Body in White vs. Full Restoration, Food for Thought Options

[GTPatrick]

Since there is another thread on new bodies in white for other cars by Tom T. , Mustang , Camaro , etc. ,. I thought that I'd put out some food for thought questions concerning the same subject .

Knowing what was said that if a body in white were used to rebuild/restore a car , say a real rust bucket 914 , it would have to be registered as a new car under another name . Right/wrong ?

If that were so , then when one restores a rust bucket 914 or 914-6 / Then at what point does the amount of new parts or rebuiling of old parts turn it into a building of a new car vs. a restoration ? 20% new parts , 50 % new parts , 75% new parts , 90% new parts or even 99% new parts ? Is there a real difference ?

But if someone were to use a new body in white and use the rest of an old rust bucket 914 parts aren't you coming at it from a slightly different angle but still keeping at a restoration level since say you are using 50% or whatever level old 914 amount of parts as you would have used in the previous paragraph ?

It seems to be just about semantics and how one interprets the reasoning ? What laws and other legalities determine what's a restoration is versus a whole new build ? What laws and other legalities determine what % amount of parts determines it a restoration versus a new build ? Does the law even make any legal determination as to what legally defines the meaning of new parts ,restoration or new build mean ?

It's kind of luck looking at a fence from one side or another of that fence with 2 or more people trying to determine or define what it is . Either way it is still a fence no matter what side you are standing on .

Does anyone have any thoughts on this ? Any real facts or information out there that is actually fact and not fiction ?


GTP (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beer.gif)

[charliew]

I have come to a personal conclusion there is no such thing as a rust free 70's era mild steel unibody car. Anyone who says they have one, just doesn't know how to look inside them. If they have ever been welded on, the interior of the body has rusted from the heat from welding. Just drill a hole and look inside with a borescope. If by some miracle they haven't been welded on I think there will still be rust.

I think all you can do is wish for a rust free 914 and replace the rusted parts. It will still rust but it will take a long time to show up. If you acid dipped it to clean it and then galvanized it maybe it would stay rust free but what would that cost? I once read on a land rover forum where they were galvanizing some of their parts but I don't remember doing a complete body.

Wouldn't a new 914 tub that was assembled from galvanized parts be great.

I wrecked a 58 beetle in the mid 60's and welded a 64 beetle front end on it and never thought about the vin problem. I cut the windshield post and the heater channels. It was my first two into one job I did. The front end was only a year old but it didn't cost much I think it was 150.00, and the 58 bug wasn't worth 500.00 before it was wrecked, so really I don't think anyone cared. I guess it didn't matter, anyway I never sold it.