As I said before, start paying more attention to the V.I.N. rather than the BCS.
It is as simple as this, some had them some didn't, some had them that are now lost. Does this make the car anything less than what it is? NO. Does it PROVE the car to be MORE than what it is? NO. Does it give you anymore info about the car than what you can determine from investigating the car? VERY LITTLE.
People that are trying to restore a car "per the sheet" have lost track of why people bought these cars new they are trying to create. MOST of them within 6 months had aftermarket wheels, headers, engine mods, custom paint, etc.SELDOM did the cars have things like springs, torsion bars, radiators, etc. changed. If you are starting with a car that is little more than a shell with a BCS and expecting to have an OEM first place winner when done then you are probably barking up the wrong tree. YES, starting with a car like this and trying to work backwards from a sheet is not a sound choice be it economical or from a hardship point of view.
As soon as people stop assigning so much value to a BCS the sooner the madness will stop.
We have lost site of what owning one of these cars is all about. When people bought these cars new 99% of them didn't even know what a broadcast sheet was let alone CARE if they had one. For that matter they didn't really care what the V.I.N. was on the car until they discovered that the insurance companies were using it to charge them more money. In fact, some people were switching the V.I.N.s and titles to their hipo cars with late model totaled cars that qualified for lower rates.
No one sees your V.I.N., FT, or BCS unless YOU show it to them.
I am BETTING that the people that buy an OEM restored car immediately take the steel wheels off and store them and add aftermarket wheels just like they saw them when these cars were new. These original wheels sit in the garage until the car is again sold to a new owner who does the same. The vast majority of these people NEVER have these cars judge in an OEM class. However, they have become victums of the casual parking lot show "expert" that doesn't even OWN one of these cars that is trying to impress his buddy by dissing the car. it is time to GET OVER ALL OF THIS and get back to enjoying these cars for what they are.
Yes, I want a REAL car just as much as others here, but the V.I.N. is all I really need to determine that. If it has a fender tag or BS that is a bonus BUT only because others in the hobby view it to be, GET OVER IT!!!
A better poll might be one that asks how many people have ever competed in OEM judging or ever intent to. Does most of this really matter unless you are going to? Another question might be, how many people even have a display board that they take with their car to a Saturday night parking light show. I go quite frequently to one of the countries largest one and I already KNOW the answer to it, VERY FEW.
People with perfectly restored cars are in the MINORITY in the hobby. many owners DREAM of there cars being that someday but that dream is seldom realized. The people that do it will often tell you they had more fun with the car when it was a driver.
