Posted by Greg Coffin [172.69.170.25] on Tuesday, November 27, 2018 at 09:38:28 :
In Reply to: Nice PW, but not a '47 posted by Joe Cimoch [162.158.63.247] on Monday, November 26, 2018 at 07:57:21 :
There's something fundamental about this truck that doesn't sit well with me. Maybe I'm a Purist (I'm not). Maybe I'm OCD (I'm not usually). Maybe my standards are too high (well, probably). I think it comes down to the fact that this is not an honest Power Wagon, and I'll tell you why I think that:
There is nothing about this truck, other than the VIN, that is from 1947. Not the winch, not the frame, not the cab, not the sheet metal. Just the VIN. So I think it's somewhat disingenuous to call this a restoration. I have no problem with someone putting reproduction parts on a worn out truck. In fact I'm grateful that there are talented people making these parts, it helps keep our trucks on the road. But this is not a restoration. Just like you don't put a Civvie cab on a 1/2 ton and call it original. You don't put a Third Series tailgate on a WDX bed and call it a original. And you don't put a 1947 VIN tag on a bunch of assorted late model parts and call it a 1947 restoration. It's not. I don't know what to call it, but it's not a restoration.
And then there's the issue of registering the truck, which is probably what 99% of potential buyers will want to do. Sounds like California requires 2 matching VINs on the vehicle, and unless the seller has an assigned VIN on the truck, it will not pass muster in Cali. Now the buyer has a $60,000 problem on his hands. I'm not sure this truck would pass inspection in Colorado, since the frame number doesn't match the title. Body tags can come from anywhere, and if the tag does not have the OEM rivets in it, it's going to fail inspection. Now the buyer has to get a bonded title, which is a pain in the butt.
The other thing I don't like about this truck is that it muddies the already turbid waters around Power Wagons. It's getting harder and harder to find relatively unmolested trucks, so the lines are getting blurred around what is original and what is modified. That creates confusion, and often disappointment.
End of Rant.
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