So, Mike, am I right in inferring that the car in question has a legit, non stolen VIN tag but it’s attached in a non original manner to a car with a ground off VIN? The car itself can’t be verified as the car the VIN belongs to, nor really identified as any specific car? As my son would say, ‘ that sounds ‘suss’.’ Patrick
Awesome - Thanks Mike! Small world as I just happened across the story & thought it was interesting esp. as @Brian Albrecht & I have had/been involved in numerous discussions on the topic of Vin/Data plates. You confirmed what I said above about the buyer, while not at fault per se as he unwisely put his trust in the dealer, not doing his own due diligence but unfortunately that happens all the time w/many of these dealers.
There is a '66 Corvette that turns up every so often that is similar to this. The car is a black/black, big block, 4-spd, side pipe, a/c, coupe with knock off wheels. Absolutely beautiful car. It has been restored to an incredible degree. Lots of stunning pictures, the car looks better than showroom new. The owner wants to sell the car for a fraction of what it would be worth, saying he doesn't want to make a lot of money on it, he just wants to recoup his restoration expenses. The pictures include the vin tag and the trim tag next to it. Unless you know Corvettes and have a sharp eye you don't notice that the tags don't match. They both have almost identical numbers but one number is off. That number indicates a coupe on one tag and a convertible on the other, otherwise the same number. I've seen it turn up twice, once supposedly in Phoenix and the other time outside of St. Louis. I spoke with the "seller" both times, the guy in Phoenix was asian, the other guy was not. Both times I suggested I fly out and inspect the car and if it was as advertised, in the case in Phoenix, I'd go to my credit union and get a certified check within an hour. That would not do, he insisted I pay by Western Union transfer, said he felt safer. Shortly after I questioned the discrepancy with the tags he quit responding to my calls. Months later when the car turned up on the web in STL I called again and asked about the car. Said he had purchased the car from the guy in PHX but, again, just wanted to get his money out of it, no more. I asked about the tags, he said that that had been taken care of but the pictures (which were the very same pictures) showed the same tags. My Corvette mechanic happened to be it STL visiting family at the time and I suggested he go out to look at the car and if it was for real I'd have him deliver a certified check. No, no, he wanted a WU transfer, too. Couldn't schedule a time for an inspection, either. Again, didn't take my calls after that. That was several years ago and while speaking with my friend lately he said that it still pops up frequently and people from all over ask him to look at the car. They are always disappointed to hear, and sometimes don't believe, that their bargain find is a scam. Lots of lessons here: 1. Educate yourself about what you're looking at or for; 2. Keep your eyes open; 3. As they say, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is; 4. As W.C. Fields said, there's a sucker born every minute; 5. There's always someone out there trying to pull something over on someone else. Don't let it be you.
So, these rivets that are mentioned; Are we talking about these? I don't believe my country requires this, because I have a new chassis number issued by our government. But ofcourse I've removed them now that I'm restoring my car.
Actually that's not where the vin tag on this car is. It's located on the driver's side frame rail about where your thigh is. Rivet size and shape are big deals when inspecting and judging older Corvettes but I'm surprised someone would notice the difference unless it was blatantly obvious. In this instance it must have really stood out. Having said that, there is no legitimate reason for someone to remove a vin tag from a car, even for a concours restoration.
This is from a 2014 thread... "Thank you for your responses. I believe here in California, if an unregistered out of state vehicle is registered then you would need two areas of proof. I had to prove this on my 52 caddy some 12 yrs ago. I will also check on the motor and see if I can find that partial vin. Thanks guys for your input." Here in Kentucky, we also have inspection by the County Sheriff's office and you pay a small fee when a vehicle enters the state. I've watched them do this numerous times and never noticed them looking for a second V.I.N. but, perhaps they only do that if they notice something irregular.
Brian, You’re right, my description of the location wasn’t 100% accurate, I meant to say the upright driver’s door frame. As for how long they were in this location, it is correct for First generation Corvettes (C1’s) which ran to 1962. With the introduction of the “mid-year” C2’s the location of the tags was on the frame support running below the glove box. This ran from 1963 to 1967. Btw, aside from the vin tag/rivet issue, listening to the original post it sounds as if having a car in Kansas with a non original engine can be a risky proposition. Am I to understand that having a replacement engine in a car in Kansas open you up to having your car confiscated and possibly destroyed? Did I miss something?
No, not necessarily. It could be a problem if the VIN needs verified, and all the other stampings are missing or unlegible as well - i.e. transmission, body, and frame. I don't know how much weight a door decal carries with the law.
I'm not a Corvette guy, but it's interesting to see what turns up on a straightforward google image search for '1959 Corvette VIN location'; a lot of Phillips-head screws :
It's not an issue; my Wildcat had a 1968 engine block in it when it got here. They never looked at it (besides, it's behind the steering pump mount). I've seen several other cars from out of state with replacement engines that didn't get that level of inspection either. My thinking was that the rivets made the trooper extra suspicious of the rest of the car and it got the "third degree" inspection. The last time I saw an impounded car was a 2001 Suburban that had been rear-ended and fixed with a full back half repair. The numbers didn't match, and the owner didn't have sufficient proof that they owned both vehicles the car was made from.
A friend in college had a 63 Corvette for a while.....he admitted that the vin tag was off a Corvair and he wouldn't be hanging on to it for long. Alot of shenanigans went on back then. There was a chop shop that would take two wrecked cars and make one....was almost common practice in Long Island at least. Doubt it was legal under best circumstances.
I've never had a car inspected by the police or dmv. And I've registered a ton of cars from out of state, with no paperwork etc. On cars with no paper, all I had to do was provide a picture of the vin plate. It's that easy. And this from the land of "no"
