My understanding is that to get the vin in ny you need to fill out the vs100 form. Which calls for 4 photos of the vehicle (left, right, front and back). Mocked up bumpers and sun shades need to be added for photos. Not sure if the future inspections look at defroster or padded dash. I haven’t heard the padded dash being an issue. (Maybe since it has 4 point belts solves that along with airbag - you can’t ever get your head that far forward.
greg or Rick at Time Machine could likely give you better insights.
I am starting the registration process in the coming days/weeks. Will keep you updated