Chalk one up for the good guys.

Warren

Warren

Gold forum user
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So get this, I spy a VIN tag for sale on the modern day thief's market eBay " loosely quoted " and low and behold a VIN tag for sale complete with blank JAL tag.

Now for me, I was once a nube and wouldn't have known a proper tag if it hit me on the head :)

Below is a cut and paste of a reply after I sent this seller a "it's against eBay policy to sell vin tags.

Sure some big vendors sell reproduction "ID tags or data plates " as they are called but this is clearly a unreasonable facsimile but some sucker bought one before and seller got a good feedback for what's that is worth:D

It looks like eBay agreed with us good guys and killed the auction. For the record anyone with a squaring shear and a Letraset can make a reasonable looking tag.
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New message from: member217489 (380)

I have listed these before and sold a lot of these ID tags. (These are not VIN plates) I know of no such rule or restrictions as to selling on eBay. These sre not sold in UK unless somebody sold one of mine. Maybe different. I have sold everyone of these made. Remember ID tags do not make any car alone there are many other numbers that are on various parts of car. I will not respond to any more of your rants.



Reply

Your previous message​
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They are a bad copy and it is a restricted item on eBay as VIN plates and rivets can't be sold without the car they belong to.
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Sunbeam Tiger Replacement ID Plates



Current Bid: $100.00 Auction ends Mar 28, 2016 12:03 PDT Bids: 0
Free Shipping Place bid Get to know the seller member217489

• Located: west palm beach, FL, United States • Member since: Jun 11, 2000 • Positive Feedback: 100%
 
UK

Gilles sending me a PM of the much better on on eBay UK is not a solution. Just like Craigslist it takes more than one member to report or flag an item before they actually remove.

Being eBay you have to click in the right drop down and search for their correct reason. This one being vin plates vin rivets sold without car they belong too.

How about the Fantasy Junction car on eBay now look closely.
 
guys

warren,
FYI. there are shops here in the states that will stamp new vin plates for owners. they use the original font style for the letters and numbers. you have to either furnish the original vin plate or a copy of either a bill of sale or the title to prove ownership. you also have to furnish the new vin plate since these shops do not stock the vast styles of plates used.
 
Yeah

Good luck getting them to do as bad a job as Rootes did and the fact that several fonts are used in VIN in engine and color codes, and SO number. Been to Moss motors and other places and seen their Mini Cooper and Mini Moke "Tags" wrongly called spec plates ID plates or anything other then what they really are VIN plates. Generally speaking it's not legal to swap or restore tags and if you do most states say that you must apply thru their legal guidelines. Sure if it's already gone or missing when you get it not a lot of choice.

I know you can get Chebby Ford and other tags. The Tiger world shouldn't have to rely on a registry guy to say, "nice collection of parts wonder if the original VIN tag comes with it."

I've seen a MK2 and a Mk1a owned by a long time CAT member that had machine engraved repoped tags on them . Thank goodness he didn't loose them like he thought he did. Sure I'd buy a car with a repoped tag if it had original and if price was right.

One of my pal's here has a tag nearly torn in half. If I had that car I'd be torn too on what to do .
 
guys

warren,
At the time tigers were being finished off by Jenson, Rootes / Pressed Steel did a nice job making spec tags on the cars they completely trimmed out. the letters and numbers were reversed stamped and looked quite nice but wasn't done to early series alpines. they were also stamped in the fashion of the tigers. this attention to detail was not something Jenson seemed to do. as you mentioned I have seen tigers with a different stamp for "O" and zero. there are some ratty replacement tags but there is a supplier that makes nice detailed spec plates. there are also several sources for rub offs to replace the lettering on the spec plate. your state seems to have a lot of rules and regs that don't seem to show in other sates for whatever reasons.
I have noticed that it seems to be a problem sometimes when trying to register a California car due to them adding extra numbers. I know of one that had what looked to be a label made on a label maker beside the spec plate and these numbers were shown on the California title. when the BMV office verified the ID # on the plate and they saw the California add on tag they were scratching their heads. they changed it to read what was on the spec plate. another thing I have noticed is that it seems that several of you west coast guys have a problem with some titles not reading sunbeam. I have 13 beams here in town and 7 of them show the make on the title as ROOTES and the other 6 read Sunbeam. 9 of the titles have the B showing on the title, 4 don't show the B but it is on the spec plate. that has never been a problem either. one big advantage we had until recently as owners is that when we bought the car and asked to register them on historical tags due to the age is that we never had to pay a registration fee again. that changed maybe four years ago. I found that when I bought the last car in California and the car from Virginia. we now have to pay a 50 dollar fee after 50 years of ownership. we have no inspections of any kind so for those of us that collect the cars and don't use them as investments the cars are lost in the computer until they're sold or we pass and someone else inherits them. do whatever you want since nobody seems to care what you do to something you own. let the car set for 30 years if you want. I have one that hasn't been driven since 1989 and if I ever do the work needed all I have to do is start driving it. it's has been insured all these years. just don't get caught doing some of this to stolen vehicles. we had a local wrecking yard owner that spent a few years on probation for doing that. is it wrong to sell replacement spec plates or rivets? it seems to be a problem for a few but not to most. this difference of opinion will always exist and will never go away. neither will opinions on how to restore or rebuild and how much can be done. many don't pay attention to detail and seem to never finish the minute details.
Are you californians allowed to buy totaled cars at insurance auctions, rebuild to a drivable condition, register them and sell them?
 
California and Totaled Cars

65beam said:
Are you californians allowed to buy totaled cars at insurance auctions, rebuild to a drivable condition, register them and sell them?
Click to expand...

Yes, in California one can buy a totaled car, repair/rebuild it, and register it for the road again. However, the CA title will show SALVAGE.
 
Spec plate

Spec plates. Also not discussing Alpine reverse stamped plates. I am also not looking to give support to those who game the system. Quite simply put some Alpine cars have a combo spec plate with a vin stamped on it as well. Those Alpines can also have a secondary vin stamping as well as a motor number



Jim and others got the B382ooXXXX so thanks for further solidifying my point on the loose style used.


I'm not talking about spec plate rub on static cling Letraset letters. I did have a Tiger with Paul B's letters on the tag and it was nice but certainly not the silk screened original but good from 5'


We have a different thread on make and Rootes as the mfg as well as other numbers.



It is against eBay policy to sell VIN tags and special rivets like many US cars have even when you call them a spec plate.

As for a difference of opinion on restored VIN tags ask a guy who had a car with a repop tag and no original how he feels. Maybe go back and read the Wooden Nickel story , loosely "why we changed the vin tag so the car would match the current color 39 which we liked better," next go back and read the Possible Fantasy story here on CAT.

Clearly the topic is of a subjective nature. But to get back to the thread original topic and stay there. If you sell a blank VIN tag, or one without being attached to a car on eBay and call it a spec plate and I see it, I will take the 3 clicks to report it and I encourage others to do so.
 
Don't feed the troll

Warren ,

Don't feed trolls ..... You know that trolls are not looking to contribute to the discussion merely cause issues.... As for straying from topic with irrelevant points it's a combination of deliberate misinformation and likely an inability to actually read and comprehend.... It's a recurrent theme here and on neighbouring forums ..... You gotta wonder how they don't have more to do in their life if this is how they choose to spend time.......:rolleyes:
 
guys

warren,
rootes sold packages of 10 rivets thru the dealers. are you saying I can't sell my NOS rivets? I have a bin full of these things. it would be a dull world if everyone were to think the same.
 
Look, I hate ripoff's as much as the next guy, BUT I guess their are legitimate reasons for needing replacement VIN's, or rivets, or other stuff like that. The guy selling cant be responsible if people are misrepresenting the stuff they have bought.
 
Warren, thank you for taking a stand against something you see that concerns you (and all Tiger owners). As many hours as you put in watching and inspecting all things Tiger related, if you're seeing smoke, there's most probably fire in there somewhere!
 
Bob

Sell them if you want . I'm sure you know that it's eBay's rules not mine on the rivets. I was given some but I gave them away. Rootes used them in many places on the car. I found a couple that had been dropped when car was being built. They are not VIN tag specific as on other cars.

Original rivets that are NOS and the play with words that a car has original rivets, is misleading. As I'm sure you agree things are only original once.

As Pat K. told me the TAC certs will be changing just cause of the bags of "original " and spot on ones out there available from many places made new.

I agree there are legit reasons for a replacement tag, but ask California DMV and they'd put a not so pretty blue one on.
 
guys

slypops,
one of the best spec plates made comes out of central florida.

warren,
I do not live in California. your laws concerning cars seem to be some of the worst I've heard of . I've seen them first hand since I have cars I bought in your state. I have a situation in florida with a car the kid drives since that is where he now lives. different states, different rules. why not a nationwide standard? maybe you should contact all the suppliers that sell rivets and make them aware of your beliefs. also make them aware that people are selling rivets guns that will install these rivets in the manner that rootes did . different strokes for different folks plus different beliefs when it comes to quality and detail. nothing more to say since I have to finish detailing the fastback for a trip to a british show down south nest week.
have a nice day.
 
Off topic

The eBay seller is not selling rivets, I was just stating eBay policy and that it is illegal in many states to remove VIN tags in the first place.

I'm a long way from thinking that as a registry page says " a car could be crushed if the authorities determined the vin has been tampered with," there wouldn't be many cars left in the collector world.

Bob your rivets are used on VIN tags and on many places on the car. Sell em if you want.

Anyone with a squaring shear can make a better tag than that chap on eBay, or the U.K. seller. They use printer ink which turns light brown in a couple of years.

A couple of pro West Coast restorers made tags as well it was too easy back in the day of silk screened T shirts.

I am for the cars getting a secondary non removable ID like the do in N.Z. or other countries.

Bob why would I contact rivet makers, states have their own laws just like eBay has it's own policies. Specialized rivets and loose vin tags have their own attraction to the Feds, ask the hot rod guys.

Maybe you didn't read sell all the rivets you want call them what they are NOS and restored.

You also maybe don't also know my roots, in the VW world. Their vin tags are held on with every day alloy ones but the pan has a nice stamping. I had a car stolen it could have had the pan swapped but the thief had bad luck and got caught 60 days later.

You have a nice day too.
 
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