The dash in our project Duster (340/Auto car) looks like it was the victim of a violent radio jacking. The metal is peeled back and ripped in several spots. The dash in our donor Duster (/6 / 3spd car) is perfect. I want to put the donor dash in the project car. Do I just drill out the VIN Tag rivets and swap them? Is there special rivets I have to use? I know this is a huge crime with jail time if not done correctly. At least in Illinois it is. I may just call the State Police as I know they have guys that specialize in this kind of stuff. But have any of you done a dash swap/Vin tag swap like this?
Swapping dashes and VIN tag ?
- Thread starter NukeSec1
- Start date
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abodyjoe
Well-Known Member
best bet it to grind the rivets from the bottom.. then just glue the tag and original rivets onto the new dash.. they are special rivets. i used to see them for sale but not sure how "correct" looking they are..
WildCat
Well-Known Member
you might check with some MOPAR restoration shops and ask them if the rivits are available
or use joe's suggestion
or use joe's suggestion
You are changing the body part only. So long as the vin tag stay with the original car there isn't a problem. The crime is in moving the tag to a different car not a different body part. Those hex shaped rivets can be pushed out from the underside and reinstalled in another dash.
i know a guy who made the hex rivets from round ones. Might have been a 6 mm socket involved ( my memory sux ).
i know a guy who made the hex rivets from round ones. Might have been a 6 mm socket involved ( my memory sux ).
abodyjoe
Well-Known Member
post that at moparts and watch all the legal experts replies.. you'll laugh all 30 pages of the thread telling you how illegal it is..
I wouldn't last 5 minutes there. I stayed at that slant6 forum about 4 hours. I dont like to argue.
vitamindart
Well-Known Member
i dont see the big deal ,its not like you are taking tags from some rusted out hemi car and putting them on a slant cart and claiming its all original. and in your case you are trying to keep the car with its original title .
I have never seen a car or pickup with exactly the same parts it was born with.These vehicles are almost 50 years old,just be honest if someone asks.Enjoy your car and do with it as you want,let the next guy spend a gazillion bucks to try to have it CORRECT.I have seen guys want to do something with their car and another person talks them out of it,so they finally sell it.I have quit taking my m code cuda to shows because everyone notices my non correct breather wingnut.Just enjoy it is yours.
redfastback
Don't ask me... my garage is empty
Most Mopar resto parts dealers sell them..they run about $50/set. Cheap in the mind of done once, done right, done legally. They are called "rosette rivets". And it is definitely NOT illegal to move it and replace it on a better part.
FYI, When correctly restoring Challenger/Cuda dashes, you MUST remove/replace the VIN tag to redo the pad.....
and BTW, SCREW ALL replies that come from MOPARTS......
FYI, When correctly restoring Challenger/Cuda dashes, you MUST remove/replace the VIN tag to redo the pad.....
and BTW, SCREW ALL replies that come from MOPARTS......
I'm sure my friend who found a way to bootleg those rivets did so many years ago.
At 50 bucks for 2 little rivets I would have to try and make them or recycle the originals.
greenhornet
Well-Known Member
This is what I'd do also, any trooper will be able to tell new rivets on an old vin tag, then he might start asking some questions.. These troopers here in NC have like super human vision, thay could spot a dead sticker on a plate 100 yards away...
4flats
Well-Known Member
Safest bet would be to clear it with the trooper's post first, the DMV may have some special form or something. It's not illegal in spirit, but why take the chance of a huge hassle when a 20 min phone call or 2 can put you in the right?
4flats
Well-Known Member
Safest bet would be to call (or go in person) to the local State Trooper's post and ask them. The DMV may have a special form for moving or altering the VIN plate. Troopers are usually pretty good about answering questions, better than the DMV. I know it is legal in spirit, bit why take the cahnce of a huge hassle when a 20 min phone call could set you straight?
4flats
Well-Known Member
Sorry about the double post, having interweb problems here.
I did not know that about the Challenger/Cuda dashes. So it must really not be that big of a deal. And yes, I absolutely want to stay legal so $50 for two rivets is worth what it could cost if not done correctly and getting caught. I'm going to call the State Police just to make sure there is no inspection that needs done or that they don't need to be present when it happens or that it can only be done on the third Sunday of the month under a full moon with an indian shaman present. Hey, stranger things have happened!:mrgreen:
DartGTDan
'71 Dart GT Fan
I've contacted the SOS (Secretary Of State) here in Michigan. I told them I wanted to swap the dash frame from another car into my car and put my original VIN tag on the swapped dash frame. They said absolutely NOT. I argued that it would be like swapping a fender or a bumper, but they still insisted NO. Because the VIN tag needed to be swapped that makes it a big NO. I thanked them for their time.
Now, when I'm ready I will swap my current VIN (using $40 replacement rosebud rivets) onto the other dash frame and into my car.
So, long story short, my '71 Dart GT will have adifferent dash frame wearing the '71 Dart GT VIN tag.
And yes, the people on Moparts do like to give you the legal arguments.
Good Luck!!
Now, when I'm ready I will swap my current VIN (using $40 replacement rosebud rivets) onto the other dash frame and into my car.
So, long story short, my '71 Dart GT will have adifferent dash frame wearing the '71 Dart GT VIN tag.
And yes, the people on Moparts do like to give you the legal arguments.
Good Luck!!
I have the same problem with my '71 Duster. Some idiot ripped apart the radio mounting plate. I thought about welding in a new piece of steel plate but the dash has rust. I'm going to swap it and take my chances. If questioned I'll say the car was out in the elements with a busted windshield, got rusted through and required replacing. Actually true! I'll show my new floor pans as proof. Don't Ask Don't Tell.
avarageerod
Well-Known Member
x2. I think they don't have anything else to do.
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I work in a new car dealership and right now we a an extended service action warrantying dash pads that bubble-up in extreme heat (we have snowbird customers...) and as part of the replacement of the dash pad is swapping the VIN tag. We drill out the rivets and re-install them on the new pad with new rivets, which can't be seen once installed in the car. The windshield is blacked out along the edge and covers the rivets. And the authorities are aware of the service action, as required by law.
Me personally, I'd either grind the back of the rivets off as Joe suggested and epoxy the tag in place, or buck-up and drop $35-50 for a pair of "correct" rosette rivets (unfortunately, like I did...) and just fix the damn car without advertising what I was doing. The yahoo's over on MoParts will debate gravity. Yes, swapping VIN's is illegal "technically". Yes, re-tagging a car with another VIN is illegal. Yes, calling someone at Motor Vehicles is a bad idea as they'll give an answer covering all situations as fraudulent as opposed to making exceptions. Good judgment comes into play here, which rarely happens with city/state agencies. Just ask me about my 8 month battle with the Water Dept. here in NYC....
FWIW, when I restored my car I paid $35 for a pair of rivets when I installed my VIN tag on a straight, un-mangled dash frame. My car too is a factory 340 P-code car and I didn't want in-correct or glued rivets in my car, but that was MY decision. Now it just looks like a nice, new dash. Nothing against the law about that, is there? Just some good judgment used in restoring MY car, without any bureaucratic intervention.
BTW: The way I justified paying $35 for a pair of rivets is the same way I justified paying over $800 for my TTI's headers: I wanted a nice car even though it was expensive.
Me personally, I'd either grind the back of the rivets off as Joe suggested and epoxy the tag in place, or buck-up and drop $35-50 for a pair of "correct" rosette rivets (unfortunately, like I did...) and just fix the damn car without advertising what I was doing. The yahoo's over on MoParts will debate gravity. Yes, swapping VIN's is illegal "technically". Yes, re-tagging a car with another VIN is illegal. Yes, calling someone at Motor Vehicles is a bad idea as they'll give an answer covering all situations as fraudulent as opposed to making exceptions. Good judgment comes into play here, which rarely happens with city/state agencies. Just ask me about my 8 month battle with the Water Dept. here in NYC....
FWIW, when I restored my car I paid $35 for a pair of rivets when I installed my VIN tag on a straight, un-mangled dash frame. My car too is a factory 340 P-code car and I didn't want in-correct or glued rivets in my car, but that was MY decision. Now it just looks like a nice, new dash. Nothing against the law about that, is there? Just some good judgment used in restoring MY car, without any bureaucratic intervention.
BTW: The way I justified paying $35 for a pair of rivets is the same way I justified paying over $800 for my TTI's headers: I wanted a nice car even though it was expensive.
Snake
Mopar Nut
Change the tag no big deal.Remember guys there are #sss stamp on the rad support and the lip were the trunk seal is that are the same on the vin.I know on my 69 there is.So as long as thoes match your ok.
i ordered the $50.00 repro rivets for the dash in my swinger 340 and after looking them over close decided to ship them back. In my opinion they did not look correct. i dont think they were even the correct size. thank god i did not drill out the old rivets yet. i decided to tape it and paint around it. How many vendors are out there selling these rivets?
Everyone has made good points on this topic. I think I'm just going to do what I need to do and move on <Wink, Wink>. I would grind them off and epoxy them onto the other dash, but why risk that failing when I can get the repop rivets and have piece of mind that it's not going to come loose in an odd twist of my luck. It's not like this car is Barrett-Jackson worthy. It is an original 340 auto car, but has been modified enough to just keep it going in the direction the previous owner was taking it. So, where can I get these rosette rivets?
yellow68runner
Banned
hope this helps
plumdart69
Well-Known Member
I too have to replace my dash frame because a previous owner hacked up where the radio goes to put in a pull out tape deck in (a cheap sparkomatic tape deck of all things).Secondly they cut a hole near the passenger side to put a digital tachomter and also installed a delay wiper on the drivers side.It looks like these where all bought at Canadian Tire.Gee Whizz
ok ,i just got my vin tag back from state police in colorado . I still need rivets as the ones from ecs are for dash pad vin tag and mine is on door post.. There is a fed law that states" as the owner or the owners agent you are allowed to remove vin tag as long as it is necessary for restoration of that part" it is fed law section 511 that is why they gave mine back
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