Vin# and reconstruction

[Feral]

I need some input on reconstructed vehicles. I've got a nearly rusted out '71 Super Bee and I've come across a nearly rust free '71 Charger 500 shell that I might be able to get on the cheap. And by shell, I mean it's just the cab, no suspension, no doors, no interior, no wheels, no trunk lid or glass.

My Super Bee on the other hand is a nearly complete car, if not for the rust I could probably have the car running and driving in no time.

I'm a bit of a stickler for owning a Super Bee, I'm not much into cloning. I want to know about the legalities of vehicle reconstruction and vin swapping. Being that these cars are of the same year, and with the 500 and Super Bee being just trim packages, with no real difference in vehicular construction. Is there a legal way for me to reconstruct a car from the 500 shell into a Super Bee with my Super Bee vin?

I've got build sheets and door tags for my bee too.

 

[69Coronetrt]

Is there a legal way for me to reconstruct a car from the 500 shell into a Super Bee with my Super Bee vin?.

No. Leave the VINs alone.

 

[Dako]

Just my opinion:

Swapping all the parts over, you are making the Charger 500 look like a Super Bee. Other than the busy bodies comparing VIN #s to trim packages, passer-bys will not know. No harm no foul, and and it could still be a car enjoyed.

Swap the VIN over and you are falsifying the car itself. The real problem lies in when the car eventually gets resold. Will it be resold as a Super Bee or will it be resold as a Charger 500?

Let your conscience be your guide.

 

[bee71]

Tough call. What do the magazines and car shows on TV restoring cars with loads of aftermarket sheet metal call them? Not clones.

 

[BeastlyBirdie]

In WV, if the car is say, in a wreck, and you have to cut the front off another to make it driveable again, its legal. So, cutting in the front and then rear of the car into your dash and seats is sort of legal. But, the new parts must be attached to your parts, not vice versa. The whole thing is very gray area, to say the least. BTW, you know that with these cars you have to get a notarized bill of sale along with the title or else you will be paying taxes on the highest rate (number one condition).

 

[Feral]

Just my opinion:

Swapping all the parts over, you are making the Charger 500 look like a Super Bee. Other than the busy bodies comparing VIN #s to trim packages, passer-bys will not know. No harm no foul, and and it could still be a car enjoyed.

Swap the VIN over and you are falsifying the car itself. The real problem lies in when the car eventually gets resold. Will it be resold as a Super Bee or will it be resold as a Charger 500?

Let your conscience be your guide.

I'm not building it to sell it, but Mopar people tend to be sticklers and I don't want anyone telling me it's not a Super Bee because of the numbers on the dash; that would just irritate me.

Tough call. What do the magazines and car shows on TV restoring cars with loads of aftermarket sheet metal call them? Not clones.

I don't know... I don't really watch or read them because it makes me envious lol.

In WV, if the car is say, in a wreck, and you have to cut the front off another to make it driveable again, its legal. So, cutting in the front and then rear of the car into your dash and seats is sort of legal. But, the new parts must be attached to your parts, not vice versa. The whole thing is very gray area, to say the least. BTW, you know that with these cars you have to get a notarized bill of sale along with the title or else you will be paying taxes on the highest rate (number one condition).

I'm going to check with the DMV on this, cos I think I've heard of a couple examples where people have transferred vin from one vehicle to another; like turning a Malibu into an SS Chevelle.

Both of these cars in my state would be considered wrecks...

I just want to entertain this idea and check into the legalities before anything. I'm torn on it tho, even though it's not a Super Bee body, having and using it would save me an *** load of cash restoring a car; but if I can't legally restore the car with my Super Bee numbers; then it just wouldn't be a Super Bee.

But... I've also got a rusty '72 Rallye with some good parts on it, and I could build the 500 into a rolling chassis and use it as trading material for a Super Bee shell.

 

[69Bee]

The Federal Law says that VIN swapping is illegal, period. There are no exceptions, although the DMV can issue a new VIN. It wouldn't be for a Superbee though; it would be a reissue for the Charger 500.

 

[kb67mopar]

Yeah nobody can ever tell you its legal. But on the other hand, who the hell will know if you never tell em?

Just swap all the parts over to the charger...even if you keep the charger vin, who gives a crap...its your car, build it the way you want it.

 

[69Coronetrt]

I'm not building it to sell it, but Mopar people tend to be sticklers and I don't want anyone telling me it's not a Super Bee because of the numbers on the dash; that would just irritate me.

EVERY car gets sold (or crushed) at some point. The Boards are filled with sellers that don't complete projects and well meaning buyers that bought a fraud car because somebody wanted something they didn't have. Don't mess with the numbers.

The numbers on the dash will always dictate what the car is. If you REALLY want a Bee and don't want the hassle, buy a Bee. Please don't make another fraud and stick some future buyer.

 

[69Bee]

Yeah nobody can ever tell you its legal. But on the other hand, who the hell will know if you never tell em?

Just swap all the parts over to the charger...even if you keep the charger vin, who gives a crap...its your car, build it the way you want it.

Absolutely. Make the 500 a SuperBee if you want to, but leave the VIN alone.

 

[Meep-Meep]

What you can do is swap all the parts over as suggested and title the car as a 500 but use the original VIN tag as a key chain or put them on a plaque with the fender tag showing that all the Bee parts came from the same real car. But I guaran-damn-tee it that someone who has the Bee VIN and fender tag will eventually make this into a Bee.

 

[747mopar]

I agree, don't swap numbers "it's a felony". My car was a bit of a mess "legally" when I purchased it because someone had the same idea, I ended up going the legal route which ended up making it a self built custom 2013 Charger "it doesn't bother me one bit" the Troopers kept it for a week to verify it's I.D and it's all legit now. I personally couldn't enjoy my car knowing that at anytime I was a traffic stop away from having my car confiscated. It's not worth it, keep the Chargers #'s in tact.

 

[Feral]

I don't want to be a fraud, and I don't want to do anything illegal, which is why I was incurring about the legalities before shifting any plan into action.

If I can't do the vin swap legally, I won't do it. I may consider building the 500 as a Super Bee, getting this cab in the good shape that it's in will greatly reduce the amount I need to invest into the project.

Also, I've got enough parts on my '72 Rallye I had planned to carve, to turn the 500 into it's own rolling chassis; and that could give me some trading room for a better Bee body.

 

[69Coronetrt]

Absolutely. Make the 500 a SuperBee if you want to, but leave the VIN alone.

A "500" will never be a "Bee". Only a "Bee" can be a "Bee". You can make a 500 look like a Super Bee with stripes and emblems, but it will never be a Super Bee. The seller already said he didn't want people hassling him over the VIN and appearance.

If Feral wants a real Bee, he needs to find a real Bee. Anything else will be a "wanna Bee"

 

[ga66mopar]

This is an interesting question. I saw a guy take a rusted out and wreaked 67 GTX and transfer all of the vin # to a 66 belvedere. He had a title for the 67 GTX and didn't have one for the 66. When he was done he had what looked like a rustfree matching # 67 GTX and when someone asked about the car he told them what he had done. That guy passed away a few years ago and the car was sold. I'm thinking the next owner may not be so truthful.

 

[69Coronetrt]

.... I'm thinking the next owner may not be so truthful.

And that is exactly why you don't screw with the numbers. SOMEBODY gets burned along the line. It could be you.

 

[Ron 73]

I agree, Don't do it, Its not just that its wrong and illegal it would be a shame some day, someone else will own the car, and the honest story of how it came about will be forgotten.. and it will be a Super Bee that isint a Super Bee, i have no problems with clones as long as were honest towards those who don't know what the VIN should say, but i had a chance to buy a 68 RR but no title to it and the car was in really solid shape so i thought id get the car, find a junk 68 RR and get the dash and title and make it a RR.. It was to begin with, but some day someone else would end up with the car and be cheated, it was hard to say no having the money to buy it, i even thought about getting it and just get a Satellite dash and VIN, couldn't do it. wrong is wrong and i backed away from it. Just my opinion, i do agree with its your car do it up the way you want, if it was me and felt that strongly about having, driving the Super Bee i would clone it and enjoy it, no harm no foul if honest about it and with all the original Bee parts it would be pretty good story by itself that would make the car more special to share over time.

 

[Feral]

I've decided not to get the shell... Having a numbers matching car is sort of important to me.

 

[conradsalvage]

my 74 satellite sebring plus was rebuilt using parts from a 73 roadrunner that I had,,, the roadrunner was just a 318 car and nearly identical to the sebring. the roadrunner had been vandelized while I was away,,, so all its good parts went on the satellite.... except for the vin,, It is illeagle to change vins unless they are gone and you have a state isued vin... the vin is also in other places on the car. and you cant change them. I know I would be pissed and probably take legal action if I bought a 73 gtx and found out later that the shell was a sebring 400 car!