I think everyone agrees that it is illegal to alter a VIN especially with the intent to defraud or mislead, or to remove evidence from stolen property. That is not what I am discussing here.
The philosophical question at hand is what constitutes an original vehicle identification? If I legally own two cars I should be able to cut out as much of my 73 as I want and weld as much of my 87 onto it as I desire.
If my 73 is destroyed to the point where the only recognizable part remaining is the section of metal where the VIN is stamped, is it still a car? Can I then rebuild it using 99% of another car that I legally own? Does the donor car have to legally cease to be a "car" and then become a salvage titled collection of parts for me to then cut out its VIN plate and weld what's left around my '73 VIN plate? Again, have I "altered" the VIN of the '87 or have I merely attached the salvaged '87 to my repaired '73?
In the end if nothing was stolen and there was no intent to defraud, have I "altered" a VIN or committed a felony?
Again, in reality, probably no real answer. As far as the lady at the DMV knows your slant nose 930 is a perfectly legit 1969 911T. When I brought my '77 to the DMV from out of state for a VIN verification the lady looked at the stamped VIN placard on the A pillar, filled out the paperwork and issued plates. She had no idea even where to look for a number until I pointed it out to her.
