Trim Tag: none at all or repro?

[Verne_Frantz]

I'm inclined to agree 100% with Lynn on that. While having no tag at all may prompt more questions, the answer is always easy and the same. If there's a repro tag on it, it won't get the obvious question as before, but before too long there will not only be more serious questions raised, but a lot of talk about the car and it's "real" heritage that you will never hear. Afterall, what body number would you put on it? You'd have to make one up, and it sure would be a shame if a car with it's original tag showed up with the same number. That could cause problems for 2 people, one of whom doesn't deserve any controversary over his car....

I also have to wonder about something else. No harm intended, but you stated the original cowl tag was destroyed in an engine compartment fire. Now, I have to think about how severe that fire had to be to completely melt away and "destroy" that tag. You also state, "The car is all original, paint, interior, engine, tranny, rear"
I have to wonder what might happen to the paint on a car's fenders, hood and upper cowl in such a fire...... Was the windshield cracked from the heat? Was the firewall pad toasted? Paint has a lower melting point than aluminum.

I said, I'm not trying to start trouble, but from what I've read so far, in my opinion things are sounding a little fishy.......

[TXSS]

Just to be accurate. I belive he said "It was lost somehow" not destroyed.

I'd put a blank tag on

[Belair62]

[ QUOTE ]
It was lost somehow in an engine fire many years ago before those kinds of things were important.

[/ QUOTE ]

[chavist93]

Yes, I dont know the whole story on what actually made the tag come off or fall off. The engine fire doesnt seem that is was very bad. The fender or hood paint was not damaged. Here is a pic of the car.

[Lynn]

Original quote said "It was lost somehow in an engine fire many years ago before those kinds of things were important." Obviously you are just repeating what you have been told, so no one is trying to hold your feet to the fire (no pun intended) on the previous statement, but Verne is on the money. I remember a very small carb fire on my 57 Chevy that ruined the paint on the hood, but caused no other damage (air cleaner was not installed as I was test driving it). Now, the hood could have been off the car, but still, heat serious enough to damage a trim tag would have caused some other serious damage. Perhaps the paint is just very old, but not original.

Back to the original question: I would still leave it off if it were my car.

Lynn

[chavist93]

The paint is original. I chemically stripped every panel myself by hand. I dont really care how the trim tag got missing, that is not the issue. I bought the car about 6 years ago knowing it didnt have it. This car is for personal enjoyment only as I had one for my first car in 1970. Times would have to get really rough for me to sell this one. I was told the fire story last year during the proces of finding the origial owner. The second owner from 20+ years ago told me this and he had no reason to lie. That aside, looks like most would just leave it off. Although i'm sure 99.9% of the people around here at local show wouldnt know the diff. between a real one and a fake one. Is there any way to estimate the body sequence # for the trim tag by the vin#?

[njsteve]

It's not as crazy as it sounds: if, after the fire, the previous owner pulled the tag off the firewall to get someone to decypher the paint code, it's a plausible possibility. I bring this up because years ago I checked out a 426 Hemi Charger Daytona that had its VIN plate peeled off of its dash with a screw driver. It ripped about 1/4 of the tag off. Why did someone do this you ask???? In early 1969 there was a paperwork discrepency with the Charger 500s and Daytonas. The VINs start with XX29 on a 500 and Daytona versus XS29 on a Charger R/T. After the cars left the factory, local motor vehicle offices started noticing the discrepency with cars showing the actual XX29 VIN plates but the manufacturer's paperwork showing XS29. On the Daytona I looked at, an owner somewhere along the line ran into this DMV problem and instead of trailering the car to the DMV inspector to show them and explain it was just a typographical error on the title, he used a screw driver and pried off the entire VIN plate. You can imagine the response he got at the DMV. He was lucky to leave the DMV with his original VIN in hand, normally they would have confiscated it. But now, 20 or 30 years later, the car has a torn up VIN plate and a bizarre, though true explanation. Maybe something ridiculously similar happened here?

[JoeG]

[ QUOTE ]
Although i'm sure 99.9% of the people around here at local show wouldnt know the diff. between a real one and a fake one.

[/ QUOTE ]-----------Cha-Ching $$$$$