Russ, that's a tough question. Legally, the chassis (in our case the body
structure) carries the serialized identification elements of the car, and the
local DMV will question any car that looks like it was repaired in such a way as
to obfuscate its identity. For example, the VIN plate on Tigers and Alpines is
mounted in the same way, in the same place on the cowl, and technically any of
these vehicles where non-OEM rivets are holding the plate on, are possibly the
victim of an ID swap. Usually there is enough circumstantial evidence (body
finish
techniques and details in the stampings, hole locations etc.) to pinpoint
roughly
the time of its production, which can help to substantiate a car's ID. But if a
Tiger or Alpine showed up with original rivets but with an obvious cowl
replacement or patch repair, such a vehicle would be equally (or more) suspected
of being a fraud.
So how much of a Tiger can you replace with Alpine sheetmetal? Well, lots, I
guess, but you would be best off to talk to a local TAC inspector or someone
else
that has a good understanding of the Tiger/Alpine authenticity issues. Since the
bulk of the body panel substitutions (but my no means all) between Tigers and
Alpines are in the firewall and transmission tunnel areas, repairing areas that
are not near there with Alpine sheetmetal are not much of an issue. If you are
going to make an effort to restore the original shell, then try your best to not
remove the VIN plate (alkaline dip will remove aluminum, so don't keep the plate
on there if you're going to dip it, or else figure out how to keep the solution
away from the VIN plate and the backside of the cowl panel), and document the
restoration and chassis repairs extensively.
But again, before you start, talk to an expert.
Theo
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