hi mech1nxh and adriver....
thanks mech1nch for the compliments!! yes... it's true ... i am doing all my "FABO legal work" for free... :0) !!
adriver.. let me try and address your comments/questions.
1. when a vehicle is "created" by the original manufacturer it is assigned a specific "Vehicle Identification Number" unique to that car. that unique number is then attached to the car in some form and in some location unique to the manufacturer.
in the early days of the auto industry, VIN numbers were primarily relied upon for internal corporate tracking business purposes and for the various states to issue license plates and titles to a particular person for a particular vehicle for tax and record-keeping goals.
for at least the last 20 years, VIN numbers have been much more complex revealing and including a great deal of data including production numbers, drive train components, date and locations of manufacture and on really new cars, computer information. i'll decode the VIN on one of my barracudas:
B H 29 P 8 B 431915
B: a "Barracuda"
H: high price class
29: 2 door fastback (27 is for a convertible - 23 is for a 2 door coupe)
P: 340 engine
8: 1968 model year
B: produced at the Hamtramck, Michigan Chrysler plant
431915: the sequence number for production of that individual car
thus you can see that even way back in 1968, a "VIN" number placed on a particular 1968 barracuda revealed a great deal of information about the car the number was put on.
as to the law, courts and all state Motor Vehicle Departments in charge of titling and licensing every "road driven" vehicle to be used on any public road in their state - all have a great interest in making sure that when a police offer stops a particular car, that car can be identified as belonging to a particular owner. that identification is accomplished by looking at the title for the vehicle on file with the state bearing the same VIN number that is suppose to be on the car the police officer stopped. in addition, if a vehicle is stolen, it is the VIN number of the stolen car that identifies the exact stolen car and which is admitted into evidence at the criminal trial.
as to all 67, 68 and 69 plymouth barracudas, the VIN number for any of those cars can be changed by just swapping one dash assembly for another. here's an example as to why this is a problem - and is ILLEGAL to do. suppose you run an illegal "chop shop" body shop where you buy stolen cars cheaply, disassemble them and use the parts for other cars. you go to a private owner and buy a worthless 68 barracuda 2 door coup with a good title for $500. you take that car to your chop shop and then have someone steal a very nicely restored 68 barracuda worth $30k. all you have to do is put your $500 dash in your beautiful stolen barracuda and all of a sudden - you have a $30k barracuda in your name with a good title! the United States Department of Justice figured out this scheme decades ago and that's why the U.S. Congress made changing or altering vehicle VIN numbers a "Federal Offense."
now, before anyone gets the wrong message here, not EVERYONE who changes a dash in a 67,68 or 69 barracuda has criminal intentions. there could be a very reasonable and rationale reason for considering doing this. for example, suppose the same owner owns two barracudas - one with a good title and the other one with no title. the owner knows the history of both cars and knows that neither car was ever stolen. what's the harm with this owner just "swapping" the dash assemblies in these cars so he can build one good car? well the answer is probably - there is no harm. however, that is not how the federal and all state governments want this owner to solve this problem. in most states, all he has to do is to apply for a "reconstructed title" for the vehicle he wants to build and the state will issue him a valid and legal VIN and title. AND... there are also the states that do not issue titles at all for cars older beyond a certain year. HOWEVER, even in these states, THE FEDERAL LAW still applies so you could still be prosecuted for "altering or changing a vehicle VIN number."
the point that you've raised about changing a dash isn't really "altering" the VIN number is not the way the police view this. "altering" under the law means doing any act that puts a different VIN number on a vehicle that the vehicle did not originally come with.
as to the phrase "numbers matching" - i'm afraid you've misunderstood what that means. in the collector car world, the term "numbers matching" means that the vehicle has the original engine and transmission in it that it came with from the factory. all american produced vehicles for decades have had numbers stamped on the engine and transmission which also are found on some identification plate on the body of the vehicle. these numbers can be the VIN number or in the case of mopars, "production sequence" numbers. some vehicle also include other parts on the car that are stamped with numbers that are tracked and considered original to the car.
there are actually three terms used now for collector car numbers: "numbers matching" meaning that the engine and transmission is the original ones the car was built with and the dates on the engine/trans are found on the car; "date correct" numbers which means that the engine and/or trans are NOT original to the car but were produced at the factory within a "range of dates" that the car was produced. thus when the 1968 model year barracudas were being first produced, coming off an assembly line beginning after August 1, 1968 and continuing to be produced until May 31, 1969, ANY engine or transmission for a barracuda bearing a production date between August 1, 1968 and May 31, 1969 would be considered "date correct" for a 1968 barracuda. the final term you may hear is "non numbers matching" meaning that the engine/trans (other parts) are just from the same manufacturer and have no other relationship to the particular car they are in.
as to putting a coupe dash and VIN number in a fastback, that car technically and legally CANNOT BE SOLD nor could you get a title. when you apply for a title for this car you have to swear that the information you are providing to the state "is correct." if you know the VIN # is for another car but you still "sent that title application in to the state", you would be guilty of "false swearing to authorities" which is a felony in most states. such a car would be "worthless" with the wrong dash. your only option legally would be to apply for a "reconstructed VIN and title" for this car asking the state to issue a new VIN # for that car - or tear it apart and use the parts on a "legally titled" car.
the law considers the crime of "fraud" to be any act that is intended to illegally deprive another person of anything of value; or causing a person to do something or fail to do something; through the use of "deception." thus, KNOWINGLY selling a 68 fastback barracuda with a 68 "coupe" VIN number would be "fraud."
committing fraud is NOT dependent upon the "value" of the benefit received. illegal fraud occurs whenever you do anything that deprives a person of money that they already have; or causes them TO DO something that results in a loss to them; or causes them to NOT do something that had they done their intended act, would have brought them a benefit - simply by ACTUALLY telling them a lie or by FAILING to tell them the entire truth.
