A couple points as I see them;
midyear said:
The laws are funny about vin tags, but in most all states it is illegal to alter the vin in order to conceal the identity of a motor vehicle
..so when did the NCRS suddenly become the FBI ??? ..if so, exactly
how does the NCRS determine which car is presently on the Feds stolen car list, attempting to conceal its identity and thus banned from judging -vs- a car where the painter tossed the tags, or a recovered theft thats since been inspected by the police and subsequently VIN tag reissued
through them ? IMO the NCRS has some serious "catching up with the times" to do in this area. Virtually every state now has an inspection process in place to facilitate the reattachment of "original GM style" reproduction VIN tags (ie. Backeast tags etc.) to a car once that cars been cleared through the proper authorities. Yet, the NCRS to this day still only allow a) the original VIN tag, or b) a state issued one.
Repro trim tags have been passing through the pearly gates of NCRS judging fields for at least 20 some years (until the recent epidemic of Grenning'itis), why are we still discriminating b/n VINs, trims, paint, tires, rechromed this, replated that - they're all merely designed to respectfully imitate (as close as possible) what appeared on the showroom floor 40+ years ago - which is the prime directive of the NCRS, is it not ??? I say allow them
all on the judging field, assign them all 1000 point correctness initially, then begin deductions accordingly, letting the chips fall where they may. Originals will likely score highest, and good repro's will score better than bad repro's. As long as the point spread b/n the different styles isn't rediculous, everyone wins. Al's new book will serve only to make the repro trim tags better ( I think I hear the repro houses retooling as I type). Al's been quietly gathering a substantial stash of engine pad tracings over the years too, so I'm guessing that'll be his next best seller and the next hoopla. No matter, every car should be allowed equal time on the field.
The underlying problem and root of all evil here is allowing a cars NCRS judging credentials to completely dictate its resale value ..things get muddy fast. May be unrealistic, but I say seperate them like church & state, oil & water ..at least until GM's production records are found in Jimmy Hoffa's pocket