Swapping VINs on Dash

[kurtwwalters]

Has anybody done this? Is this frowned upon in a stock class show car? I have an extra 72 dash I'd like to have restored instead of having to take out the one out of my car while waiting for it to come back - could be a long time. How would you do it? Im assuming carefully drill out the rivets then use a rivetting tool? Never riveted so if sombody has I'd be interested in how it's done.

Also - JustDashes or DashRestorations - whose work is closer to factory original? I want to find out on my 72 before having it done on my 70. thanks in advance guys...

[MikeW]

I have an extra 72 dash I'd like to have restored instead of having to take out the one out of my car while waiting for it to come back - could be a long time.

You could always do what I did: remove the entire dash from the car, remove the dash pad from the dash and ship it off, and then re-install the dash - minus the pad - back in the car.

Also, since the VIN plate is attached to the dash itself and not the pad you may be able to get your spare dash pad restored and then mount it to your current dash. Hopefully the two frames are close enough that the screw holes will all line up.

As far as changing the plate goes I can't imagine that anyone would have a problem with that - as long as the VIN does match the car itself.

[alg]

When Riveting: (Shank or Stem) not sure of technical word

You should inspect the old rivets on the vin plate so you can replace them with ones that are the right spec!

I think the vin plate is held on by POP rivets. Pop rivets are not conventional solid rivets, they have a center shank(stem) that can be knocked out with a pin punch and hammer, you must then drill out the rivet.

You should do some practice riveting and rivet removal (to get the hang of it) before doing it on your dash!

You probably don't have a punch set so you would have to use something else with the same diameter. Be gentle when knocking out the center shank so you don't damage the plate.

Once the shank is out you must match up the size of the hole with a drill bit, the drill bit must be a little bigger than the hole to compensate for the outer shank wall thickness. Use a soft metal drill bit. Be gentle when drilling, go threw the rivet once and see how much of the shank is left, drill threw again if needed. Once the shank is gone the top and bottem part of the rivet should come off easily. This proccess if done correctly will not enlarge the original rivet holes in the dash.

When installing new rivets: The rivets you install must have a few thou clearance when you put them in the hole (rivet must be a little smaller than the hole), because rivets expand in the hole when riveted. A tight fitting rivet may damage your VIN plate hole once riveted.

I hope this helps you. Good Luck!

Alex

[Bambikiller240]

Generally, you just drill the head of the existing pop rivet off of the stem (shank), and the shank falls out from the back side of the dash. You do want to use a drill bit that is just barely larger than the diameter of the stem (shank). The existing pop rivet is metric sized, and you will have a hard time finding an exact replacement, but you can use a US standard measured pop rivet to replace it. You may need to resize the holes used to install the replacement pop rivet and VIN plate, but it's a fairly easy job. Just take your time and you'll be fine.

[deedee]

I have the same problem. The part I'm wondering is that the original VIN plate and dash for my car was thrown away. How do I get another one made(would it be legal)

[Hawkeye1017]

Kurt here a solution for your question on how to keep the same look and appearance for a stock class car. I put a new dash in my Z a couple of years ago and I wanted it to look like it have never been disturbed. The concern was the rivots today are different than those used in Japan in the 70's. If you are replacing the whole dash then once the dash is out just take a Dremel and cut off the metal tabs that the vin plate is rivoted to. Then from the back side loosen the rivots and fully remove the vin plate. Then simply glue, epoxy or CA the plate in position on the new dash tabs. From the outside no one will be able to tell the vin plate has ever been off. If you are not replacing the whole dash, you can still gently remove the vin plate from the underside of the mounting plate. The dash needs to be out of the car or the windshield out to gain access to it.

As far as transfering a vin plate from one dash to another that is legal to do. The vin plate must always match the car.

I hope this helps.

Bob

72 240Z

96 300ZX

[bemmerguy714]

Kinda chezzy but this is what i did.

[ricksaia]

I have the same question as DeeDee. While restoring my Z, I had the dash out and I removed the Vin plate in hopes of getting a new dash. I have since lost my vin plate. How could I get a new one made, with my same vin number? Thanks all. Rick.

[Zrush]

I have the same question as DeeDee. While restoring my Z, I had the dash out and I removed the Vin plate in hopes of getting a new dash. I have since lost my vin plate. How could I get a new one made, with my same vin number? Thanks all. Rick.

Alot of trophy shops can replicate VIN, door and engine bay plates. We had all the plates remanufactured for the 77..............in Red and silver! Some good shops can exactly match the original stamping also. Call around in your area.

FWIW

Vicky

[EScanlon]

Kinda chezzy but this is what i did.

I wouldn't call it cheesey, it does the job enough to show intent, and if you were stopped and questioned, the number would match the car and the explanation would suffice (you hope).

To make it a bit more "believable" if you don't have access to a pop rivet gun, but you DO have a Dremel, then bore out ("strip" the head of the screw) so that it becomes "tamper-proof". Simply use a cone bit to drill out the splines for the screwdriver.

This makes it obvious that your intent isn't to be able to remove and replace the tag quickly, but rather to mount the replaced tag permanently.

E

[ricksaia]

Thank you Vicky. Great info. Rick.

[280Zone]

I have a riveting tool and rivets, but as a previous poster identified they will not be exactly the same as 70's Nissan rivets.