Odometer rollback

Discussion in 'The Bench' started by '72 Skylark Custom 4bbl, Jun 13, 2019.

  1. '72 Skylark Custom 4bbl

    '72 Skylark Custom 4bbl Well-Known Member

    Hello everyone, I’m aware that it’s illegal to rollback odometers. I think you have to mark a certain box that b title if you sell. I’ve just had a 455 built, rebuilt tranny, & re-done rear axle.

    I have the cluster out for cleaning & bulb replacement. I’m wondering what the repercussions would be for rolling my odometer back to all zeros. I was thinking of making a note of the mileage now to keep track of the total mileage of the car.



  2. Electra Bob

    Electra Bob Well-Known Member

    Personally I'd leave it and just have the engine rebuild date documented. Most of the rest of the car has done the indicated mileage after all.

    When I swapped out my gauges for digital ones I set the odometer to the ~104 k miles on the stock odometer.

    70 GMuscle and BUICKRAT like this.
  3. 1972Mach1

    1972Mach1 Just some guy.....

    I'm sure it's illegal somehow, but where is the mileage at now? And are you going to sell it after you're done with it? If it's at something like 80k, is going to roll over soon anyway, and you're keeping it I don't see an issue with it, personally, and I've thought about the same thing after restoring something. Legal-wise, I'm sure you're supposed to just note down where it's at and keep track. I've wrapped the odo twice myself in one of my cars, and it probably went around once or twice before that, so it's been to a natural 00000.0 multiple times. Our titles here have an "exceeded mechanical limitations" check mark for cars that have wrapped the odometer, so the title never says what the mileage is when you buy or sell a car with at least 100k miles and an old analog speedo/odo.
    Last edited: Jun 13, 2019
  4. Utah455

    Utah455 Well-Known Member

    I’m in the process of a frame off restoration and I’m leaving the odometer where it’s at. ~97K. I’ve just cleaned off the rust and painted the can with POR 15, used a bit of alcohol on the PCB to clean up, new bulb, new lens, Some new white paint via a model maker and called it good. I did rack up a couple miles doing so. If the Speedo moves, like if you turn it upside down and shows some MPH, the odometer moves. A little tape to hold it at zero is all good.

    Attached Files:

  5. '72 Skylark Custom 4bbl

    '72 Skylark Custom 4bbl Well-Known Member

    No plans on selling it. This is a car for the wife & I. Has 18,789 on the clock now. Sure in real life that’s 118,789.

  6. gsgnnut

    gsgnnut Well-Known Member

    Don't do it.
  7. hugger

    hugger Well-Known Member

    Wth would know ,..and wth would care??? We can legally change odometers in SC if the vehicle is over 10yrs old,..
    1972Mach1 likes this.
  8. GranSportSedan

    GranSportSedan Puppet dictator, wife has all power

    If that car is old enough it's odometer exempt and you can do anything you want with the odometer
    1972Mach1 and blyons79 like this.
  9. blyons79

    blyons79 Well-Known Member

    That makes perfect sense. Laws unfortunately sometimes don’t. If I were that concerned, I’d swing by the DMV and ask them.
  10. GranSportSedan

    GranSportSedan Puppet dictator, wife has all power

    Here on a car that's old enough you simply check a box on registration stating the odometer has exceeded its mechanical limits and the reading at that point is void
  11. cruzn57

    cruzn57 cruzn57

    depends on your state, and what year they classify as odo exempt,
    on my 57 chevy, I redid entire car, including dash, and didn't want old looking odo,
    so bought new,and started at ZERO.
  12. breakinbuick11

    breakinbuick11 Platinum Level Contributor

    Mine was 179 when I bought the car (100,179). I added an Odometer with speed alert and calibrated it to 588 to accommodate for the miles on the 455 rebuild. As long as your not trying to misrepresent it, who cares. Most of our cars can’t be proved one way or the other without solid documentation and tell tale signs between 28K, 128K, 228K, etc.

    To add more fuel to the fire, Here’s how to do it: http://www.v8buick.com/index.php?threads/odometer-help.176339/
  13. Hawken

    Hawken Hawken

    Yes and No, but we are all mostly thinking alike.

    Federal law controls basic elements of motor vehicle odometer disclosure and reporting requirements for the first ten model years. This is why all states use a standardized odometer disclosure questionnaire/format (it's federally mandated to be used by all states' DMV's/DOT's). After 10 model years, that Federal law does not apply, but you should still mark the disclosure statement either that the odometer has exceeded its mechanical limits, or that the mileage is unknown/odometer not functioning. If you change an odometer (roll-back) and were to mark the respective title or odometer disclosure that it is accurate, then you could expose yourself to a fraud claim (state law) by a subsequent Buyer downstream and/or some states' separate laws.
  14. yachtsmanbill

    yachtsmanbill Well-Known Member


    Get immunized now and a giant box of rubbers, because the odometer cops are gonna bust down the door, taze you for a tv episode, cuff you, and throw you into a black van to go to a gulag with no trial or outside coms. REALLY? Could you imagine all the tamper proof seals on the drives and heads that would all need to be inspected before during and after a sale??? Stick with the implant the doctor put in you when you had your tonsils out so "they" can scan your every movement.
    Then theres the black helicopters.... If they want me, then THEY have to stay here and watch the dogs...:eek: ws
  15. Electra man

    Electra man Older and Slower

    In NY if a car is over 10 years old the title doesn't state mileage only "mileage exempt vehicle over 10 years old". Any vehicle sold in NY prior to 1973 doesn't have a title only a transferable registration so it doesn't include mileage info therefore no problem.

    BUICKRAT Torque Rules!

    Yer either nuts or a troll.
  17. bw1339

    bw1339 Well-Known Member

    I don't own a freakishly low mileage vehicle. The miles in my cars are part of their history and there are stories behind every mile.
  18. yachtsmanbill

    yachtsmanbill Well-Known Member

    TROLL... ws

  19. Dr. Roger

    Dr. Roger Stock enthusiast

    So my odometer had around 65K, but probably turned over once or twice. Replaced speedo with one that's odometer was around 87k. Ran it for a while, but that speedo was crap, so replaced it with another speedo. I think this one only has about 35k, so now my car is low mileage!

    In 65,000 more miles, it will be low mileage again.:)
  20. Jim Weise

    Jim Weise 1000+HP

    We reset the OD to zero on every frame off resto we did, or replaced with an NOS speedo head that had no or very few miles.

    Not an issue, do what you want.

    Nobody cares on a 50 year old car, unless your trying to claim it has some freakishly low Original miles on it to boost a sales price... and any knowledgeable buyer can spot the tell tales if that is true or not.

    NO worries.

    Doug Hoyle and Steve Reynolds like this.

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