I am swapping out the old 2.8L V6 for a 420+HP 350 chevy in my 88 camaro. When I go to register the car and get insurance, and they type in the VIN, it will come up as a V6. Do I tell them that it has a different engine it it? Will that raise my rates? Would they give my some kind of 'specialty vehicle' policy and say that I can't drive it on and highways(I live in FL by the way). We have no state inspection or emissions, so I'm not worried about either of those. Any ideas? Thanks, Paul Moore

 

Dude, if I were you, I wouldn't even tell them about teh engine swap, and still pay V6 rates, on the other hand, if you get in an accident, and the insurance company see's your little "V6", then they'll drop your coverage.

 

Very, very bad advice.

You have a claim, they see a different engine in there, and the term "insurance fraud" is introduced into your vocabulary.

Tell the insurance agent you have a V8 in there. If it costs you a few extra dollars in premiums, so be it. Rates are as much influenced by you as they are the car. I'm an old fart, so it didn't make any difference on mine. However, if it was rated for my 16-year-old son, that's a whole different matter.

The DMV probably won't care, but you need to check that out yourself.

 

More like a few hundred extra dollars.

 

Do as Five7 says. You can get in alot of trouble for stuff like that. Don't take a big chance like that. It might bite you in the *** later.

 

Well, there was NO way I was goint to let the fact that I have a V8 in the car slide by the insurance compnany. It's just that I'm only 24, and have 2 cars with full coverage already, my 94 Pontiac sunbird that I drive everyday, and my 98 Trans Am Ram Air. I currently pay $300/month on these two cars already, and if it goes up too much I won't be able to afford all three cars on the same policy.

 

Welcome to the real world.

Seriously, I'm glad to hear you're being smart about it.

For those considering the less-than-high-road:
This is a clear case of being penny wise and pound foolish. Work with your insurance agent to keep the premiums as low as possible. See if you can stack coverage (I can't with Farmers, but some companies/states allow you to do that). Raise your deductable.

Anything is better than not telling the truth.

 

I have question along the same lines. What do you guys do about car insurance while the car is down for a considerable amount of time? Say for like 6 mon to a year?

Reason I ask is I am about to start on my project and it invovles have the car down (or up on jackstands for that matter) and definitely not driveable for awhile. I really don't need or want full coverage. Like I highly doubt I would rearend somebody.

Also, what kind of insurance to people have for cars that see track duty? Mine will eventually be a good 75% track and 25% street. I assume the insurance companies will not insure or have a huge premium to insure a car that races. Do people just get the minimum?

 

I called my insurance company and cancelled the policy on that car. It only had the minimum coverage anyway. Another thing to think about is your tag. My state will fine you if you fail to register your car every year. For a small(er) fee they issue a black decal for the tag on an inop vehicle. When it's street-worthy again, I can register it and not get hit with any fines.
ops32

 

I kept my Camaro on my policy as liability only, strangly enough my double car discount was $10 every six months cheaper than cancelling the coverage. I still havn't figured that one out but I have a good agent.