It's a touchy deal. Guys that replace the cowl area of their cars have to drill the rivets, and replace the rivets after paint. Other guys, like myself, pull the vin, and cowl tag before blasting, to keep the pieces from bring hurt from the blasting process, plus there is usually some surface rust under the cowl tag anyway, so off it goes.
I started with a very rusty shell at first, that we pulled out of the woods. It had a tree growing up through the engine compartment. But anything can be fixed, right? Well a quote for $10K to replace basically the entire car, minus the driver quarter, and I said no thanks, I can buy a donor car cheaper, and I did. So I put the rusty 70' Chevelle shell on Craigs List, and I had 4 phone calls from guys that straight up told on on the phone, that all they wanted off of it, was the VIN. One guy even told me he would give me $1500.00 just for the VIN...I crushed the car.
Swapping VIN numbers is a crime, but removing one for damage repair/paint is not, as long as it goes back on the same car. Unfortunately these get swapped and that's how hard working folks like us end up losing our cars during a theft. Sad but true.

I cant imagine doing a full restoration and not re-painting behind the vin tag. Rosette rivets can be purchased online. As others are saying, dont put a vin from a old body onto a new shell.

I am looking at ordering a body from real deal steel. I am in new mexico, and i have been reviewing the laws. it will either be registered as a "reconstructed" or "home built" vehicle, depending on how one interprets the language. Either way, i am not trying to build a car to sell. building one with all the components of my choosing, and probably keep in the family for long time. not trying to fool anybody. thanks for all the input guys. will definitely need some more as i progress through the build.

This has always. Been a touchy subject.

My DMV checks the hidden stamped partial VIN stamped on the cowl.

I check when I buy a car

But I know of guys the replace all the sheet metal on entire car except a couple inches around the tags.

The purpose of the swapping tag laws are to keep swapped tags off stolen cars.

Unless your body has been in a bad accident and bent beyond repair I would contact the AMD Installation Center and have them rebuild the original. You would be amazed at how much they can restore. Check out their web site it has a complete price list posted.

http://www.amdinstallation.com/

Thanks for all then reply. I have recently contacted AMD install center and it sounds great. I think i am going to go this direction. Just have to research shipping options. any advice/experience with particular companies?

How does that apply to a restored Camaro with a replaced upper dash? Most DMV people are idiots. Its the car guys that they can't get by.

In saying that, what would a person do if the part of the dash that the vin was attached to had to be replaced?

Sorry Mike, I didn't read page two before posting virtually the same question.

All it takes is one overzealous expert law officer and you could have a problem. I once dealt with the Dallas car theft task force. Unbelievably incompetent experts who concluded the original VIN tag on my 57 Belair was not original. I got the car from my neighbor who owned it for 50 years.

If it were me I would cut out the metal around the VIN tag and butt weld it into the new dash.

Don

I would think that welding the VIN on like that would make it even more obvious that something had been changed.