Hey guys,

Everyone has been VERY helpful trying to relay the best info to me due to the situation that I am in with my 69 Camaro. None of the numbers/dates match (VIN in dash, Fire Wall tag, Hidden VIN). I have contacted two different lawyers, one who specializes in Collector Car fraud. They both told me that the first step is to contact the State Police to see if the car's VINs are stolen. No matter what type of legal action I decide to take with the previous owner of my car, it is still LEGAL action. This means that the police must be involved either way. In other words, yes the lawyer is there for my best interest but for me to have a case, the police are the one's that need to investigate the VIN #'s. If one comes up hot, then they impound the car. And at THAT MOMENT, I have a true case in which the lawyer can help.
If the numbers are not hot and I want to sue for VIN tampering, then the Police still need to impound the car due to that being a Federal Offense.
So, my point to writting all of this is to say that the police will be involved either way. For you to take true legal action, your vehicle will be impounded until the situation is resolved.
I am actually getting my VIN numbers ran through a friend of mine who happens to be a police officer. If one comes up stolen, I am definitly going to take civil action. If not, then I will try to decide whether I want to keep the car and try to figure out whether it is a SS, Z-28, RS etc. and have the state issue me a VIN. The Collector Car lawyer said that might be my best bet (if the car is not hot). What do you all think? Is it possible to find out what type of 69 I have without the true first digits of the VIN or the true Fire Wall Tag?

Thanks again for your help!
-Aaron

First, there is legal action and there is legal action.

A civil suit against the seller need not involve the police in any way. The fact of the matter is the vin on the title is not the vin on the car, and you and your laywer and your hired "expert" can prove that and win a judgement against the seller, tho most likely he would cave at the arrival of the first registered letter from your lawyer and buy the car back for what you paid him.

Then there is legal as in criminal. This involves society going after the seller and would require the involvement of the states attorney and the police. The purpose of this would be to punish the seller for commiting a crime, NOT TO MAKE YOU WHOLE. You would be nothing but a victim and a witness, with nothing to gain from the process at all. Your car would be nothing but evidence, and would be impounded throughout the proceeding, which could take years.

You've taken the right step to find out if it's hot without opening pandora's box. Hopefully your friend will be able to quietly run a NATIONAL search on the VIN (not just in your state.)

If the car (the hidden vin) is hot, you've got a problem which will need to involve the police, and which will inevitably be a huge hassle.

If it's not, you still have some choices to make, ei the state issued vin, or convincing the seller to buy back his problem.

I thought you had a vin tag that matches the hidden vin but wasn't attached to the car? The third digit will tell you if it was a 6 or a v6. Without the correct trim tag, it's gonna be hard to tell much more, but there are lil clues all over the car, depending on how heavily restored it is.

I thought you had a vin tag that matches the hidden vin but wasn't attached to the car?

Jim, no,:noway: thats Daniel in Arkansas with the loose VIN tag.
See http://www.camaros.net/forums/showthread.php?t=99123

---Bill.

if u have a bunch of different vin# how do u know which is which for the car. Also ur gonna have to call the police anyhow. The only way ur gonna be able to get ur money back is back the seller to civil court.

Have you tried to return the car? That would be my first step.

Aaron -

Look for evidence of a throttle cable (visible under the wiper motor opening on the picture below) in the small recess under the wiper motor hole. If you see a small hole for a screw to the pass side of the recess, and a larger (1/2 inch or so) hole to the driver side of the recess, or evidence they were there but filled in (may have to look from the inside), then the car started life as a 6 cyl and had a 12337 VIN. If no evidence of a throttle cable, it was a V8 and had a 12437 VIN.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/ekammerer/103_0310.jpg

Jim, no,:noway: thats Daniel in Arkansas with the loose VIN tag.
See http://www.camaros.net/forums/showthread.php?t=99123

---Bill.

ooops... we got WAY too many bad vin's floating around here!!!!

Matts01es he certainly does not have to call the police "anyway". Aaron your doing the right thing by approaching this slowly and quietly. I also think you should try to get your money back from the seller first. Even if one of the vin's comes back to a stolen veh see if he'll refund your money, give him back the car, and report him before he can move it somewhere else. If all the vin's are legit I agree a state vin for an assembled car is probably the way to go. Stolen cars have never been my area of expertise (except for chasing them :beers: ) but if you have any questions some of my people on the auto theft team might be able to help. Especially with some advice on how to approach this in a way that you would have the least chance of getting screwed. Let me know if I can help.
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