• Hello there guest and Welcome to The #1 Classic Mustang forum!
    To gain full access you must Register. Registration is free and it takes only a few moments to complete.
    Already a member? Login here then!

Curiosity Question: Dynacorn bodies

AtlantaSteve

Active Member
OK, I'm just curious about this...I have no intention (nor ability) to go buying a Dynacorn body anytime soon, but I just wonder about this, and am hoping someone knows the answer...

How the heck do you register a dynacorn car for street use? Do they come with clean VINs? What does dynacorn do? buy scrappers and just do vin-transplants? that doesn't seem legal, but how on earth would you register a car built in 2010 as a 1969? I know some states (most? all?) allow hobbyists to built and register their own cars, like kit cars and the like, with state issued vins...is that how the Dynacorns work?

Like I said, just a curiosity question. Thanks!
 
Depends on the state. To me it should be a kit car but obviously most people do a VIN swap from a junker. Although illegal in most states. Who wants a muscle car that needs to pass smog or safety inspections.

I guess I do start to agree with the what's the difference when these crazy guys replace every panel line of thinking. Just a lot easier.

I think cost is a deterrent for most people anyway so you don't see these debates as much as you use to.
 
As I understand it....

With each Dynacorn replacement body comes the necessary paperwork to register the car with a state issued VIN. I've heard stories that due to variances in vehicle registration laws from state to state.... that some states are MUCH more difficult to work with than others.

The flipside is that most Dynacorn bodies that are purchased by individual consumers.... are done so as a "repair action" and the original cars VIN is simply cutoff the old car and grafted onto the Dynacorn shell.
 
"daveSanborn" said:
.... are done so as a "repair action" and the original cars VIN is simply cutoff the old car and grafted onto the Dynacorn shell.

That is backwards.....they cut the old body off of the VIN and attach a new body to it...........leaving the VIN in place when the new body is rolled in. :lol
 
"AzPete" said:
That is backwards.....they cut the old body off of the VIN and attach a new body to it...........leaving the VIN in place when the new body is rolled in. :lol

:lol :lol :lol :lol

Quote of the day. Thanks, guys. It's about what I figured but I just wanted to know for sure. I know I've seen a lot of upset stomachs over people vin-grafting K-Code VINs into T-Code bodies, and the like, and wondered if the same shenanigans were afoot with Dynacorn. Sounds like in some instances they are.

Steve
 
and wondered if the same shenanigans were afoot with Dynacorn. Sounds like in some instances they are.


Personally, I don't consider grafting the VIN from a rusted/rotted/collison damaged classic Mustang onto a Dynacorn replacement body an unethical practice as long as full disclosure is made at the time of sale.

Look at it this way.... what's the difference between ordering and installing a new replacement Dynacorn one-piece floor, roof, rear quarters, frame rails, trunk panels, firewall, cowl, dash, front frame rails, aprons, radiator support, etc., etc..... AND grafting the original VIN onto these panels...... or just buying the whole body and grating the original VIN on? Technically, a "replacement body" is just a larger "repair panel".
 
I agree.....it is all in the wording. That is why I say you graft the new body onto the VIN plate.
 
Would you feel the same way about, say, grafting a dynacorn Sportsroof body with a Coupe VIN?

Could I make my 66 coupe look like a 69 sportsroof by grafting the vin? My point is, at what point does it start to cross the line. TO ME, when you're selling a vehicle and the only part of that vehicle that rolled down the line is the vin, it's crossing the line of reality. I understand your point about replacing every body part one at a time. It starts to beg the "George Washington's Axe" question.

I agree with you that the most important part of the "ethics" here is whether you make full disclosure at sell time, or not, but I'm starting to have a hard time understanding exactly how it's OK to use a dynacorn body, but not OK to use a 6 cylinder body, with your 69 Mach 1 VIN.

Not trying to argue, just kinda trying to figure out how I feel about this by expressing how I see it and seeing where I have holes in my opinion :)
 
That is only based on the honesty of the original builder. I look at it as long as the VIN is what the car is.....you are ok.

Thing is....this has been done all thru the history of building classics and hotrods. I know for a fact it was done on several '57 Chevies back in the 60's and 70's because the Belair was more valuable. In todays world, the computer makes it more known and more discussion about it.

I am not for lies and cheating on it.....just be honest and things work out. I also know that after a couple of sales, know one knows what was real and not.
 
Would you feel the same way about, say, grafting a dynacorn Sportsroof body with a Coupe VIN?


No. I would consider this absolutely ridiculous. Who in their right mind would spend $15k on a replacement body.... and ALL of the associated paint/assembly work.... only to give the finished product a VIN that didn't match the car? You may as well graft the VIN from a Fairlane onto the car. It would be stupid to do so.
 
LOL, yeah, I was going to extremes with it, but only because I'm trying to see where the lines are. That's why I took it as ridiculous as grafting my 66 Coupe vin. But your point is it would be stupid...you are absolutely right. But would it be dishonest?
 
But would it be dishonest?


IMO, putting the "why on earth would you do that?" aside, it would only be dishonest if at the time of sale the seller did not disclose his stupidity of using a Coupe VIN on a Sportsroof body to an un-knowing buyer.
 
When a friend of mine went to register / title his '67 fastback (original) he got all uptight when he recieved the official title from the state because it states "coupe" in the body style field. He called the DMV and they said it was because they do not have a "fastback" option in their database.

 
The problem is the slippery slope that starts with a legitimate body repair, and ends in outright fraud. This is the reason that it's ILLEGAL to remove the VIN from a motor vehicle, period. If someone can site an authoritative source that refutes this, I'm all eyes.

John
 
"John Del" said:
The problem is the slippery slope that starts with a legitimate body repair, and ends in outright fraud. This is the reason that it's ILLEGAL to remove the VIN from a motor vehicle, period. If someone can site an authoritative source that refutes this, I'm all eyes.

John


That's not entirely correct. The intent of the law is to prevent moving a VIN from one vehicle to another. Using a pre-67 Mustang as an example what happens when during the course of repair/restoration the fender aprons require replacement? It's common practice to cut the VIN stamped area from the old apron and graft it onto the new panel. Have you removed the VIN from the vehicle? For a period of time, yes. Is this illegal? No. The removal and reinstallation of the VIN was neccesitated as part of a repair action and not an intent to commit a fraudulant act.

What if instead of using the forward inner apron to expedite the repair you instead use the somewhat newly available one-piece inner apron assemblies that includes the shock tower and extends from the cowl to the radiator support? This is also a repair panel, it's just bigger.

The Dynacorn replacement body shell is not a vehicle, it's a repair part that is just bigger than the forward inner apron panel or the one-piece inner apron.

It's illegal to transfer a VIN from one vehicle to another and you'll get no arguments from me on this, but the Dynacorn replacement body shell is not a vehicle, it's a repair part.
 
Back
Top