Ok guys I was working on fixing a few rust holes in the front windsheild channel on the chevelle this weekend. I pulled out the windsheld (boy was that fun) and stripped off all the sealant (butyl tape?). To my horror I have a rust hole right next to the vin tag that extends to about the 1/2 way point under the vin. I'm scared to work on this area. What the heck am I going to do? the panel isn't really complex and I'm not worried about cutting and fitting a patch. But I'm scared as all get out to weld near that vin tag. Can I cover it with tape and will I be safe? I'll try and get some pictures tonight if it will help.

Good news is I got my quarter panels saturday, excited! I also got a few patches in the cowl that needed dealt with.

Ok guys I was working on fixing a few rust holes in the front windsheild channel on the chevelle this weekend. I pulled out the windsheld (boy was that fun) and stripped off all the sealant (butyl tape?). To my horror I have a rust hole right next to the vin tag that extends to about the 1/2 way point under the vin. I'm scared to work on this area. What the heck am I going to do? the panel isn't really complex and I'm not worried about cutting and fitting a patch. But I'm scared as all get out to weld near that vin tag. Can I cover it with tape and will I be safe? I'll try and get some pictures tonight if it will help.

Good news is I got my quarter panels saturday, excited! I also got a few patches in the cowl that needed dealt with.

blast it with a sandblaster. If you obliterate the tag, just get another one from Ebay :)

blast it with a sandblaster. If you obliterate the tag, just get another one from Ebay :)

Ha.. Ha.. Sandblasting isn't going to help. I need to patch the nasty hole next to/under it or my windshield is just going to be a water slide with a direct landing zone over my feet. I guess I'll just find a way to tape the tag off and hope for the best. I'm going to be welding directly under the tag though, scares the heck out of me.

If your going to keep the car I'd contact the DMV and ask them if you can remove it to fix this area. If so, you could use regular rivets to put it back on.

You can buy the correct rivets. Take the plate off carefully, do your repairs and rivet it back on. Don't get the DMV involved! or you'll likely end up with a branded title and there goes your value.... The DMV doesn't need to know how you restored YOUR CAR. JMO, Bob

It also wouldn't hurt to take pics before and after so any buyer in the future will know why it was removed in the first place.
Kinda eliminates the suspision side of it, but hey, that's just me.

RandyB..

PICTURES!! Take lots of pictures before and after. It wouldn't hurt to put a copy the today's newspaper so you could read the date. I agree don't involve the DMV. Just document it all so no body will think you're faking anything.

Take it off, fix it and put it back on. Keep your mouth shut and just do it. Go to DMV and you will open a can of worms.

PICTURES!! Take lots of pictures before and after. It wouldn't hurt to put a copy the today's newspaper so you could read the date. I agree don't involve the DMV. Just document it all so no body will think you're faking anything.

I agree too. If I was a buyer, I'd feel better if the background was disclosed like that. In a way it shows that the person fixing up the car was concerned with details, and that is a good thing.

You can buy the correct rivets. Take the plate off carefully, do your repairs and rivet it back on. Don't get the DMV involved! or you'll likely end up with a branded title and there goes your value.... The DMV doesn't need to know how you restored YOUR CAR. JMO, Bob

Where can you find Rosette Rivets? I thought they were illegal to have?? Is there a way to take out the existing rivets and re-use them?

*cough* eBay *cough*cough*

*cough* eBay *cough*cough*

I just looked on there and didn't see any...

Me either, just trim tag rivets on ebay. I want to post a picture and I need to wait for the "bride" to come home to tell me where the darn card for the camera is. I think maybe mine can be done without taking the vin off, but I wanted to post a picture and get some feedback.

Another idea, if you can get into the area, is to go to your local body shop, or auto paint supply store and purchase a material, and I cannot recall the name, designed for patchig/repairing rust areas like this. I would treat the area with an anti rust agent then make the repair. I did this in the rear window area and it worked better than a weld. The body shop where I get my paint from showed me this and when it cured he took an air chissel to it before it would seperate. The key is to treat the rust.

And ditto about the DMV, keep them out of the picture.

Yea, I know, I posted that then looked. Nothing. :clonk:

They do show up occassionally, or you could even make them <-- Would probably look suspicious.

Personally, if you are going to do the documentation deal with pictures and what not, I would just use regular rivets, just flip them so the head is on the bottom. I don't believe that the rivets are even visable to begin with.

wish i had a way of hiding my id for this but here goes. Get 2 cars that have identical rivets. grind the head off one and back of other. glue the vin back in place and use a toothpich and some 2 part glue. carefully take the glue using the toothpick and glue one half on top and one on bottom of dash.

I'd try my best to repair the area without removing the tag first. If removal becomes inevitable then just bite the bullet and be sure to reinstall it with the correct rivets.

VIN tag rivets are illegal to posess. I would take a serious look at metal panel adhesive like "fusor" to add new metal and restore the area near the VIN tag.

Here is a picture, I already cut out the bad area. I pulled the vin tag up a little so I wouldn't damage it with the grinder. What do you guys think. If I removed it and used regular rivets wouldn't I have problems when I go have it registered?

http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/data/500/medium/DSCF0021.JPG

Looks repairable with that tag bent up like that. I hope the tag doesn't break when you push it back down.

Repair the area, POR-15 the area and leave the vin tag alone. I think you will be fine. Personally I would never invest any money/time in a car that wasn't registered in my name.

If you havent titled it in your name, Id do that first, then you can cut,rivet, and do whatever you want to, to it, and the dmv will never look at the car again. unless you move out of state. In AZ. they only do a physical inspection on cars brought in or if your going for a bonded title. if you buy a car thats already got AZ plates you don't even take the car down, just the papers. Jim

You can also reuse the original rivet bodies, just lightly grind down the flared end some and use a punch to knock the center out, use pliers to squeeze the body some so they can be removed, install new pins and you're good to go. It's a delicate operation but I've done it a few times without problems.

Use "google" for the search engine, type in "rosette rivets," click on the first one and it will take you directly to a Hemmings News classified page with several dealers that sell rosette rivets (35-45 dollars). Or try:
www.hemmings.com/classifieds/query?adtype=partsforsale&type=hardware - 68k -