Projects First time builder

Hello all, I have been lurking in the shadows getting ideas for my first build and was hoping for some advice. I bought a 1946 Dodge WC truck a couple weeks ago. I bought the truck from a gentleman would had recently purchased it from an elderly lady and hadn’t done anything with the pink or registration. I have a pink slip that is signed and still in the ladies name. The license plate number on the pink match what’s on the truck but I found that the tag number “VIN” and engine number doesn’t match what is on the truck. The tag on the door sill matches the frame number but those numbers don’t match the pink.

I’m trying to find the easiest way to handle this situation before I go into DMV. Do I go in and tell DMV the whole story and potentially open a can of worms that can’t be closed? Or do I try to file a lost pink and just use the vin that’s on the truck? I know I’ll have to go through a VIN verification with CHP but was hoping to get advice from the people that have probably gone through this before. I will also be doing a chassis swap to a Gen I Dakota. Any help will be appreciated.

 

Jeremy in order for someone on here to help you first you must tell us state you reside in.......otherwise its a shot in the dark...Missouri state regs aren't going to help in Rhode Island for example.
We don't need a town or address just the state

 

Sorry about that. I’m in California where things are way more difficult than they should be.

 

Bummer..... but there are a lot of cali guys on here that can and will help you!

 

Sent you a PM.

 

Find a state certified verifier in your area. Lein sale companies are good places to start. They can generate a title for you and the cost is usually less than $200. Have them register it to you and put it on a non-op since it will be a while before you will have it road ready. When it is ready, take your paper work to the DMV or auto club and get plates and a current registration. Whatever you do, DO NOT involve the CHP. The last two CHP verifiers I dealt with were far more trouble than worth.

 

Thank you.

 

Let us know how everything turns out

Sent from my Moto Z (2) using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

I like old trucks

 

1st go to AAA ...do not go to the dmv...much easer to deal with..

 

I found a local verifier and he could not find the vin range that my truck is in. He said because he couldn’t locate the vin he would not be able to help me and I would have to go through CHP. So against every bone in my body I called CHP to see what I had to do and after a long conversation the officer agreed to come out to my house because I already started taking it apart. He wasn’t real happy that it was already torn down but said as long as everting is in the same spot he would do it but can’t do so until April 29th.

Since then I located my vin on the Dodge Truck decoder website and it shows that it is in fact a 1946. I’m going to call the verifier back tomorrow and confirm he has the right number and go from there. I am not a AAA member can I still call them?

 

California is a large state.

WHERE in California are you?

 

Mariposa, which is in the foothills above the Central Valley. Right outside of Yosemite National Park.

 

Okay, when you say "pink slip", I have to ask, what do you mean? I have encountered several people that think it means something other than it does.

It is the actual title, with the previous owner's name printed on it, and your name written on the back.

If you have that you have what the state called a "supporting document". The presence of that means that you do not need to go to see CHP, or even the DMV. With a supporting document, you need only got to the DMV.

Have your local verifier fill out form REG31. Make sure that they use the CURRENT ONE, dated last November, int he bottom corner. DMV will NOT accept an outdated one.

DO NOT SIGN OR DATE THE FORM, no matter what the verifier says. It needs to be signed and dated in the presence of a DMV official. If you pre-sign it, you will need to do it over again.

Given that this vehicle is out of the system by now, AAA cannot handle the paperwork for you. You will need to visit the DMV.

Now, here is something that concerns me: "I bought the truck from a gentleman would had recently purchased it from an elderly lady and hadn’t done anything with the pink or registration. I have a pink slip that is signed and still in the ladies name."

Forget the guy in the middle. If his name is not on the title, he effectively does not exist.

If the pink slip has the woman's name written on the back as the purchaser, and she never registered it in here name, you are in trouble. If someone's name, other than her name is on the DMV printed portion of that title and the endorsed portion, you cannot register this vehicle.

Attempting to register a vehicle that has a title that has already been endorsed on the back as sold to another person is called title jumping, and it is against the law.

If the title has been filled out on both sides, both the sale from the woman, to the guy in the middle, and the sale from the guy in the middle to you, were illegal sales. (California bashers: this is the case in ALL 50 states!)

If this is the case, your options are to get the woman who owned it to transfer the title into her name, or to disavow any knowledge of any paperwork and the guy in the middle, take your chances with CHP, and pay for, and apply for a bonded title.

Keep this in mind when taking advice from people on this board. Many live in other states. Many HATE California. Even yet still more have incorrect information.

I am a California bonded and licensed vehicle verifier. I am an agent-of-the-state, entrusted with the responsibility of handling matters such as these.

 

Funny. But getting a title in Iowa is about the same as everywhere else. It can be done but you have to know the system. If California offers it as an option, investigate a bonded title. Might be cheapest and fastest route to clear paperwork


Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Never ceases to amaze me how the coast states seem to think that us in the Midwest are just a bunch of rubes.


Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Thanks for the responses. Yes the “pink slip” is the title for the vehicle. The title was signed by the lady and it was in her name. The man never wrote his name on the title so yes technically he doesn’t exist. The problem I have is the license plate on the vehicle matches what is on the title but the vin on the truck itself does not match what is on the title. So the title I have is not for the truck I possess. The vin numbers aren’t even close to being the same. My fault for not verifying they are the same. I looked at the plate number and the year on the title but didnt check the vin. Rookie move. I recently checked the vin number that is on the title and it says it’s invalid. I ran the vin on the truck and it came up with a 1946 Dodge WC. These were both done through “Dodge Trucks” vin decoder website. Per DMV there is no record of the plate that was on the truck or the vin number on the truck.

In a nut shell I have a bill of sale for the truck and a title that does not belong to this truck. So essentially there is no title for this truck. So it is my understanding that I need to have a vin verification completed and go to DMV with my bill of sale and transfer it into my name. Hopefully it’s as easy as that but I’m not holding my breathe.

 

I am not much of a Chrysler product expert, admittedly, so we may need one to weigh in on this.

Is there a body number on a plate, or stamped into the body anywhere. If not, is there evidence of a missing plate?

This is quite the quandary. If you cannot find that number, on that truck, in the appropriate place, then you effectively have the title to an unknown truck, which could come back to bite you.

 

Without a valid "supporting document", you will need a bill-of-sale, and a filled out statement-of-facts indicating what steps you took to try to get the proper paperwork.
Once you have that, you will need to obtain a title bond ($100, once), and have CHP verify the number.

 

With the information you've provided...…….consider the title and the plates junk! You'll need to start from scratch. First off, if you don't already have one, go back to the guy you bought it from and get a 'bill of sale' on an official CADMV form. Gimpy is the resident expert on CA registration here so pay attention to what he says. A bonded title may be you're only option although, I went through the reg process on my '54. Bought the car in Yuba City and it had been sitting in a field for 20 years. No title or registration, only a 'bill of sale'. Donna Leek took care of everything for me and we did it all via phone and email. Cost $250. She however has retired. I've heard that her son took over the business and he advertises in 'Cruzin' News'. Cruzin News usually has a booth at the major swaps and shows. This is the last info I had for Donna.
Professional Registration Service
Grass Valley, CA.
530-346-8781 (office)
530-320-5708 (cell)

 

Gimpy is fast!

 

The interwebs says plate on the passenger's side door jamb, until mid 1946, and then on the driver's side door jam, from mid-year on. Check for evidence.

 

Here, or the other side.

 

I'm tryin'!

 

I'm glad someone took over Donna's business!

This is good news for folks out that way, and for me, as it is impossible for me to do my own paperwork.

 

Okay, I too have come to the conclusion that the title and plates are garbage. I was planning on starting over with the bill of sale I currently have. The vin plate is on the passenger side door jamb and it matches the vin on the frame. Neither of these vin numbers have been tampered with and look completely original. The vin that is on the truck is also the vin that I was able to find the record of.

I guess the question is now how do I get a bonded title? Would that be through a private verifier? I’ll call the verifier I talked to the other day and see if he can check the vin again. I will also try the contacts for Donna Leek if he can’t help me. Thanks again.

 

Yes that’s the same place mine is located.

 

You can get a title bond online.

You can try taking it to the DMV. Some get lucky.

Go to your smallest office, on a weekday, early. Wear a smile, and have scrap of paperwork done in advance.

 

I bought my 1942 Dodge truck from a guy in Portland without a title, just a bill of sale. I took it to the Wash State Patrol and it was inspected and the officers statement was that I was in luck because the frame and body numbers matched. He also told me it was a 1942 as opposed to a 1939 that it was advertised. What I got from the State was a vehicle title application and a registration certificate. I had to wait three years before they would issue me a title but I could license it and drive it until then.
The vehicle body numbers are in the passenger side door jamb and the frame numbers are in the drivers side front of the frame. I know this is Washington and not California.
http://www.townwagon.com/3947registry/help/framenumber.html

 

We're pretty close to that here.

The vehicle will get a branded title that says "bonded title".

The bond is a one-time charge of $100, for vehicles up to $5k. Above that, it increases with value.

The brand stays on the title for three years. If no challenge has been made to your ownership by the end of that period, they automatically send you an unbranded, regular title.

It does not stop you from selling it. The new owner needs to maintain the bond.

It isn't that hard, save for having to have a truly complete vehicle presentable for inspection.