I only know of 2 but also know of 3 sets of '70 VIN/Data tags out there. One ea. GS 455, Stage 1, and GSX.
Oh the irony! These pictures were posted 3/22 along with a thread titled Lost a GSX Last Week (or something similar but the word lost was definitely in the title) Car was storied to be the victim of a barn fire. OP said this Apollo GSX was a one owner, automatic, Stage 1 car. Crying shame for sure In his last reply before he likely deleted his post, he suggested he was going to see if the VIN and trim tags were still salvageable and if so was considering putting them on the silver Skylark shown in his Avatar. He also made a statement about restored cars could have 2/3rds of their sheet metal replaced and he didn't see a difference. B - - - - - 455 added all the value was in the VIN tag and Trim tags as far as he was concerned. With that kind of reasoning at play here, I think a title might be all that is necessary to spawn a possible rebirth. There was a third picture of the car posted, but I failed to capture it. If you saved it please add it to the thread.
A friend of mine restored an 87 Chevy 4x4 K10 , rotted out New England truck , cab wasted , got a Texas cab sent up here , is this considered a re-body ??? People do this all the time with trucks , changing out the cabs .
Says the guy who buys excellent original cars Jason - you wanted a white one. Maybe unload 508 if you see some potential here? Yeah, didn't think so
Your friend rebuilt, not restored, his square body. Hopefully, he did it legally. When my '85 Silverado was stolen in 1992, the Henry County Detective said I would never see it again because, unlike a car the thieves could sell everything. He was right. It mattered to me. Do I like what "people do all the time"? No, and neither do you. This thread is intended to expose what many, certainly not all, deem as wrong doing. For a full day I considered whether to add the burned out hulk to the thread. It was not an easy decision because I knew there would be a string of pointed replies that would challenge my position and my posting. That's okay, because I am confident I am not alone on this issue.
My first car. Bought in 1985 when I was in hs. It has been drug around and not registered since 88. It currently resides in our toy box trailer. It needed/needs a pair of quarters and a trunk floor. Full interior and got that Dr side fender replacement courtesy of a Vega that pulled out in front of me one night on the way home from work. Someone replaced the rear with an 8.5 ten bolt so that Bondo in that quarter Is probably pretty thick. I might never get it back together but I doubt I'd ever sell it. My kids can deal with it if I don't get to it. It is a real deal GS455 but has the base interior, no pwr windows or locks, and a painted top. Has a trailer wiring harness and holes like it had a hitch so someone might have bought it to tow. Definitely not worth all the work it needs but it is my first car so it has value to me. As far as body or other swapping after fifty yrs you have to expect it. Nothing lasts forever and unless you know the history I would have to think it isn't original. Too many out there after that dollar.
I am a guy who prides himself on trying to find clean OE sheet metal cars to restore ( I do paint / bodywork ) , so hypothetically lets say you find a GSX sitting behind a barn , no hood / fenders / doors / trunk lid ...... roof skin / floors / 1/4's / WW's / trunk floor is rotted . Is this car to far gone to restore ? With all the metal needed to replace / find , the strong % of this car is replaced , so to me , is not even the same car anymore . So because the rivets weren't drilled off the cowl , it is OK ? Again , I myself WOULD NOT want this car . VS . You own a running / driving matching #'s GSX that a tree fell on the roof and destroyed the tub , but you can still reuse the hood / fenders / doors / trunk lid etc , a major part of that particular car would still have most of it's orig stuff ? So where is the line drawn ? Although , I wouldn't feel good about that car anymore either !!!
Please see the proud example of restoration on the previous page. I'd feel good about owning that Chevelle, wouldn't you? I draw the line at "levitating" VIN tags from one car body to another. I have to say it that way because no one can admit what they're actually doing. Folks have to remember Skylarks came with VINs too, and those cars are also welcome at cruises and shows. No one can save this GSX, and it's not about that. It's about ego and perceived personal gain. But, perhaps this car will help some enthusiasts realize they're blurring the line between what's already gone and a highly questionable attempt to recreate it. A running and driving GSX will be insured. Tree falls. Insurance pays out. Car enters salvage and is branded as such. I have had these hypothetical questions thrown at me time and time again. The reality is you're far better starting with the kind of car you mentioned, and you're smart enough to know that. So is Jason. I hope that helps
Thank you Brian for saving the details to that thread. My last post as you may have seen is his reasoning regardless of my belief of removing a vin or data plate. Then it was deleted. I’ll keep it at that.
You're welcome. I figured there must have been another post that spooked the OP, even though I didn't see it. He needs to just let it go, or better yet, offer the VIN so we can all be aware. Perhaps a minor clarification is necessary? LOST, as used in the title refers to something that "cannot be recovered". LOST in the title does not refer to something that we don't know the whereabouts of, and can possibly be found again.
Count me in lol. 70 lark never missed a New England winter ! Getting 455 stg motor / turbo 400/ 3:73 12 bolt. Should be fun !!!!
hmmm, i was berated by a few on here for insisting that removal of the federal vin tag was a felony in another thread. well it is and you cant rebody a car without doing it.
While there may well be a federal statute as you suggest, it's my understanding that removing the VIN tag and reinstalling it on the same car body, after repair or restoration, is not necessarily illegal. There is no intent to mislead in this example. Also, there will be no hidden VIN body sheetmetal stampings to conflict with the VIN tag itself. The "history" of another car body can not be called into question in this scenario. Conversely, no one can build another car out of your discarded car body either. However, if the VIN tag itself is compromised or lost during the process you will obviously have issues. We have also seen that using incorrect fasteners for re-installation might well lead to future investigation. Sloppy workmanship can be cause for alarm, as we witnessed on the first page of the thread with the yellow car. Personnally, I would offer that one should avoid VIN tag removal completely if the vehicle lacked any matching numbers that could corroborate with that tag. There are well respected restorers on this site that claim any car being fully restored must have all the tags removed. I am not going to argue that, and would assume, along with first rate workmanship and correct hardware, there would be photo documentation of the process to insure everything is kept above board.
In order to not remove the tags,one friend took his car and removed everything but the original frame and whole original firewall and cowl(complete with undisturbed tags). Expensive process but about the only way to bring back a goner and never touch the tags.
