TTA question please help???

[tkayrc3]

I am looking to purchase a TTA from a friend, It has 74k miles & is a T-top & cloth car. He is the second owner & he and the original owner both kept the car garaged. The car did stay outside for a few months. The problem the car has is the time the car was left outside the windshield leaked & the vin plate on the dash is rotted away, not all of it but at least half.
Can this be replaced by Pontiac, Maybe Pontiac Historical Services can help?? I dont want to get a re-tag from DMV cause it would be a random # not the original VIN. The car is otherwise in good shape and needs a few other details to be perfect.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
John M.

 

[Grumpy]

The car did stay outside for a few months. The problem the car has is the time the car was left outside the windshield leaked & the vin plate on the dash is rotted away, not all of it but at least half.
John M.

hmmm I have parts cars that have been outside in the rain and snow an never had a vin plate "rot off" I have never heard anything about a new VIN from GM

 

[tkayrc3]

Were any of your windshields leaking?
I've seen alot of cars with rusted vin tags but not rotted off..

 

[bkoons]

Grumpy's point is that it is extremely suspicious that the VIN tag would be rotted away after a few months outside with a leaky windshield. I see cars sitting for years in salvage yards with no windshield and a fine VIN tag. What else is rusted away? Anyway, I don't think there is a legitimate way to get a replacement tag. The good news is that there is a VIN sticker on every panel, stamped on the engine & trans, and probably stamped in a few discrete places on the body so it would be easy to identify the vehicle to the VIN. The bad news is that a wasted VIN tag will hurt the value when you go to resell it.

 

[tkayrc3]

There has to be a way to replace that vin tag, What if someone found a real rare 427 corvette that restored is woth 100k but has a rusted vin, what does the restorer do
This car has all the other vin stickers where they are suppose to be (fenders, hatch, doors, rear quarter panel) all the door jam stickers. He's owned the car for about 10 years now & he bought it from the original owner who was female & happened to be another friends cousin. The only problem is when the previous owner was trying to sell it, she left it on a main road with a for sale sign on it & they stole the turbo emblems, but my friend purchased new ones, He also has the indianapolis stickers.

 

[Grumpy]

I have some Buick junks with no windshields for years in rain , sleet and snow ... never rotted !!! something isn't right . I don't think VIN "tag's" are in the GM parts books

 

[tkayrc3]

I have some Buick junks with no windshields for years in rain , sleet and snow ... never rotted !!! something isn't right . I don't think VIN "tag's" are in the GM parts books

I hear you man, but i know the car is the real deal. Its not a car on ebay or anything, I know the car is the real deal..
I can't explain why it rotted but it did.
BTW after some searching i found this guy:http://www.datatags.com/. He makes replacment vins & tags.
John

 

[SlowTTA]

I don't post much but I have to say that the posted photo is sad

Looks like the cars still have some good panels though.

 

[transampacecar]

I dont think its legal to reproduce a VIN tag. The first thing I would do is check with dept of motor vehicles in your state and tell them about the problem and ask if you do get a place like datatags to make one if that would be ok. The vin on the dash is riveted as far as I know and you cant get factory rivets. Again, this is just my opinion

 

[Grumpy]

I don't post much but I have to say that the posted photo is sad

Looks like the cars still have some good panels though.

they were rot boxes .. not worth fixing (to me) .. some were also wrecked ..if the bodys were good I'd be selling them as "roller's" ... here is one car we did put back together

 

[Grumpy]

I hear you man, but i know the car is the real deal. Its not a car on ebay or anything, I know the car is the real deal..
I can't explain why it rotted but it did.
BTW after some searching i found this guy:http://www.datatags.com/. He makes replacment vins & tags.
John

NOT VIN tag ... I would say its Illegal to do ..what would stop people from "creating " thier own cars

 

[my85grandnation]

Grumpy you have any nice taillights you could sell?

 

[Grumpy]

Grumpy you have any nice taillights you could sell?

I have lots of them ... how nice do ya want ??

 

[my85grandnation]

Nice enough for a 40k mile all original show car. I really only need a drivers side one as it has developed some hairline cracks on the edge of it. How much for one?

 

[Razor]

I have some Buick junks with no windshields for years in rain , sleet and snow ... never rotted !!! something isn't right . I don't think VIN "tag's" are in the GM parts books

Ahhh... the Grumpy U-Pull-It :biggrin:

I agree... not a replaceable item.. especially with the correct background and such

I have walked plenty of junk yards.. never seen a rotted one either..

Good luck in your decision.. sounds like a nice race car candidate

 

[vintageracer]

There are guys out there making VIN tags that are legal and known in the hobby. You must personally own the car,, provide LOTS of documentation to the VIN tag guy, state government and the original damaged tag in your case. Yes, this is what the 427 Corvette guys do. One gentleman is/was Bill Clement in Texas who previously had a company called "Chevycraft" in Lubbock Texas. Many times the tags are not necessarily repo's but original tags with newly stamped numbers. Example, there are LOTS of original/not repo Shelby American Vin tags out there. There are also lot's of guys illegally making tags that do not advertise for some reason????

There was/is a way to obtain a VIN tag from GM as "I" personally have done this. Go to a Service Manager at the Buick dealership where you have a realationship. Ask the manager for GM forms for VIN tag replacement. He will look at you and laugh. Tell him to call the zone office and push till he gets the proper person. When the forms arrive fill them out completely and have them notarized as required with the Service Manager's signature and help. GM will send a replacement VIN to the dealership for installation on YOUR car. The dealer MUST install the VIN on the car so this will involve windshield replacement/removal and maybe dash removal. The dealer will submit the final paperwork back to GM that the installation has been completed by the dealer. The dealer WILL NOT give you the VIN tag for installation on you own. Some states also have rules that govern this process or make this process illegal. It is/was legal in Tennessee.

Now here is the caveat! You may or may not receive a VIN tag that is exactly the same in appearance to the one you currently have on the car. They have not made 1989 model cars in a while so GM may/probably does not have any original 1989 VIN tags anywhere in inventory. Chances are a replacement VIN tag from GM will not be the same in appearance to the original tag.

This process DOES WORK as I have personally completed this process with a Corvette I purchased from the Chevy dealer selling me the Corvette with no VIN tag. The Chevy dealer was also the one who replaced the rusty windshield frame in the convertible and threw away the original tag still attached to the rusty original windshield frame! The dealer had also personally owned the car 10 years and had no problem in stating/signing an affadavit as to why the replacement VIN tag was needed.

Concerning the rusting of VIN tags. In older cars the VIN tags are stainless steel or aluminum. They are now steel in the newer cars and can and do rust from time to time since they are now in the base of cowl. VERY unusual however not unknown.

Replacement VIN's can be done but the process is not easy. Most guy's take the easy and ILLEGAL way of buying a wrecked car of the same make/model and swapping the tag.

 

[vintageracer]

Check with your state DMV since you are worried a State Assigned VIN would have a different VIN number. Many states do and will issue a state assigned VIN with the original VIN number of/on the car.

 

[Grumpy]

well how does it go ???? "show me" ... sorry don't believe it . yes some make a "repo" tag for Shelby's BUT its not exact (and the Ford VIN is under it on the early cars ) .. same goes for 427 Cobra's

 

[vintageracer]

Read the post! I told you how to do it!

Yes, there are repo Shelby tags available that are not exact and say "Shelby America" instead of "Shelby American". There are also Shelby exact repo's available and still many unstamped "original tags" out there if you know who to ask. You did state one correct thing. There is the ford VIN under the tag on the original 65-67 GT-350's and Shelby VIN stampings on original Cobra frames.

 

[Grumpy]

Read the post! I told you how to do it!

Yes, there are repo Shelby tags available that are not exact and say "Shelby America" instead of "Shelby American". There are also Shelby exact repo's available and still many unstamped "original tags" out there if you know who to ask. You did state one correct thing. There is the ford VIN under the tag on the original 65-67 GT-350's and Shelby VIN stampings on original Cobra frames.

Cobras have CSX#s everywhere .. early Shelby's have the Ford # and the Shelby # stamped in it to in a few places .. I know those cars :biggrin: