Kustom coupe+tampered VIN=trouble?... what can I do?

and yes, I know what you have and I've always wanted one... but I think I have this figured out... dam that would make a bitchin shop truck tho

 

I don't think Washington state has an inspection requirement anymore. When I bought my '57 a few years ago I just took the Indiana title and a Washington state bill of sale filled out by the previous owner to the vehicle licensing office and that was all I needed, no inspection required. You can get the bill of sale form and other info here:

http://www.dol.wa.gov/vehicleregistration/transferprivate.html

 

Here is the Washington State Patrol site:

http://www.wsp.wa.gov/traveler/vinspect.htm

It says:

"The State Patrol performs physical inspections on vehicles that have been rebuilt after being destroyed or declared a total loss by an insurance company. They also will perform physical inspections as required on vehicles reported stolen, homemade vehicles, or other vehicles without a proper VIN, when there is a VIN discrepancy, when there is a record dispute, when ownership is in doubt, or other special cases."

But it doesn't say anything about an inspection being required for an out of state title transfer.

 

This is Indiana Law,

I’m in a situation right now trying to get my 39 Ford coupe titled that I’ve owned since 1968. Over the years the car has been in storage mostly inside but some years outside enough to take a toll.

<O</O
I lost the original title but luckily I have the original application for the title that has all of the information, VIN numbers etc. When I went to the DMV the car was not in their system. They gave me a form that has to be completed by a Police Officer showing the Vin Number. I looked all over the car and there was no tag, but there is a number on the frame it’s hard to get to but luckily it matches the titled I just have to get an Officer to come to my home because the car is not drivable.

<O</O
Custom50<O</O

 

You need an inspection in WA if you don't have a title. He has a perfectly legit title and tags that came with the car. The problem is that they don't match the frame. I am suggesting it get inspected in WA without a title using the frame number....that requires a WSP inspetion.

 

He has a title.

 

that doesn't match the frame numbers

 

The simplest solution that I could come up with would be right on the edge of not being legal. So I won't suggest it to you.

Maybe you can get the state to issue to a title like a salvage title or the like. If not the only legal and tehical thing you can do with it is part it out and start over fresh with one that is jam up.

 

from all Ive read here and discussed with others, Ive come up with two good solutions... If the first best case senario fails to work out, the second one will work fine...
i want to thank everyone that gave an opinion here because I really did read and consider everything everyone said... getting a car that doesnt turn out to be quite what its supposed to be isnt anything new, but as long as there is a way to make it right everything is good.
Everything is good with this I think.. and when I start making the grill surround, doing the pan and all that fun stuff, I'll make sure I take pics and start a post on its progress... at this time I've really only fixed and finished up someone elses still born vision, but now that its at this point I can turn it into my vision... and for anyone interested, at this time my vision is something like this

 

Hey, another thing... dont go in person to the DMV with your paperwork.. call first, get all of your questions answered and get the name of the person on the phone. Go in and see them directly. If you just walk in they might take your paperwork and stamp all kinds of shit on it like VOID!! Had it happen to me, wasnt the best day I had.. I had to get notorized signed letters from the previous owner and drive half way across my state twice to get it done. Up to $0.04.. good luck. -E

 

As has been stated before it varies state to state, but when I brought my '32 to Kentucky with an Out-of-State title (which requires a sheriff's inspection) I pointed out the home-made VIN tag on the replaced firewall and he just looked at it and looked at the title and said "that'll be five dollars" and signed off on it. Hopefully your situation will be as easily resolved.

 

A lot of good advice on here so far. Say's a lot about you that you are trying to work this out the right way. I had a 68/67 Mustang once with strange paperwork like that. Took a while to get it all squared away but I was plenty worried till we did. The car was a 67 that was wrecked bad and had a front clip installed. That made the vin # hard to find and to top it off they used a 68 car to repair everything including the interior and sheet metal.ARGHHHHH! I thought that I bought a 68 until a week later when I looked at the title a little better. My bad for not looking when I picked it up.

 

good to know, cause I would have probably taken everything, including the tag in with me... and been very upset if I left empty handed

 

I had an OT and the dmv lady asked if it was in the parking lot. I was with the guy I bought the car from. They had to do a frame inspection. I got pissed but not unruly. I was more worried about them taking the car apart and wrecking the alignment. It all worked out ok. Another time I went in with the papers for my 1946 Military weapons carrier. It had signed papers from every schmoe that had owned it over 15 years. The lady called for a manager and I thought I was sunk. He went through it all and apparently I bought it from the original owner.
Theyres always hope.

 

I really like this shoebox you have ,looks like its gonna be killer when done.
Oh....I haven't used your services mainly because my customers generally do the legwork for the conceptual portion of their car projects,I just mainly concentrate of the hard dirty stuff,and stuff needing cut up......

 

I know of a Pontiac woody wagon that was stolen from the original owner while he was on his deathbed in the hospital. This car was retitled in another state using the body number instead of the vin. The car was then hotrodded by well known shop, publicity photos of the car were on the web and the decedents of the owner found they matched the woodgrain of their stolen car. After a lengthy legal battle the original owners decendents were able to recover the car. The hotrodded shop gutted the car, torched the frame off forward of the firewall and hit all the painted body panels with a body grinder. No one benefitted from this situation. Just do the right and legal method of obtaining registration it will protect you and any others that may have already been harmed.

 

Whatever you do DON'T show or tell them anything about the tag not being on the car body.That alone will raise suspicion. The dmv knows a vin tag is not supposed to be removed.
You just need to mention that you think the frame was damaged and replaced nothing more.

 

Richv.... Thanks.. I gotta say, the mention of any pontiac wagon or woodies peaks my interest. So I went to your page.... I'm honored this is your one and only posting... And saw your in Wa.. where in Wa? Who are ya?

 

I recently did the Bonded Title process in Iowa to obtain a title to a car that had none. Cost me about $175 all together, and I had my plates in about 3 months. If a previous owner (highly unlikely) ever comes and claims the car in the next three years, he gets paid from my insurance company. I get to keep the car. Totally legal. Look up the proceedure in your state.

 

Hey ALLISON, seriously the easiest thing you can do is wash your hands of this mess and just sell me the car

no, for reals.


if you decide to offload it, feel free to shoot me a pm!

 

Hey man not be a dick, but whats the deal with this thread?
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=722701
seems wierd you would be having this same issue with two makes? Is it just a coincidence??

 

well, yes it does.. the chevy Im looking at is just a story... I was trying to figure out what to do about the car I already have (this Ford), with out having to devulge any information about the car, who owned it or where it came from.. When all this came up I had no idea what to do and the last owner had no answers... thought the easiest thing would to be just ask people what could be done with a simular situation, cause everyones always ready to give free advice ... unfortunatly they just said walk away and it went sideways with a debate about where the numbers on a chevy are
So I decided to spill the real story on this car I have and get real advice on how to fix it.. and thankfully some real solutions came up.
If you look at my other posts, you'll find that i have also been trying to track down information on this car (older pic) before 2007.. thinking that If i could find the previuos, previuos owner I might be able to resolve the issue easy... that was a dead end though.

 

Just use the title and matching body tag and nobody will know any difference since the body tag is what most states look at,it could be a 50 body on a 51 frame and was built with parts someone had in stock. If it was a 2000 you might have a problem but not on a 50.

 

I just wanted to let everyone who posted on this thread know, that I took the advice and had the numbers on the car checked out by a reliable source and they came back clean.. and I already knew the other number was clean so there isnt going to be any problem at all... and, the car might be leaving anyway because as I originally said, its for sale... if it doesnt leave though I'll be working on it again next week, this is a more detailed version of the current plan for it.. in the end, it may have different wheels and no scoop, but the basic body mods will be these
Thanks for all the help fellas

 

bullshit stuff

 

For sure, its always good when things work out though