riffraff

so most of you know of my current situation, so i will not bother to explain it, just get straight down to the questions..

i am trying to decide weather i should go through the trouble of smoging, and reregestering with dvm and insurance, my new body.. or , should i just switch the vin's with the old one

any thoughts??

details that you possibly should know. new body is a 79. old one is an 80. engine is 79 rx-4

SilverRocket

Sounds like you would be in for a whole pile of hassle if you reregistered, especially if you have to reinstall emmisions equipment and stuff. What's really the point anyways? It's not like you're doing it for some shady purpose or defrauding anybody, I don't see how anybody would care. You didn't steal the car or anything. I think you should just switch them.

I don't know anything about how this works in the US though, maybe there are complications?

riffraff

the only way that complecations can arrise is if someone pulls me over, runs the vin and knows a hell of a lot about rx-7's.. they would have to know both the differences between the 79 and 80 bodies (which there are very few, especially once i am done with it), and know the differences between the vin's (which there are 2).

the down fall, is if you get caught, you are fucked..

P.O.S. Racing

How you going to change the VIN numbers on the body itself?

Really sounds like a bad ideal, plus if you were to ever sell the car, and someone figured out your deception you’d be eligible to do time (Jail) and pay a huge fine in Texas for swapping VIN #’s, what’s the penalty in Cali?

riffraff

no idea what the penality is in california.. need to check that out.

as far as changing them, the one in the engine bay is held on by screws, so easy to swap. the one on the dash is on by rivits, a bit more work but still dooable.

SilverRocket

I just remembered something....on my car the VIN is in 3 places; the dash, screwed onto the firewall, but also written into the firewall on the passenger side of the car... you sure yours isn't like this? That would screw up the plan.

I guess what I am saying is that for your purposes, there really doesn't seem to be anything bad or illegally intentioned about it. But don't do it if you plan to ever sell the car. I think otherwise, it's pretty unlikely anyone would ever know. That's a risk you would be taking though.

No one is going to make you go to jail, given the circumstances around the situation. I don't see how this harms anybody. Besides, it is *half* your old seven anyways

P.O.S. Racing

From www.dmv.ca.gov

When inspection of a VIN reveals evidence of tampering, alteration or obliteration of the number, immediately notify the nearest Department of Motor Vehicles, Investigations Section.

Wonder why?

P.O.S. Racing

California Vehicle Code Section Number 10802.

Any person who knowingly alters, counterfeits, defaces, destroys, disguises, falsifies, forges, obliterates, or removes vehicle identification numbers, with the intent to misrepresent the identity or prevent the identification of motor vehicles or motor vehicle parts, for the purpose of sale, transfer, import, or export, is guilty of a public offense and, upon conviction, shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for 16 months, or two or three years, or by a fine of not more than twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000), or by both the fine and imprisonment, or by up to one year in the county jail, or by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by both the fine and imprisonment.

Kind of sounds like you are trying to misrepresent identity...

Not trying to be an a$$hole, just trying to save you from as you put it "complications".

SilverRocket

Yeah but those guys are after car theft rings and **** like that, not joe rx7 changing his vin when he gets a new body. Who the hell's gonna look under his hood and report him??!!?? Unless he makes it blatantly obvious, like scratching out the number entirely. It seems weird that a garage or whatever would do that for a 20 year old car.

On the other hand, isn't it easier to make a few phone calls then to spend the time switching the VINs? Check out what hoops you'd have to jump through, and then decide.

Unnecessary bureaucracy sucks, but if you would have to worry about it all the time then maybe you should re-register.

SilverRocket

The part that would pertain to him would probably be the "fine up to 1000 dollars" would it not? I can not imagine a more harmless case as his, I don't see how any judge would see fit to send him to jail.

But you are right, it is always better to play it safe.

P.O.S. Racing

"or by both the fine and imprisonment."

Guess I’m just not one to take an unnecessary risk.

SilverRocket

You're definitely right... I just hate admitting the point I'm arguing is starting to look dumb

MarkPerez

It doesn't say anything about reregistering

rxtasy

how long do they keep testing cars out there in CA ? you don't have to do emission testing here if the car is over 20 yrs old. strange since these are likely the cars with the worst emissions (compared to newer cars). but hey i'm willing to wait a few years and take advantage of that with my '85

SilverRocket

Yeah, but if he wants to have insurance, etc, it will have to match the # on the car.

SilverRocket

HAHA yeah dude Ontario is awesome

My 82 is exempt baby!!!

riffraff

rxtasy, i think in california that 25 years is the cutoff point. not sure though. i just know that i had to smog my 80 when i bought it.

i called the dvm today. they said that they could assign the car a new vin? that does not make much sense to me.

p.o.s. you do have a valid point. someone could easily misconscrew this as a misrepresentation of identity. (although i donot think that is really is).

the complications that p.o.s. speaks of is definatly one that i want to aviod. i did not realise that there was a third vin burnt into the frame. i will have to check that out. if i cannot do the swap cleanly, and completely, then it is not worth the risk. that just means that i would have to put the damn thermal reactors back on when i am done to get it smoged, so that i can regester the car. plus, have to deal with the insurance company.

my hope was that i could somewhat legaly do this, since it really is my old car, just in a different skeleton. but i am not to sure now.

P.O.S. Racing

I'd call them again, maybe they didn't understand the question.

riffraff

my guess is the same, that she did not understand the question.

she made it sound like they would legaly change the vin's for me. (for a fee ofcourse).

either way, i will check into it

Pele

iTrader: (28)

I was thinking of swapping the dash VIN's when I get a black or grey interior. That way, all the VIN's on my car would match. Maybe I shouldn't...

riffraff

i would think that it would be a fairly good idea to have the vin's match

HOZZMANRX7

iTrader: (43)

My suggestion, for what its worth, is to leverage any relatives address you have out of state where smog laws are not so restrictive and register it there. I think rural areas of Nevada or Oregon works in this case.

Insurance becomes a problem. But if its family, perhaps you can add them to your title so it can be added to their insurance policy. Also, for sure the "must register in Calif withing 30 days clock" will start ticking once you get you next ticket because you'll be screwed for sure with the second ticket. So, you'll need to be extra law abiding as the circumstances present in this play.

Key point is to buy time. It hasn't happened yet, but I've also heard there is a move in Sacramento to change the no smog requirement to anytime prior to a trailing 25 years. If/when that happens you can reregister it back in Cali with a clear mind in three years.

Alternatively, just put your baby in non-op at $5 a year until this same change happens and buy a smog legal anything to drive in the mean time.

Swapping Vins is a Federal thing. So you'd be TOTALLY FUCKED if you got caught. Conversly, no Cali. registration is a hand slap by comparison.

HOZZMANRX7

iTrader: (43)

By the way, the VIN's are located in 4 places. Drivers door jamb, dash (front left corner behing steering wheel), a screw in place in on one side of the fire wall and stamped into the other side of the fire wall. The second the third are easy to swap, the first and especially the last are impossable to swap.

GT1

If the smog testing isn't government run in California, just find a "openminded" mechanic who will accept a lightly padded bill to overlook the mods that you have done. Here in Victoria we have zero emmisions laws but i've been slapped with inspection notices by the police for excessive exhaust/intake noise and flames out the tailpipe, but my mechanic is a licenced inspector so he has conveniently turned a blind eye to the mods. If it works that way where you live, just find a "good" inspector

HOZZMANRX7

iTrader: (43)

Two level of smog inspections in Cali. Regular and tightly state controled smog stations for any car that has been tagged by DMV as a "gross polluter".

You get this gross polluter tag if you go to get your smog cert. and the shop guy has you hooked up to Sacramento when he runs the test. So, ALWAYS have them do a "pretest" first.

If you're not a gross polluter then, yeah, there are places that for a little extra "gratuity" will pass you. But, they really have to be low key as if they get caught, they loose their shop and face jail time. So a "get to know" dance before you can really find them is an obvious prerequisit.