Trim Tag: none at all or repro?

[Belair62]

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

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[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?

[Verne_Frantz]

Yes, Steve, there might be a number of "crazy" reasons why someone would remove a trim tag. But if we stick to the evidence, it's been stated that it was removed due to an engine fire.

Now, as to providing advice to an estimated body number based on the VIN to make a recreated cowl tag look more authentic, I would hope that would bother every true hobbyiest's conscience.

The cowl tag is NOT a restoration part. Some cars have good luck and they retain their original features - some have bad luck and they don't. That's just the way it is. None of us are entitled to recreate history.

Sorry, nothing personal intended. I just have very strong feelings that so-called "reproduction" cowl tags have an an extremely negative effect in this hobby I love.

[JoeG]

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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 $$$$$

[Pacecarjeff]

I completly agree with Lynn, and Vern. This fake stuff is really ruining the hobby.
This is not buyer beware anymore - that is fraud.
I had a similar discussion about repro POP's on Team Camaro, some of those guys just didn't get it.

Fake POP discussion Interesting reading - I have a way with words.

If it were me, I would find a tag off another 1967 Car and put that up there in it's place.
Most people wouldn't know the difference, and the ones that do, would understand your explanation.

Otherwise, I guarentee somewhere down the road, someone is going to get burned. Maybe your great-grandson will sell the car. He will believe it to be a real tag. It never fails.

I have a large collection of trim tags (for refrence only)
I would be glad to find you a Cadillac tag or something.

[musclecarjohn]

Boy...riveting and compelling commentary from both Lynn and Vern.

Lynn,
I appreciate your point of view.Your compassion for the hobby is quite evident.

Vern,
Your words are so true.It's the cars that are the stars and we are only the lucky ones to be the caretakers.
Money has certainly clouded the picture...

Thank you both for sharing your feelings.