you'll never get ripped off. If you buy a fake GS or restamped car, you only have yourself to blame because you didnt do your homework.
:gp: Chris, I couldn't have said it better. You going to Bowling Green? I need to buy you a cold one.:beer Pat
seems like people who hoard and then sell off these parts at crazy prices are creating a market for restamped parts... Mike
You mean like this? :laugh: :bla: Ok, maybe it's not air, and it's original, not NOS. Thought I'd extend your joke into another!