Swapping VIN's

[djr71]

I just saw this article and was like wow. How many time has this been done.


A Conestoga man has been charged with illegally altering car identification numbers.

Regis G. Frey, 54, of 3825 Main St., owned two 1967 Chevrolet Novas, one with a V-6 engine and the other with a V-8, Southern Regional Police said.

While restoring the V-6 model, Frey swapped vehicle identification number plates on the cars to portray that the V-6 was the V-8, police said.

Frey had also obtained a 283 engine to put into the restored V-6 car, police said. He ground off the engine's identification number because it did not include a pressure number.

On June 8, Frey sold the unrestored V-8 Nova, police said. The alert buyer located the confidential vehicle identification number on the car and saw it did not match the car's displayed number.

Police and the Lancaster County Auto Theft Task Force investigated and Frey was charged with six chop shop-related violations, police said.

[ChallengerHK]

Personally, I think it happens all the time. I think it's rare that people get caught.

[73Chally]

It's always buyer beware.  Do your homework if you are buying a car, and verify the numbers before hand.  If you buy the car, and when you go to register it it comes back as stolen, etc, you will lose the car and the money.  It happens more than people probably think.

[Alaskan_TA]

 

Glad they caught him. I hate it when scum like him rip people off.

[AARCUDADEN]

Glad they caught him. I hate it when scum like him rip people off.

sooner or later if you play with fire, your fingers will get burned

[alphabuck]

a guy i know has an aar cuda.  red on red with a stick.  its famous around here for having sat in front of his house rotting away for over 20 years.  when they went to winch it up the only thing that kept it from folding in half was the doors were closed. 

recently i was told he was going to restore it.  i found out what restore meant when i noticed the red 73 or 74 340 cuda  " donor " car sitting at a place thats been known to do vin swaps.

the interesting part about the vin swap guys is alot of em dont even see it as doing anything wrong they are just saving labor and money in their eyes. 

[The Cuda Guy]

Personally, I think it happens all the time. I think it's rare that people get caught.

 

Some are just more crafty than others...  That being said I know therre are stampings all over my cuda, I was under it pulling out the rear yoke when I noticed a sequence of numbers on one of the floor pans, when I looked at the vin it matched part of the vin.  I was impressed.

Don

[Super Blue 72]

Some are just more crafty than others...  That being said I know therre are stampings all over my cuda, I was under it pulling out the rear yoke when I noticed a sequence of numbers on one of the floor pans, when I looked at the vin it matched part of the vin.  I was impressed.

Don

Wow?!?!  The floor pan?  Was it stamped on the metal or like printed on?  I wonder if people know this when they replace the floor pans.... 

[Alaskan_TA]

Got a picture?

[mopar12372]

what if you replace body panels that are stamped with body panels from another car?
my car has challenger grill  charge kmember and other parts replaced .

[Katfish]

Got a picture?

    Doesn't sound right, you found the "hidden" stampings only the cops know about.

[Moparal]

I get the heebee geebee's just seeing the post vin swap .  


Barry, I got Don's car at my house under cover right now. If he tells me where to look, I would snap a picture for you and send it. It may be a month or better. I am assembling his engine before I pull his car out of the corner of my shop, and I have my race car with the engine out beside it and another cuda beside it along with a lot of engines and stuff, so I cant get to it quite yet, unless he says it is easy to reach, I can have a skinny neighbor slide up under his car with a light and camera.

[The Cuda Guy]

Im overseas right now but I will get a pic when I get home.  Alan all I rem is that I was under the car and noticed a sequence of # that seemed familar.  When I got done with the work I check the vin and it matched.  I had no idea it was rare to find somthing like that or I would have taken a pic. 

Don

[Alaskan_TA]

Did it start with two letters Don? SS maybe?

[The Cuda Guy]

Did it start with two letters Don? SS maybe?

Barry,

Id be lying if I told you I remembered but I think it was just numbers???  I do know it was on the back half of the car as that is the area I was working on and the car was jacked up.  I promise I will take a pic when I get home. 

Don