HOW DO YOU ALL FEEL ABOUT "REBODYING A CAR"

[Smellslike1974]

I think there Is a very fine line between making tribute/clone cars,making It very clear It Is and trying to trick people by not telling or keeping stuff secretive.If you put Road Runner decals on a Satellite(along with everything else) and say Its a Road Runner.Its pointless.Or for any other cars for that matter.What Is there to get from It?There's been plenty of times where I have walked up to what I thought was a real genuine Road Runner only to find out that It was a Satellite.Some sneaky people have the RR toy bird and all,cleverly sitting In top of the vin plate when the hoods up and of course something blocking the other on the dash.Although these people choose not to switch plates,they are still guilty of trying to play It off as original and real.I love Satellites, but not when they are dressed like a credit stealing RR.All these deceiving people Is why I do not enjoy car shows like I used too.The fact that People who switch bodies,vin plates or make clones because the real deal was too much effort for them win trophies and get attention Instead of the actual owners who worked their a$$ off to restore an original car from some of the worst conditions ever Is just severely not right at all and makes shows,meets distasteful.No Its not about the trophies,Its about the big idea.A majority of people at car shows don't know better.They make decisions on what they see,but If something Is very disguised as something else.Who Is really gonna question It?Certainly not people who just go to see the cars,or don't really know what to look for,but there's always those times when you get the owner In a conversation and the truth comes out.And when that happens I want to protest around their car.

I'm proud to have an original Satellite.I would still love It If It was an ordinary Sebring.In fact when I first bought It I didn't even know about the package It had,but would I love to have a Road Runner?YES.Would I commit fraud or stoop that low to achieve that sense of ownership?NO.I just add It to the list of things I want but can't have..........Yet.

[RS23-71]

Most of us like basic Satellites too. I don't agree with rebodying any car whether it's a hemi or a 318 car.

Yeah I can't speak for all of us here but for me it doesn't matter if its a Satellite, Roadrunner or GTX or even all the options it might or might not have. We just love '71-'74 Satellite line B-bodys. I have always seen the rebody thing as all about $$ (not to mention its illegal) and not about the cars themselves. Some say they rebody cars to save them.... cause they are unique or special but I don't buy that. If its unique or special then document everything about that special car and just let it rest in piece.

[fourforty6pac]

There is nothing wrong with building a clone. There is a lot more work to it then slapping on a hood and some stripes. Just don't attempt to pass it off as something that it isn't. I'm building a clone because I feel if I am going to go through all the effort to restore something that has absolutely no chance of being returned to it's original state, I am going to make the best car out of it that I can. Don't get me wrong I love satellites, one of my first cars was a 72 satty. Since then I have had way more then my share of rr's and gtx's. At this point in my life I just want something I can take out and beat the hell out of and look good doing it. And if I enter it in a show and it beats out it's big brothers, well, I guess I did a better job then my competition. Anyway the only difference there would be is one letter and maybe one or number on the vin. Unless I re-tag it. .

[Thack]

A cars vin is like a persons social security number. Is it right to take a dead persons number for your own? or just use some one else's because there's is better. Would you be willing to give your number to someone else because the look better then you.

Vin numbers and data plates stay with the original car. Swapping parts, building clones and tribute cars is cool, but the original vin should not change, so that everyone knows the truth of a car.

Don't think it can be said much better then this quote above.

Yep, I agree.

[moparite]

People can swap dash and fender tags but they are not going to swap the vin stamped into the body. At least not easily. I think the people who do this don't know that the vin is stamped into the body or where. That's one good thing to find a fraud. If any one out there knows where the vin is stamped i suggest not posting it so the people who do this sort of thing won't know about it.

[BuckNeccid]

People can swap dash and fender tags but they are not going to swap the vin stamped into the body. At least not easily. I think the people who do this don't know that the vin is stamped into the body or where. That's one good thing to find a fraud. If any one out there knows where the vin is stamped i suggest not posting it so the people who do this sort of thing won't know about it.

The only problem with not telling anyone is that everyone else who is looking at the car, and not knowing where the stamps are, won't know where to look to find out if they are buying a re-body or clone. Odds are about 1000 to 1 against a re-bodyer asking, compared to someone actually wanting to find out before they spend big money. There's no such thing as useless knowledge.