**BEWARE** COMPLETE AAR Cuda numbers, title etc for sale

[worthywads]

Funny how things go sideways. A previous friend renumbered a couple of cars, did it right and said if he ever sold them he would let the buyers know. Another previous friend did at least one car that way as well.
So I see 3 of these cars and casually mention to the new owners that the cars had really good California bodies on them in the renumbering process. Well, all these owners freaked out because it was news to them. I'm a real A-hole for speaking the truth, the rebodied car owners dislike me, the friends are now ex-friends. I sleep good at night though as my ex-friends said they were going to be upfront with any buyers and I meant no ill-will.
Just saying, that this will probably happen down the road. It all starts out just peachy though. If it's no big deal then why do sellers hide the info and buyers get into a snit when the work is discovered? Are things so terrible driving a 318 car with a HP engine swapped in and some musclecar graphics on the side? Why the need to change the 318 VIN to something else, what exactly are you hoping to gain?

I agree, if it was only about nice cars it wouldn't matter, but it's about making money through fraud.

[6Pack70]

I would rather have your honesty in a sale like that.  If you told me afterwards and showed me evidence that numbers were original, but moved to a better structure, I would still like the car hopefully because you do nice work. I would not like you because you would be one of the guys that people hate. Withholding things you know and waiting until you have my money and then telling me.   

[6Pack70]

And there it is again....fraud. What you see as fraud, I see as metal.  You modify those original numbers themselves?  Thats fraud to me. 
This debate will likely never end.  Someday people really wont care because the hobby is slowly changing.  Ask any parts vendor. 

Maybe it's best we just shake hands and agree to disagree.   If anything, it shows how passionate we are for these cars. 

[torredcuda]

"I now have the opportunity to buy this guys VIN stampings for $7000, I could even ask him to just cut out and send the smaller stampings not the bigger chunks of extra rusty metal surrounding the stamps, why send the dash, so it fits into an envelope."

If you added those numbers to your clone you would make it worth more but you also are spending $7000 plus thousands more to weld them in.

So it would be worth more to you even if you know it's really just transferred numbers?   Would you tell people what was done if I told you I transferred numbers and sold it to you?

If I didn't tell you and you paid top dollar and then I told you would you feel cheated?

There are basically two types of car condition - original survivor or restored. If I was buying a restored car with a repaint on a very rust free body (with proof) I would pay more then one that was rusty and needed a lot of panel replacement. If I was buying a car that was very rusty to begin with I would have no problem paying the same for a rebody done right as one that every panel was replaced around the numbers, in fact some would argue a clean factory body would be better than a repaired rusty one. . Six of one half dozen of another to me.

[js27]

What about a car that was original but crashed. Say the Raid support and cowl were damaged beyond repair or even the dash. Now you buy NOS parts ( if available) and cut the original numbers out and weld them into the NOS pieces or place the VIN on the new dash.--Is that fraud or just a repair ??
JS27

[6Pack70]

Repair in my opinion.  I don't care if you replaced frame rails, roof whatever.  The original numbers were not modified or altered.  Just moved back to un- destroyed steel.  I might be the only one, but I would tell people what it took to make it right.