Told this story before: We bought a Baja Bug years ago built by Lothringer from a racer friend and had receipt etc... it was never regi's and it was in the heyday when spark arrestors and green stickers were being checked left & right... Wanted to get VIN because way it was built as a full tube chassis car the VW VIn was MIA. Went to inspection at Baldwin Park CHP who at the time had a Dudley Doo Right chippy handling inspections (ironically my neighbor was also a chippy out of that location and he said after the nightmare started, that the guy hated off roaders and had a big chip on his shoulder). Regardless of the neighbor tie we couldn't pull strings as you needed the signature of the "inspection officer"... The ccar came with a fresh Wiks motor, and under the factory VW rebuild program in the 60's/70's VW would machine off the case numbers and then was supposed to restamp them at the dealer to match the car it was going back into. Most did not get restamped and there was a ton of good cases in the market with the Vins machined off.
We were flagged for a "potentially stolen motor" as it is illegal to remove a VIN # in CA and he tells me I have 72 hours to surrender the motor or a warrant would be issued, and he was doing me a favor as he should take the whole car... We got VW of A to verify and write a letter that this was a normal SOP for VW of A. Dean K & Shimuda from Hot VW's both wrote a letter and we had numerous other supporting documents including an original VW of A SOP edict and a story in HVW. I presented it all to him 2 days later and the Chippy asked who VW of A was and said unless he had a letter from Germany, straight from the president of VW it didn't matter beacuase VW of America was nobody to him and Volkswagon was the Mfr... This started on a Tuesday and he wanted the Motor that Friday... Since I did all this legwork he then tells us he'll gave me until the following Friday to get the paperwork from Germany or surrender the new Wiks motor and actually wanted the whole car as evidence (now that I challenged his authority).
We appealed, the CHP brass to Sacto and anyone we could (including getting a good old BLM friend, Jim Moses RIP involved) and the guy finally backed down but it literally the 11th hour, costly and painful and his boss finally sat with him and talked him through it...
Moral of the story: Have receipts for the motor trans w/vins and if not, pull them and leave them at home stating you have not bought them yet and only want the chassis vin as it's a project. I know our case was extreme but we since found numerous situations where this happened. and about 75% were with the B.P. CHP office and this particular officer. IMHO Best to play it safe and limit the potential by only giving them the minimum to look at. You never know when you'll get a newbie who needs to be by the book, or that guy with a hard on for off roaders...
I still have the file somewhere in my garage in a box of should throw aways, but keep if for shitz and giggles... I think it's filed with some Dusty Times, Race Ruts and Score News from that time. Guy is probably retired by now...
