this shit is serious. like seriously serious.
here in NJ, merely tampering with the VIN plate = felony = up to 4 years in prison + never get a decent job again. the statute doesn't give a flying fuck if you own both the new dash and the car legitimately. you are not allowed to tamper with VIN plates, PERIOD. if you get caught you will be at the minimum out alot of money, and at the maximum fairly fucked for a long ass time.
local got totally owned by this. cost him about $2k to hire a lawyer and pay all fees to get it all cleared up .
i highly suggest you guys get it done properly, especially considering how easy it sounds. the proper method, btw, is definitely NOT swapping the vin plates.
proper way for you cali dudes:
http://zilvia.net/f/1941110-post37.html