My plan was always to buy a rust free California chassis to put this body on.
But there were legalities and expenses and effort required. It was much easier to get it titled here, with a chassis matching the import papers.
Also it’s much easier than titling a new construction, to register an already constructed/titled/continuously registered, imported car.
That was part of what I was buying. The situation of easy registration. I could have registered it on day one, but it wasn’t safe to drive.
Also, I wasn’t privy to the total junkyard “engineering” behind this kit design! Just pan-swapping would leave me nearly in the same place. Re-designing it all but with less rust.
Plus I would need to chisel up the stock seat frames, move the pedal assembly mounts, shorten the shift rod, move the shifter mounts, bob the jacking point brackets, then still strip, burnish and paint it all.
As they say in Vegas, it was a push. A 50/50 deal. Except for the $$$ and effort to find another titled pre-smog car or pan. Pre-smog cars with title are fetching a premium price. Even the lowly VW.
BTW, the longer this takes, the more valuable the P-15 becomes, just sitting.