Just my 0.02 worth on the I.D. plate. I had left my car on
the interstate shoulder when it had broken down. A police officer
stopped and looked it over. He couldn't find the VIN numbers and
had the car towed as a stolen vehicle. Through this experience, I found
out more than I wanted to know about the legalities of removing
you I.D. plates. In short, you are not supposed to do it. Most
american cars (all newer ones) have special rosette rivits that hold
the I.D. plates in the car. If you remove these, you are supposed
to have the car crushed as it is no longer legal. This is all in an
attempt to halt car thieves. Older British cars used pop rivits which
are easy to drill out and replace. The officer I spoke with said that
no one would really care if you pulled them out for a restoration, but
don't get caught doing it.
The implication of all this is that if you did do it, somebody
could hassle you about it. I think there is supposed to be a 'legal' way
to change the VIN numbers. It involves having officer friendly observe
you doing it or some such nonsense.
Woodruff@caen.engin.umich.edu
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