Bought this Camaro and was told it was a 1968 Camaro. The guy said he was going to have to mail me the title. The title showes up 2 months later and it says 1969 firebird. The VIN on paper matches the car.
What I wanted to do before I found out this issue. Was do a resto with a role in new chassis, brakes. Etc. Then do a LS6 with auto transmission etc. I will be all in to the finished car about $50k.
Should I still invest this much money into this with learning about this issue?
What would you do?
Can I do anything about the title problem?

 

It's really going to depend on how you feel about the car being a Firebird and not a Camaro. If the seller advertised the car as a Camaro, and you received a title that states it's a Firebird, then the seller did not sell you what he said he was selling. Just because someone changed sheet metal parts to a Camaro does not make the vehicle a Camaro legally. I would also check the hidden VIN's on the cowl to be sure they matched the title VIN, so you don't get caught up in a stolen car that was re-tagged with a clean VIN. Do you have any advertisements for the car that shows what the car was being advertised as? I don't think there would be any way the seller could refuse to refund the purchase price if you not agreeable to the title being for a Firebird.
Bottom line is that the money you are talking about investing would probably be hard to recoup later if you decided to sell the car. People are funny, most want the paperwork for the car they own to be correct. In my opinion, unless you changed the body back into a Firebird, the future value would also be questionable.

 

The conversion was very common because the Firebird sold for less than the Camaro. Neither a Firebird nor a converted Firebird is going to sell for as much as a Camaro. If you are planning a high end build and the resell value is important to you don’t move forward with that shell. The guy that sold you the car is guilty of fraud or he would be if he refuses to return your money.

 

As mentioned, I would first make sure the hidden VIN matches the VIN tag and title. If they don't match, that means a VIN tag from a Firebird was slapped on a Camaro body, which makes you a victim of fraud

 

He is already a victim of fraud. He was told it was a Camaro but it is a Firebird, therefore worth less money. The question is if someone is guilty of Vin tampering and/or car theft. If its just the fraud it is up to him on what to do but either of the other two he could loose the car or not be allowed to title it. No reason to put penny one in it until he is sure it a clean vin. if the vins do not match it becomes a parts car. If its stolen they cops are taking it as it sits.

 

Agree to all suggestions/responses here.
Check hidden VIN's on cowl panel - look through panel to upper firewall, and remove pass fender and blower and read VIN.
On VIN tag, original rivets are hex-head. Trim tag and VIN should match first five characters - 12xx8.

 

Well yeah, that's true. There's a reason why the seller had to mail the guy the title. If he handed over the title at the point of sale, it would have been no sale. But, why would someone want to turn a 69 Firebird into a 68 Camaro? Into a 69 Camaro, that I can see.

 

69 is a better choice value wise if you plan to sell it. But some guys want what they want. I have one friend who wanted a 68 SS number matching blue with white strips. I found him a 68 SS but it had silver strips, he did not even go to look at it. Maybe who ever converted it just wanted a 68 but then life changed and he had to sell it.

 

Does the dash look like a Camaro or a Firebird ?? Sounds to me like someone changed the ID tag !!

 

IDK what registration regulations the OP has in his state but if the car is not titled in the state the OP is in he will likely need to get the car VIN verified to register it....and hit a big wall

Op needs to contact seller...which initially may be a dead end and if so would have to pursue through the courts. Dumping $50k in a car that could not be registered or impounded/confiscated if it turns out to be stolen.

I bought my 67 Camaro that was registered/plated in AZ and had to get it VIN verified here in CA at DMV. All went without a hitch but the guy said he has seen some pretty shady stuff come through that is denied and often impounded as it came up stolen.

There is also a section on inspection form for "rivets" being "rosette" or "other"....if the rivets holding the vin tag are "other" than a 2nd VIN must be found on the car to match title