[Hylton]

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Hylton,
Thanks for your time and efforts. From the pictures of the body panels I don't see a year? Is the year on there? Just looks like weeks?

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No, there is nothing to indicate year on the sheetmetal date stampings. If someone did collect pictures of these stampings and mapped them with the dates and VIN numbers of cars, I believe someone would be able to tell what year the sheetmetal part was made.

Over the year(s), there were certain adjustments and fitment issues which would help identify the timeframe which the part came from.

Collecting pictures of dates would help determine what year the part was built because you can look at exactly how the stamp was done. Lighter stampings and position of stampings are both traits which help establish when the stamp was made.


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In regard to educating crooks, I don't think crooks are coming to this sight looking for information. I think they have figured it out already through years of experience. The information gained here helps guys like me who want Chevy's to learn more. I looked for a Yenko Camaro or COPO for almost 20 years that had to have verifiable owners I could talk to and have bulletproof paperwork and be well known in the Yenko community before Colin found mine in Dave's collection last year. Not having solid information and being confident about how to verify a Camaro or Chevelle precluded me from being a part of Chevy world for a long time.

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Most crooks know how to build a successful fake/rebody/restamped car. The issue really is about how much effort does that crook want to go through to perfect his crime. I believe most of them think they are smarter then most buyers and thus do not need to go through the effort and expense of building a perfect BS'd car.

Nowadays, it's rarely worth it for fraudsters to go through the expense. The market is in the tank, real parts are still scarce or expensive and cars do not bring the money they used to. The issue is really about protecting the consumer from buying existing cars out there.

If Steve wants to hold onto information which can prevent others from getting screwed, that's his perogative but I also believe if you educate the public and in doing so, crooks are educated as well, it's still better than crooks being educated a bit and the public not being educated at all except for a select few.