<VV> Re: New '69 Camaro body / old VIN? no Corvair

[Bill Elliott]

> Question for the guru's...I was going through
>YearOne's site, looking for a couple things, and
>happened upon the Camaro body parts page. In drooling
>over all you can get for those cars, I noticed the new
>'69 Camaro vert bodies that will soon be offered,
>retail $11,999. 
> They are from the firewall back, so you'd have to
>weld on your old front subframe. My question is how
>would you title the thing, when you have to do the big
>no-no and move VINs from the donor lower W/S panel to
>the repro unibody? Anyone know what the official
>answer is? Could be a don't ask, don't tell? I know we
>all discussed this before and in most states, you
>really can't do it. Just curious if anyone knows how
>Year One might suggest you deal with the problem,
>since they are encouraging it! 

> 

Not certain how Year One is handling it, but new bodies are available for many of the cars I deal with.... 
mostly British stuff. (Fancy a monoque fiberglass Mini Cooper shell? It's available!).

Most European rules DO address this and consider the body a "repair part" (ditto for the frame/chassis) 
and allow you to rebody a car while keeping the original identification... and it is very commonly done here 
as well.  The European rules differ based on whether you use a new body or a used body and what 
percentage of the "old car" content you use in the project. (Can't specifically recall, but it seems the 
content requirement was lower for the new body... while using another "used" body had to take into 
account the identity of the donor car.)

I'll bet there's some obscure loophole in US law that allows for this as well.... or even if there is no 
specific law allowing it, since it's a "customary" practice in the industry, I can't see anyone telling you that 
you couldn't do it.

(Kind of like your grandfather's hammer... you've replaced the handle 4 times and the head twice, but it's 
still your "grandfather's hammer!)

If not, I see only two possibilities...both nasty. One would be having a new VIN for a kitcar (where the 
year of production for emissions issues would be based ont he year of the engine block) and the other 
would be as a new production car....

So go ahead and order it Mike! I'll even take a few of those pesky Corvair items off your hands to help 
fund your new Camaro project!! (VBG)

Bill Elliott