Suspicious VIN tag?
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2017
Posts: 1,433
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Suspicious VIN tag?
Passed on a car yesterday for various reasons, but one of the key things was the VIN tag looked suspicious and I wondered if anyone else sees the same things as I do?
Here is the one I suspect is not original....
When compared to one I believe to be virginal.....
To me, the first one does not have the same precise and crisp pressing definition round the characters, and I've never seen curved sanding marks over a VIN tag before.
Here is the one I suspect is not original....
When compared to one I believe to be virginal.....
To me, the first one does not have the same precise and crisp pressing definition round the characters, and I've never seen curved sanding marks over a VIN tag before.
Race Director
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From: Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia
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Cruise-In VIII Veteran
defiantly looks suspicious !
Burning Brakes
Joined: Mar 2014
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From: Dallas
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2020 C3 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
This is from my '70 which is a pretty early model. I know it to be legitimate and cant tell which of your photo's it looks the most like.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2017
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The numbers are crisp and defined, the plate is smooth and flat, without any waviness surrounding the numbers due to poor pressing.
Yours also lacks sanding marks.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2017
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Best way to describe what I'm seeing is that the numbers on the suspicious looking one look like they are only partially through a vacuum forming process, where the legit ones look like the vacuum process is fully complete. I know that is not how they are made, but best describes what I'm seeing.
Last edited by Last Triumph; Jan 2, 2021 at 07:46 AM.
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From: Pittsburgh
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That doesn't look right to me either
Burning Brakes
Joined: Mar 2014
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From: Dallas
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Seems it could simply be paint/sealant or a similar product to spruce that area up. If it matches with the engine/title etc.. I would not have run from the car if everything else looked good.
Last edited by jgilevettes; Jan 2, 2021 at 08:21 AM.
Thread Starter
Drifting
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Le Mans Master
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From: Cool Northern Michigan
This brings up the question that if a C3 was in a fire, interior / dash damage etc, how does one go about getting a replacement VIN tag?
Not saying that be the case here, but one never knows.
Not saying that be the case here, but one never knows.
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Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2010
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From: Broadview hts Ohio
To me it looks like it has several coats of heavy paint or something covering it. It definitely does not have the original patina. So,
hard to tell it original with all the layers on it. Sort of like you cannot judge the enigine vin derivative when someone has sprayed
paint all over it.
Joe
hard to tell it original with all the layers on it. Sort of like you cannot judge the enigine vin derivative when someone has sprayed
paint all over it.
Joe
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Thread Starter
Drifting
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The car had been restored some years ago, so possible the windscreen pillar was sanded down, rust repaired and the restorer was sloppy with the 80 grit?
Anyway, a large chunk of front fender was missing and the motor numb er hidden by a fuel filter bolded tight up against the block so numbers couldn't be verified.
Anyway, a large chunk of front fender was missing and the motor numb er hidden by a fuel filter bolded tight up against the block so numbers couldn't be verified.
1967 Pedal Car Champion
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From: US-PNW
Interesting that the two are convertibles... I wouldn't think there would be a difference but the numbers don't appear as tall and wide as the coupe examples. Does anyone know how the tags were produced for the assembly line? Were the tags made by two different stamping machines that may have been set up differently?
