vin and body tag where is the line in the sand ?

I picked up a parts car 67 skylark sports coupe, california car, straight and clean. I have a 67 GS400 Sports coupe. frame off restoration in progress but...My 400 body is roached. do I need to cut off everything from the fire wall back and it's still a GS400. Is it all in the body tag and the paper work? How much is to much? I want to know for me, it's still a GS400.
I'm sure there's more than one opinion on this deal.
Whata ya think?

 

Check with your state PD, They are the ones who will have to inspect the car afterwards anyway.

 

I'm not the arbiter of truth, but I would think that if you used parts from another vehicle it would be legal, to a point. I've heard of vehicles being "back-halved" and still being considered "original". Interestingly enough, what you may be doing is almost the opposite of what the crooks try, by buying a "regular" car and putting all the GS stuff on it. Note that the vin is in a lot of places that you might not think of. These locations are known to law enforcement. If you already have a GS, repairing it with non-GS parts seems like it wouldn't violate the law. As has been recommended, you may try the local PD for guidance before you do any swapping.

 

I've seen pink slips and body tags for sale on piles of rust. chip foose replaces anything and everything including complete frames, front clips ect..and the real die hard collector, some, not all will tell you If you remove more than half it's not the same car. I would agree with the vin in multiple places theory. LAPD? this should be interesting.

 

There is no line in the sand. It's illegal to swap VINs, but you knew that eh?

 

See my signature. Leave the Skylark whole and swap the GS parts (excluding tags & title of course) over if you aren't up to the task of restoring the GS400 car and have fun that way. Many of us have seen beautiful Skylark cars with tremendous investment become the envy of many. We've also witnessed openly advertised recreations sell for a great deal of money. IMHO back halving is okay, but there are a great many people that think the easier "rebody" is the better choice.

 

http://www.v8buick.com/showthread.php?80756-1970-GS-Altered-VIN-case

 

How many threads do we need on this topic? A search will bring up many and we'll probably be hashing it over January 1, 2025. Eventually, the argument may die down as we die off, but in the meantime rebodys will continue and people will be deceived. There is no good reason or excuse for rebody, other than deception for financial gain and bragging rights. I've gone on other sites and I can tell you that the sentiment on those sites is generally far less accepting then it is on V8Buick. Maybe people stay "in the closet" on those sites, but that is my observation.

 

?

Jason,

I don't understand the difference between that and a rebody. Never will.

 

Holy tangents Jason! We've been down this road too. If you have to take it off, do a repair, and reinstall it on the original car, that isn't the same as a rebody. Again, IMHO=no harm or ethical issue there, but I would say that one should only do that unless it is absolutely necessary. Most cars wouldn't need to have that accomplished to be restored. All we do is agree :grin:

Don't forget the "just preserving history" argument!!! :laugh:

 

Let me be perfectly clear. I don't already know that. And..your suggestion that I do is insulting, eh. this car is not for sale..ever. I have no problem cutting up the pans and rear panel and welding them on my 400. (well maybe a little bit of one). the shell is just another piece of the puzzle was my though. so a skylark fender can't go on a GS400? Looks like a line in the sand to me. this being my first experience with this. my only gain is a lot less work for the same car. as stated in the OP. I want to know for me. NOT so I can push it off as something other than exactly what it is. with full doc's and pic's if it's ever stolen. It a good question. AIG is re-poping so many body panels, you could almost build a whole new car just in their parts alone. I didn't post this to create conflict. It a honest question from someone who just doesn't know. can this thread continue without insult and just dialog on the subject in the OP please.:TU:

 

WOW, I guess so. I know there are some real knowledgeable folks on this site. a lot smarter and experienced then I will ever be. I know zero about body work and don't mind sayin' im nervous about making the first cut even though I can fabricate. I did read the link posted up top and It looks like this. "Maybe the M-VIN is the way to go to re-body a car. o No:".
I'm going to call DMV, LAPD, DOT. USMC, LAUSD maybe even FED EX, UPS. and USPS:TU:. We'll see where they draw the line or if they need to do the R&R on the tags so it's legal. anyway I won't touch it till i'm sure.

Note: My apologies If this upset anyone here on V8 forum.

 

It's a touchy subject, based on personal opinions rather than clearly defined rules/laws.

I don't know if there are even any laws/rules on the matter, but checking with your state DMV would be a good place to start. Talk to someone knowledgeable with rules concerning antique/classic cars.
You could also try a higher authority such as the AACA or some of the Corvette clubs. They may have come up with some guidelines about how much replacement is acceptable.

In your case it may be a tough decision. Start by determining the present condition of each body shell and exactly what would be needed to swap over and how much work is required.

 

Getting information from someone knowledgeable was what I was attempting here. AACA was one I missed in my Acronyms rant. the 400 body needs floor pan, trunk pan, rear inner wells. rear tail panel, misc. repairs on trunk lid, hood, fenders ect. It's a lot of work for a guy without the experience required. the skylark has light surface rust. you can see why the question comes up. I was going to buy new panels for everything but now it's cheaper to cut up the skylark. Even easier to swap out the shell. I really thought I would get more consistent answers on facts over opinions. though I did ask for opinions. I agree with the law being made for car thieves not restorations. I'll post what I find out from California's finest

 

Bit of info to ponder.

http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/511