My 99 TJ has become a dedicated trial rig. Here in Virginia we have a Antique Motor Vehicle law that says if your older than 25 years, you can get a plate that doesn't require you to get inspections, etc....the way my Jeep is now, I've got a feeling I that no one will want to inspect it.

Anyway, I'm getting ready to start building a new frame for it along with putting a new motor in. I got my hands on a 55 Willys Pickup title and VIN Plate. Since there is going to be nothing 99 TJ about my Jeep except for the body, I'd like to say that it actually is a 55 Willys pickup with a newer body on it. This would help me in quite a few ways.

In VA, "PICKUPS" can have bumper heights of 30". Passenger vehicles(which jeeps are)can only be 22". So being a 55 Willys pickup would be perfect.

My question is, how do you do this? How do people like Avalanche get their stuff registered the way they do, etc. Someone's got to have changed VINS like this, any help would be great.

Thanks,
CJ

Why don't you hook up with some of the Street rod/classic car guys around there
If anyone can tell you the little tricks for dealing with registrations and having different body and frame VIN's they can.........those guys are always swapping stuff around from different years.
:D

CJ,

How does the registration process work there?

Here, If I had the "title", a piece of paper with the VIN, colour, year, numer of cylinders....etc. I take it to the government office, pay the registration fee, pay for a liscence plate if I don't have one, and they give me a little slip to carry in my glovebox or wallet saying the vehicle is registered to me. They never look at the vehicle, I don't even drive it there.

Then, for annual inspection, the garage just looks at the little slip to see that the vehicle is registered to me...and then checks the brakes and body and crap...never bothers matching VIN numbers. If they did, I just have to mount the VIN plate from the title vehicle to whatever I'm claiming is the "55 Willys" or whatever.

Low paid gov't workers.....not exactly looking for a challenge, go on a Friday afternoon - nobody will batt an eye!

Originally posted by CJ Lagos


My 99 TJ has become a dedicated trial rig. Since there is going to be nothing 99 TJ about my Jeep except for the body, I'd like to say that it actually is a 55 Willys pickup with a newer body on it. This would help me in quite a few ways.


Thanks,
CJ

so, there are gonna be no interior pieces.......bumpers, frame or anything else TJ? trouble is, you have a NEW vehicle that any idiot from DMV could tell is not a 55 anything. ask about a reconstructed title. also, even if you do get past DMV, do you think you will get past the insurance company? they will be looking for any reason for not paying the bill if you get into an accident. are you foot the bill for minor injuries and damage to hundreds of thousands worse case senerio? just a thought.