Swapping dashes legally

[AndrewD5418]

Inside quarter panels on 1g

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[AK Maniak]

The styling is different, but everything is in the same place. The shifter is. The lines where the dash meet the door panels appear the same, too. Maybe shapes are slightly different but the cars appear to be almost the same. There are no vents for the FTO door panels, but that would be easy. It would seem to me that the FTO is to the 2g as the GTO is to the 3SI, but not as obvious, and with some more differences than just being RHD.

I suppose your right. Now that i really think about it, i'm sure it wouldn't be to hard. But I personally like the look of the 2g interior way better than the FTO. although the 1g interior is probably the best

 

[Silent3]

My car was impounded for 3 weeks because the previous owner swapped dashes and screwed the VIN back on. After many hundreds of dollars and countless hours spent at the impound, dmv and filling out paperwork I have submitted for a state issued ID...which I've been waiting for now for 2 weeks..

Careful.

 

[2GbTalonGuy]

My car was impounded for 3 weeks because the previous owner swapped dashes and screwed the VIN back on. After many hundreds of dollars and countless hours spent at the impound, dmv and filling out paperwork I have submitted for a state issued ID...which I've been waiting for now for 2 weeks..

Careful.

That's why most of us wouldn't do something as stupid as screwing the VIN plate down.

 

[donniekak]

It is way less hassle to keep the title and registration together with the matching dash.

 

[2GbTalonGuy]

It is way less hassle to keep the title and registration together with the matching dash.

Well yes, but what if your dash is peeling? or has holes in it? or is all broken up on the underside? or you really want a different color? If any of these are the case, it may be worth it to someone to swap a dash.

 

[jdavisawd]

It all comes down to common sense.

 

[azdave]

My car was impounded for 3 weeks because the previous owner swapped dashes and screwed the VIN back on. After many hundreds of dollars and countless hours spent at the impound, dmv and filling out paperwork I have submitted for a state issued ID...which I've been waiting for now for 2 weeks..

Careful.

Common sense would tell you to never buy a car with a VIN plate that looks like it's been tampered with.

If you don't carefully check the VIN plate and the other matching body ID tags and labels when you buy a car then you are just opening yourself up for trouble.

 

[mike96]

Isn't there other locations on the car where the original VIN is stamped into the metal? I know the original engine comes with the "stamp" but I was sure there was another "stamp" along the chassis somewhere.

there use to be but not in the 2Gs, trust me i looked. i had a 96 completely down to the bare frame. they started going to the Vin stickers that you find inside the door jams. i was told that they had some kind of UV die in the sticker that you could still read under a light even after the sticker had been pulled off and painted over... not sure if it's true, when i was told that i was kind of like "yea, OK, what ever"

 

[donniekak]

Well yes, but what if your dash is peeling? or has holes in it? or is all broken up on the underside? or you really want a different color? If any of these are the case, it may be worth it to someone to swap a dash.

In my car, and many others i'm sure. The dash is the only original stamped vin on the car. If i were to swap dashes i would get the title with the other dash to avoid tampering with the plate. Non matching engine/trans vins are easier to explain than a loose vin plate. Especially when all the other non matching vins come back to cars in salvage yards.

Just look at how some of the muscle car guys title cars. Some cars, the only original part is the vin plate.

 

[2GbTalonGuy]

there use to be but not in the 2Gs, trust me i looked. i had a 96 completely down to the bare frame. they started going to the Vin stickers that you find inside the door jams. i was told that they had some kind of UV die in the sticker that you could still read under a light even after the sticker had been pulled off and painted over... not sure if it's true, when i was told that i was kind of like "yea, OK, what ever"

Also if you peel the sticker, the word "VOID" appears all over the sticker.

 

[silentscreamer]

I completely forgot about this thread, i did get a call from DOT a while back and he said to keep both titles and they will issue a special vin tag after some paper work. that will get riveted into the door jamb. i didnt have the title from the avenger (my buddy runs a scrap yard but its not a "profesional" gig, he just takes junk cars).

I took the avenger dash out and just pushed the rivets out from the back side using a wooden dowl (make sure to do it slow and even so the plate does not bent). i used the avenger dash as a practice one, once i get a new motor into the car i have to travel to pick up my dash (dash is about 8 hours from were the car is stored)

thank you for all the advice and help through this thread, hopefully it will he able to help others out.

 

[2GbTalonGuy]

You're welcome. Glad to hear it worked out dude.

 

[BoostedBeater]

Just a heads up, it is a felony to posses the rivets or tamper with a vin tag unless you're authorized to have them. A body shop should be able to do the swap if you can provide a bill of sale for the dash and the vin on your car is legit.

Any other way is illegal.

As far as mileage is concerned you can either manually reset the mileage to match your current mileage or you can label the car as being a TMU title which is whats known as true mileage unknown. Resetting your mileage lower is a felony.

 

[azdave]

Just a heads up, it is a felony to posses the rivets or tamper with a vin tag unless you're authorized to have them. A body shop should be able to do the swap if you can provide a bill of sale for the dash and the vin on your car is legit.

Any other way is illegal.

As far as mileage is concerned you can either manually reset the mileage to match your current mileage or you can label the car as being a TMU title which is whats known as true mileage unknown. Resetting your mileage lower is a felony.

Obviously if you are a business you CYA on this stuff but as an individual who is simply changing a dash with not intention to commit fraud? Congratulations. You've just significantly lowered the value of your car by providing proof to the state (and CARFAX) that you swapped a VIN and also by checking the TMU box on your new re-VIN'ed title.

I never mess with odometers but I have swapped out many cracked grey dashes with pristine black dashes (carefully moving the VIN tag to the new dash).

As I said in my ealier post I heat the tag and rivets out together so they are still the same rivets in the same tag. I don't need new rivets.

 

[ramsack]

If a cluster is ruined I roll the miles of the new one to match the old one. No problem. If they wanted stuff to be so tamper-proof they should have made them with explosives in them to self-destruct. Same thing with the dashes. Overblown paranoia. Older cars in this state don't even matter. They don't take the miles when you transfer titles anymore. Again, these laws were made not to nail consumers, but businesses. A person isn't going to be selling cars left and right. I know in this state a person can only transfer OUT 5 cars a year without being a business. If a cop sees you (person, not business) swapping a dash and using a rivet gun to put the right VIN tag on, he isn't going to arrest you. Same goes for the cluster. A case like that would be thrown out of court if the person isn't dealing cars.

 

[AG 305]

how would anyone even know? if you do a good job then its like nothing happen UNLESS you run into a dsmer cop that looks at you and says... sir, thats not an oem dash. step out of the vehicle!

 

[2GbTalonGuy]

how would anyone even know? if you do a good job then its like nothing happen UNLESS you run into a dsmer cop that looks at you and says... sir, thats not an oem dash. step out of the vehicle!

If you ran into a DSM'er cop, he'd say "the old dash was cracked or peeling huh? Carry on, and dont let me catch you speeding with that thing!"

 

[BoostedBeater]

More like, me as an officer (not a huge DSMer who knows all that studd like some)... or any officers i know... you check the vin on the dash, and the vin on the door. If those dont match, your gonna be held up for a little bit until the car is check out and the story gets straightened out.

Just how it is.... the biggest thing lately (around here atleast) hasn't been the old style chop shops but individuals chopping, selling parts, reselling stolen cars and so on. Gotta give credit to craigslist on that one...