69ragvette

How can you tell if someone changed the trim tag for a more desirable color option?

vettebuyer6369

If the paint code is 900 and there's any trace of green on the body, they did it again.

Seriously, though, look at the rivets and see if they look right, see iif the design and orientation of the tag looks right and check the inside, jambs, engine compartment, etc for traces of other colors and/or overspray.

vette54728702

That can be hard to prove. Do you have a tank sticker or other documentation that says the car is a different color than the trim tag says? Sometimes (If I remember correctly) the title of the car will specify color. You can also look under the sill plates or other areas for original overspray. Does that color match your trim tag. If you have no documentation, I would say it's all about looking at your cars hidden details. I'm sure there are specific looking rivits holding the trim tag to the car also.

Mike Ward

See if the date on the trim tag makes sense with respect to the VIN.

Easy Mike

Yep. If the faker covered his/her tracks, it could be extremely difficult to prove.

corvetteload

Whoever said a color was more desirable than another?!?!?!?!?! I must have missed that memo......................... Engine combos, maybe, but color????

mapman

What is the year of the car in question? NCRS has a trim tag book on C2

What is the price (about) of the car?

As stated by Mike Ward, check if the trim code date and the VIN are consistent. If the price of the car is enough, it may be worthwhile to spend the money to determine the car's EXACT production date. NCRS offers this service to members on 1962-1975 Corvettes.

NCRS also has a Corvette Document Validation Service if the seller is offering factory paperwork as "proof" of build history. Quality color copies (not the originals) are examined to determine if the paperwork does or does not agree with GM's records. Cost of each report is $40.

Easy Mike

All Corvettes Are Red

RIO68

At least that's my wife's oppinion! We all know how that works!

Mike Ward

A few points-

Trim tags on C2s are completely different and not comparable to C3s, the NCRS book would be of no use.

There's plenty of books and calculators around that will advise a best guess of the car production date. The NCRS delivery info is not required.

The documentation validation service looks at papers the owner provides to see if they are genuine. If the OP has these documents, he wouldn't need anybody else to evaluate if the trim tag 'lines up' nor would the service aid in him in doing so in any case.

joewill

if the car's vin# birthday and the trim tag date do not line up to within a day or 2 then most likely it is a replacement from another car. it would be near impossible to find a original trim tag out in the market to have all 3 criteria correct ( 1. color option 2. interior option. 3 date) to match a counterfeiter's needs. if your dates do line up then it is either real or a reproduction and one can tell this also to some degree by magnifying the metal surface.

the rivets prove nothing... the original tag could have been removed and replaced as part of a previous repaint. different rivets do not prove the trim tag is a fake. it only proves that the tag had been removed/replaced sometime in the past.

know your requirements and know how to confirm the car meets your requirements before buying the car.

Easy Mike

The wrong rivets prove something.

True

Also true.

Install the fake trim tag with the correct factory rivets and you could hide the swap a little better.

mapman

QUOTE=Mike Ward A few points-

"Trim tags on C2s are completely different and not comparable to C3s, the NCRS book would be of no use."
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The OP did not specify the year in question, sometimes questions get in the wrong section. Point is NCRS may have information useful to the OP.


"There's plenty of books and calculators around that will advise a best guess of the car production date. The NCRS delivery info is not required."
----
The NCRS service identifies the EXACT date, not a "calculated" date. The would help verify the trim tag.



"The documentation validation service looks at papers the owner provides to see if they are genuine. If the OP has these documents, he wouldn't need anybody else to evaluate if the trim tag 'lines up' nor would the service aid in him in doing so in any case."
----
The validation service is for identification of FAKE documentation.

Mike Ward

The service provides the date the car was considered complete, not the date on the trim tag. There's still the variable gap of 0-5 days between the two- as always.

......

Possibly yes, but it still wouldn't determine whether the trim tag is the original or not.

Alan 71

Hi,
I believe it's possible to decern an original trim tag from a reproduction trim tag more certainly than an original trim tag from another car.
Regards,
Alan

69ragvette

thanks guys,I found daytona yellow all over my car, on a couple pieces I found other colors keep in mind that when I striped this car it had been painted several times Daytona yellow,blue metalic,burgundy metalic,ontario orange and red twice but the only color I found in the crevaces and under the car was daytona yellow which is the color on the trim tag. after an argument with a so called vette pro I felt the need to go to the REAL Pros and shut him up.thank you

1969RAY

What do you think about a replacement tag for a car that was purchased without a trim tag? I stripped numerous colors off from gold to red, twice. Under both door locks was one color, and as it turned out, the color that I painted it during restoration. Its my best evidence of the "original" color. Should I add the correct trim tag?

joewill

there should never be a problem to install a correct trim tag. the degree of correctnesss can never be 100% though. just down the line do not sell it as 'original'. and also understand that down the line the next seller, or the next, or the next, will probably unknowingly try to sell it as original.

jr9170

A real documented black or red vette will carry a premium over any other color.A REAL black 900 code 68-89 always are in demand and bring more money probably even more than a red 68-69.

Mike Ward

There's only two reasons to install a repro trim tag, one of them will get your car blackballed during judging, the other to assist in deceit.