dash swap

[zoom zoom]

Just wondering what people know about swapping a new dash into a festiva. The VIN plate is on the dash, is a cop gonna cry and send me to jail for having a couple self tappers holding the VIN plate in place or do I need to put some fresh pop rivets in there to make it look like it should? Car has a salvage title so I suppose I could always say I bought it like that, know nothing about working on a car (which isn't a stretch from the truth) and I didn't even know it was like that..? If this was an Aspire I wouldn't have this problem because the VIN plate is mounted to a tab sticking out from the firewall..

[bravekozak]

I switched the VIN plate on my dash swap from brown to gray. You just have to be very, very careful when drilling out the rivets. Make sure you use a new drill bit with very light pressure. You do not want to drill through the dash. Just the head of the rivet.
It's easy to drill when the dash is out of the car (or the windshield is out).

[Festevil3]

NC don't play around! They would think it is stolen if the factory rivets that hold the vin plate are not still intact. Trust me I have been through this twice.:nono: It sucks, but Ohio doesn't seem to be so uptight.

[Bert]

I'm guessing most people don't care to talk about this. There aren't very many cars out there with prominent VINs riveted to a removable component. Any folks or organization that are suspicious will immediately check for the stamped VIN on the firewall.
If you want to know, the rivets are 5/32" (not all that difficult to come by) and making them look OEM is fairly easy with a fine stone in a dremel, before you secure them. You're best off not drawing attention to yourself when you swap a dash (or swap a car around a dash).

Austin Minis from the 60s had the VIN riveted (ordinary rivets too!) onto the spot-welded metal fan shroud. Anyone seeking to make those cars easier to service immediately chiseled off that shroud and (presumably) attached the VIN somewhere else. Guys like me used sheet metal screws. Of course cops and insurance companies don't go running around trying to break up and collar theft rings that specialize in $50 cars.

[Zanzer]

If you can get to the back side of the rivet, drill it off from there. Then the plate will pop off with the rivet heads still in tact. Then just glue it in place on the new dash along with the rivets. I haven't really looked at the ones used on a Festy but most VIN plates are attached with Rosette rivets and they look a little different than a standard rivet. I know an old trick on how to make them but I'd rather not post it up in public since that sort of thing is frowned upon.

Another avenue is if the VIN on the title matches the one on the firewall then you should be good anyway. You can always say you swapped the dash and have the original plate or someone else must have swapped it and you didn't notice. The main thing is the VIN stamped on the body matches the paperwork because that's what they are going to focus on. I've seen people swap bodies on pickup trucks not knowing that the VIN and title follow the chassis and not the body. You can swap on any body you want as long as you have the paperwork for the chassis but it doesn't work the other way around...at least in the eyes of the DMV anyway.

[Bert]

I've seen people swap bodies on pickup trucks not knowing that the VIN and title follow the chassis and not the body. You can swap on any body you want as long as you have the paperwork for the chassis but it doesn't work the other way around...at least in the eyes of the DMV anyway.

I have seen almost every square inch underneath my 27 year old pickup but I'll be damned if I ever found anything like a VIN number on the chassis! The curious thing about my dash pad swap (out of a same vintage truck) is that the indent to make the VIN visible is offset from the actual VIN rendering it impossible to read anyway.

[jason_]

here in Michigan I just apply for an assembled title. done.

between my initials, some ss# digits, and b day, I still can make several other vins.

stout plate steel, punch set, and weld it somewhere.

not sure on other states.

Sent from my rooted HTC Supersonic using Tapatalk 2 Pro

[Zanzer]

What kind of pick-up is it? On fords it moved around a bit depending on year and series and could be on the drivers side top of the frame rail by the steering box, the passenger side top of the frame rail just in front of the cab , the radiator support cross member, the rear cross member under the bed, etc. On 80's and 90's model Fords it was typically on the top side frame rail just in front of the cab so you can look down just passed the firewall to see it. And as the inspector said, they hide them for a reason LOL

[Gomez]

I've switched from brown to grey before. Just drilled the rivets and swapped to the new dash with new rivets. I didn't try to hide anything. All the numbers still match. Like stated above, as long as the numbers match and you've got nothing to hide. It is your car, your title, and the numbers match. Who cares. Kind of like playing with the odometer. If you change the numbers to something other that what they are supposed to be, that is fraudulent. BUT if you change an different odometer to match, no harm no foul. Nobody will know any different.

[zoom zoom]

If you can get to the back side of the rivet, drill it off from there. Then the plate will pop off with the rivet heads still in tact. Then just glue it in place on the new dash along with the rivets. I haven't really looked at the ones used on a Festy but most VIN plates are attached with Rosette rivets and they look a little different than a standard rivet. I know an old trick on how to make them but I'd rather not post it up in public since that sort of thing is frowned upon.

Another avenue is if the VIN on the title matches the one on the firewall then you should be good anyway. You can always say you swapped the dash and have the original plate or someone else must have swapped it and you didn't notice. The main thing is the VIN stamped on the body matches the paperwork because that's what they are going to focus on. I've seen people swap bodies on pickup trucks not knowing that the VIN and title follow the chassis and not the body. You can swap on any body you want as long as you have the paperwork for the chassis but it doesn't work the other way around...at least in the eyes of the DMV anyway.

brilliant! That's an easy quick fix I can do! I have both dashes laying in my front yard so getting to the bottom shouldn't be hard at all. Everything should match as long as they don't go looking for the numbers on the block lol...or transmission.. Thanks man, Don't think I'll need to be trying anything fancy here, some glue should make it all alright! I got just the stuff too

[Zanzer]

^^ No problem man. I've heard of this being done on cars outside of the US *wink wink*

Seriously though, it's only a thought I had. I haven't actually tried it...yet....LOL

I have a 94 Mustang with a completely rusted out body and clean title and a 95 GT with a good body and no papers...you do the math :mrgreen:

This is one of the thoughts I had before learning the trick to make the Rosettes.

[zoom zoom]

haha, yea it's kind of a black art, bunch of voodoo and bad mojo floating around it but I'm not trying to do anything funny, just want to avoid a confrontation about it if at all possible. Used some plastic emblem and trim adhesive stuff, should hold fine. Rivets were easy, used a grinder.. thanks for all the help!

[jawbraeka]

also if they ask why you swapped out the dash, just say the other one had a massive hole in the top and this one didn't (point to the dash tray when you do) and keep a straight face.