'71 Barracuda Vert

[303 Mopar]

This one looks to have a questionable past, maybe someone can help clarify what happened with the VIN.  [ebay]113738469377[/ebay]

I purchased this car in December 2000 with a bill of sale and a State issued vin number stamped in the dash tag. After purchasing, an inspection was done by the Michigan State Police. Upon inspection I received a title in the mail with the vin number that match's the dash tag. The title is not a salvage or rebuilt title. The original vin numbers for the car (dash tag, fender tag, and door tag) were gone when I purchased the car, so the original vin number was not used on the new title. The numbers stamped on the cowl are still there and verify it is a B1 (1971) Barracuda.

[JH27N0B]

If cars could talk, what an interesting story some, like this one, would tell!

[70 Challenger Lover]

Is the car yours or one you are looking at?

I saw this car on eBay and it looks nice, especially for the money but I think the state issued tag will always kill its value.

There could be several reasons the VIN tags are missing.

1) the car might have been used as a parts car early in its life before people recognized the values. Wouldn't surprise me if the dash was removed for parts. I had a friend who parted out a 71 six pack challenger back in 70s. He kept the fender tag as garage wall art.

2) car might have been dismantled by a previous owner for a resto and then the parts bag with the VIN and fender tag lost or maybe the shop that started the work lost it. A lot of irresponsible shops out there that don't treat their customers property with any care.

3) the car could have been out of dmv databases and the car had to undergo a VIN inspection by the state highway patrol. In some cases, these dickheads get all weird about old cars that have fallen out of the system and require that the car be issued a new ID number. When they do this, they remove all old number (the ones that are complete) so there is no confusion in the future.

I would lean towards the third choice. When I bought my 64 Vette, it had been out of the system for decades. I took it to the Ca. Highway Patrol because they are authorized to do VIN inspections. What a nightmare. Because I didn't have both original plates or a current title, the guy wanted to remove the factory VIN plate and rivet on a state issued iD plate. I explained I'd come back later and ran like hell. I then went to the local AAA office that also is authorized to do VIN verifications and they took care of everything using the correct original VIN. Had I rolled over, that car would be wearing a state issued ID tag and future owners would no nothing about how it got there.

There's nothing wrong with this blue Cuda having a state issued ID tag but it is effectively a "kit car" now in terms of valuation. I'd pay a price in line with that view because if I ever sold it, any future buyer would pay only half of its real value. Kinda sad but what can you do? If the price were right, I'd customize it and drive it until the wheels fell off.

[anlauto]

Be interesting to see if the sequence numbers found on the cowl exist on another 71 convertible with the full VIN ?

[bcbassfishing]

Always kinda wondered if it would be an issue getting a car like this into canada?   Also pet peeve or maybe I just need a slap but if a person was spending the time and money to fix this ride up as a cloned out 340 4spd car, why wouldn't you do the blacked out tail panel and rear chrome?  just seems like a swing and a miss on a clone?   Love the orange hood scoop inserts lol.... easy fix though. 

[anlauto]

It has those ugly frame connectors in it, maybe it was one of those hardtop conversions ?

[70 Challenger Lover]

It has those ugly frame connectors in it, maybe it was one of those hardtop conversions ?

Without the first half of the VIN, it would take some digging to verify it's even an original vert. One more reason to shy away unless the price was super attractive

[bcbassfishing]

It has those ugly frame connectors in it, maybe it was one of those hardtop conversions ?

Back yard bubba with a welder is my guess... but then again who knows these days.

[303 Mopar]

It has those ugly frame connectors in it, maybe it was one of those hardtop conversions ?

Back yard bubba with a welder is my guess... but then again who knows these days.

I don't see any tq boxes so maybe you are right.