It is illegal to remove or alter the vin # of a motor vehicle.....Should an
altered vin # be encountered (which includes method of attachment) at best
the tag is seized, and a state tag will be placed on the vehicle in place of
the original (that'll really help if you ever go to sell the car). Should
the vehicle not have a secondary #, to authenticate its identity, the vehicle
will be crushed. Tigers don't have a secondary vin placement, and the 302
engine might not be original, and neither is that 5 speed, so those numbers
aren't available to compare...Still wanna pop the tags???
By the way, this is direct from an auto theft detective who worked 10+ years
in CA. doing auto theft investigations. He likened the scenario to when the
Hells Angels would steal a Harley, and swap out the case half with the vin
number. A check of another component would reveal it to be stolen. The bike
was seized, then crushed, because it could not be returned in the illegally
altered state.
The detective also mentioned that sometimes, if its impounded (dead on
freeway, etc.) the impounding CHP Trooper will check the vin-if he doesn't
like what he's found...it's the state's until you satisfy them it's not
stolen. You'll probably lose your Rootes vin tag, and get a state one when
the car is released. This same detective stated he had authorized several
cars, and lots of Harleys to be crushed in CA. because of vin tag problems.
So, does this apply nationwide? YES. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news,
but vin tags are mandated by law to stay put.
As I said yesterday, if yours have been popped, then that's that. Nothing
you can do about it, unless you could replicate the original exactly so that
it would pass inspection. It will probably never be an issue. The detective
knew just in talking that the Tiger vin rivets were noticeably different from
american pop rivets, by the way.
Hopefully this answers some of those nagging doubts, and will put to rest the
idea that popping tags is okay to do.
Von
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