FWIW....
I don't live in Texas. However, I'm restoring a 65 Mustang in Rhode Island and I caused myself the same issue. I removed the fender aprons, and they were discarded prior to me be able to remove the VIN fro the old aprons and weld them back onto the new ones.
I had a discussion with local law enforcement. And in the state of R.I., they can go by the door tag even though it states on it that it should not be used for VIN verification. This is due to the vehicle age, and as you stated, the common removal of the aprons for repairs. He also told me that the bill of sale, which has the vin on it taken off of the old registration, was proof along with the door tag. Keep in mind that I AM talking about R.I. lol
I've been told, that if you join the Mustang Club of America, someone there sells lettering dies that match the OEM stamping font and you can re-aply your own. It was suggested that you take pics of before and after. Also, if you have your local law enforcement sign something stating that you adding the vin is legal, that you should be ok.
I hope this helps.
Regards,
George
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