[MotownMadman]

Insane,
Your point is a valid one. This is where I had hoped this would go. I am not in favor of placing a new body to a car, however, I am trying to decide the logic in what is going on in the collector car world as of now. In an earlier post I asked a similar question, where does one draw the line? Certainly every panel on these cars can be purchased new or used, if everything other then the firewall, which carries the stamped numbers is replaced, is that then acceptable for the car to be a correctly restored original? The legal issue revolves around the alteration of any of the VIN numbers stamped into the body. In order to change the body the numbers would have to be inserted or restamped into the replacment body. As someone stated in an earlier post that would be legal if done under the supervision of law enforcement, so givin that, would a rebody be accepted in the collector car world if the car forever after carried a statement from law enforcement as to the numbers being transfered under the watchful eye of law enforcement? One of the reasons I started this post is I have a 69 pace car I bought out of Canada a few years ago that is a complete numbers matching unmolested original car, with complete history and Canadian documentation, the dilema is I have never seen a more rusted Camaro. I purchased every piece of sheet metal for the car with the exception of the cowl and firewall. Complete new floor, both quarters, two complete doors, complete trunk floor, shock towers, rear tail light panel, inner and outer wheel houses, and complete new GM dash. I have looked at this project for two years and never started it due to the fact I am at a loss as what to do. This is a original numbers matching car with documentation and history. Would the person I sold this car to be happier knowing he had a pieced together car(no matter how well its done they are never the same), or would he be happier knowing the back body shell was replaced with, say an Arizona body? Would the accepted way to be to take a perfect body and reattach the complete cowl and firewall off the original car? Is that acceptable? Back when these cars were new it wasnt unheard of to replace a complete back half of a car when totaled, they were usually cut across the floor at the rear of the rocker panel and cut right at the top of the A-Piller and sectioned together. If someone bought a collector car today and found out that had been 30 years ago, would the car then be no good? It was even a easier repair on a convertible as it was one cut across the floor right behind the drivers seats. Many were done that way, I happen to know of one very nice COPO today that had that same repair many years ago. Anybody here want to be the guy that tells him his car is no good? I for one dont want to repair the pace car in such a way that even if I told the buyer, suppose he sells the car a few years later and doesnt tell that owner, he finds out down the road and it all comes back to haunt me with civil charges and possibly criminal if I had not done the changeover under the eye of law enforement. The other possibility? Throw a perfectly original numbers matching pace car in the scrap yard and loose another piece of history? I dont think that idea would set well with anyone who is into the preservation of the history of these cars. I would be more than happy to email photos of this car to anyone for ideas and suggestions. If any of the members here were to find one of the missing ZL-1 cars that had been t-boned so bad there would be no fixing the body, but it had an all original numbers matching drivetrain with documentation, would you part the car out, or quietly go into your shop and do whatever is neccessary to fix the car. You get one with a badly bent subframe and nobody has a problem with bolting on a new subframe. I have a bigger problem with somone takes a plain jane Z-28 and adding a bunch of options and claiming as original, How would most you members rate your cars that have been restored, 30, 40, 50 percent original componants? I previously owned one of the Yenko deuce cars, I know the whereabouts of the rear end and original carburator , so when it is done it will no doubt have a restamped rear housing and carburator, when that rear end is stamped as many are, is there a noticable difference in that vs restamping the body? I would feel safe in guessing that 30 percent of the current cars in this field have had some point of the drivetrain restamped, it that legal or ethical? We all know that as these cars become older and harder to find that have more extensive deteriation, more and more of this practice will continue. This is why I believe some agreed upon guidelines should be adopted before it gets anymore out of hand. More food for thought. Motown. [img]/ubbthreads/images/icons/cool.gif[/img] [img]/ubbthreads/images/icons/confused.gif[/img]