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I would assume that's only true if you transfer those peices of sheetmetal to another "vehicle". Since by definition these body tubs are not vehicles in themselves, but "passenger motor vehicle equipment" by the referenced code above.
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I dont mean to sound pompous on this subject matter but legally, I know what I'm talking about. The simple statutory definitions you cite do not hold any weight as precedent. You may reasonably believe that a common sense interpretation of them would support your position but unfortunately it does not. Case law is what the Court would have to base their opinion upon. And this is a new, unexplored, legal territory. Someone is going to have to be the "test case guniea pig" on this matter. I would not want to be the person who rivets their old VIN and firewall tag on one of these bodies and then tries to slip it through their local motor vehicle inspection station. You're bound to run into an inspector who knows about these new replacement bodies and then seizes the car as evidence of VIN tampering. Until some revision to the existing Federal Stautes is created, I think the only way to register one of them properly would be to apply for a state issued VIN number, just like the street rod builders do.
Then again, that's just my completely unbiased, semi-official, $500 an hour, legal opinion.
Now where do I send my bill to?