I normally try to steer clear of the swamp under the bridge where the trolls live, but hell, it's Sunday morning and I have a little time to waste
First, on the issue of laws: Federal, State, local..It bugs me when people start talking about what's illegal like it's set in stone. At the risk of "name calling" (which I try to avoid,) any person on this site who says they have NEVER deliberately broken ANY law is an idiot or a liar (or both!)
The example of pot was a great one: Legal in certain states, illegal by the feds. Drug laws are incredible! My wife has prescriptions for Xanax, Percocet and a number of narcotics which I could go to jail for if she leaves her pill bottle in my truck! SHE can be arrested if she leaves the bottles at home and puts her daily dose in her purse without them being in the original containers! And don't get me started on having to show my license to have to buy cold medicine because some drug head uses it to get off!
I'm pretty certain that many states (including mine) still have laws against my wife or girlfriend giving me oral sex! Hell, even HAVING a wife AND a GF is probably against the law. And if I give my GF cash or a gift because the sex is great, now I'm promoting prostitution! I bet I could even find a state law against HAVING sex if you aren't married! Is anybody here still totally legal?
It's illegal for me to burn trash, piss in my back yard, spill gas on the ground when I'm filling my lawnmower, shoot (and sometimes even OWN) firearms.
Before I go ten pages on STUPID laws, lets narrow it down to motor vehicles! Every vehicle made after 1974 is required to have a catalytic converter, many states require the original exhaust to be unmodified.
There are state laws against swapping an engine to any larger than the original mill. I once failed Pennsylvania State Inspection because I had installed bucket seats into a bench seat car and I was told that you were not allowed to change the factory floor plan!
There are laws against OWNING an unregistered vehicle in certain places, even if it is stored in a building. Many communities have ordinances about working on vehicles or even RAISING THE HOOD to check the oil!
Finally, do any "law abiding" FABO members ever exceed a legally posted speed limit? Do a burnout? Loud exhaust? Road racing?
The fact is that we all ignore certain laws because you pretty much HAVE to. You do it quietly and don't advertise to the world what you are doing.
Just as we navigate the absurdity of everyday life under the bondage of well intentioned but stupid laws, so must we approach the OPs problem.
He owns the car. He would like to drive it. He's not looking to pass something off as anything it's not.
He didn't mention the VIN sticker on the door. If that was there and complete, some states will accept that in lieu of a vin tag. And you CAN get reproduction door vin stickers and type your vin number on them.
To the OP: My advice would be to find all the places the partial vin is stamped on the car. If you have the fender tag, the partial vin is on it. Take pictures. Then have a friend or relative SELL you the car (even though it's already yours). Get a notarized bill of sale signed by your buddy with the vin number on it. Take the bill of sale and your pictures to the motor vehicle department. It would be even easier if you or a friend are dating a girl who works there!(A good friend of mine even MARRIED the motor vehicle lady) Dating or not, this is a problem that they encounter everyday and they have a way to help.
Many states will put their own "special" VIN sticker on the door jam with a different number. This does affect the overall value of the car, but you can drive it.
Now let's talk about the dreaded VIN swapping
Let the troll chorus begin!)
On ANY car you want to title, you quietly address the issue, not get on a website and announce it to the world! Asking for a vin tag online is like asking if anybody here will sell you meth! There are people who do it, and people who sell it, and people who can get it, but nobody here is going to admit it and everybody here will tell you it's illegal!
uh..by the way: IT'S ILLEGAL!
That being said, bogus VINs are swapped all the time. Like meth, I'm not condoning it, I won't admit to doing it, but it can be done. If you go that route, it would be VERY wise to make certain that you actually OWN both cars. Buy a rusty 70 road runner with the correct documentation. Also document ownership of your car as sugggested above. VIN swapping is bad, but stolen vehicles are to be avoided at all costs! If you ever sell your car, be honest to the potential buyer about the vin swap (quietly, not in the online ad) and provide documentation on both cars.
Finally, be warned that selling a car with questionable documentation can bite you in the *** at very inopportune times! The Bible says "be certain your sins will find you out!"
It is important to remember that the ORIGINAL title always takes precident over any duplicate! I remember reading a story recently about a Cuda convertible that someone found in a field. It was totally junk, but knowing how valuable the E body vert's are, this person spent thousands restoring it to it's totally original condition. Unfortunately, they apparently had to use a title service to get the long lost documentation. The car was listed to be sold on a national auction site with the VIN number in the advertisement. Somebody somewhere remembered having that car as a teenager! To make matters more interesting, the original owner had kept the title! When he showed up with his legal paperwork claiming ownership of the $150k restoration, the auction had to be cancelled and a lengthy court battle ensued. I never heard how that ended, but I'm certain it wasn't pretty for the people who funded the restoration.
Anyway, that's my $.02. Happy Holidays to everyone!
