I am looking at a very nice 1932 Wescott body, American Stamping chassis, fully built roadster. It is extremely well done from paint to the motor. I read through all of the title posts and still a bit confused. This car has a clean title that reads 1932 Ford Roadster and has a vin plate riveted on the frame. Owner states it is no problem that it is a fiberglass car with a 1932 title. Great car...should I have any concerns about the title. I've seen the title and it is a clean 1932 title with the vin matching the numbers on the car.
Texas. He is not suggesting it is an actual 1932 but the title is clearly a 1932 Ford. Been titled that way for 11 years. Seems that as long as it is a clean title, DMV will just transfer it (after they collect their tax).
This is my old 1932 roadster that I sold about 12 years ago, it too was a Wescott body and aftermarket body, it too had a original title that matched the frame. If the current owner gas been driving the car for several years I honestly believe all you need to do is transfer the title and pat the taxes. HRP
Many builds have been done with glass bodies and titled as 1932. More than likely not a problem but it's always best to make sure with the DMV. If the seller is legit, they won't have a problem with you double checking.
It appears they deleted your other thread. Probably because the pictures were too street roddy. I was about to post this when it disappeared... I saw the add on craig's list. It reinforced my opinion that dealers are rarely experts on what they are selling. The additional photos showed that it definitely is not a Wescott. Their floor has all the ribs and definition that an original floor has. The trunk hinges are also different. He called a billet steering wheel a banjo. Nope, big difference. If you live in Texas and the dealer can do the title name change, no problem. If you move to California or Oregon where they require out of state vin inspection and you get a knowledgeable inspector that knows Ford stamped '32 frames on the drivers side in front of the firewall with the serial number that had a star 18-xxx star and not a pop riveted tag, then you might have to jump through the hoops to qualify for an assembled reproduction '32 Ford. Lots of luck and have fun with it.
.......That info alone would give me pause. The Wescott bodies have long been considered one of the best reproduction 'glass bodies. A lesser quality body should be less money. And, if the car is too "street roddy" it likely wouldn't be as desireable as a more traditionally done car. I guess that's just my opinion, but I keep a pretty close eye on the market and 80's "style" cars just aren't all that in todays' world. Lots can be changed, granted, but it all costs money. Don't fall in love with something unless it's close to what you really want. As said, your local DMV is your best resource for just what hoops you may need to jump through to get the car legally registered. Good luck.
What are the VIN #'s on the title? If it's AUTHENTIC it should begin with 18 for the V8 and "B" for a 4cyl. Ford in that era never had vin tags riveted to the frame.The frames were stamped.So that frame could very well be aftermarket. Here is the list of domestic production '32 Ford V8 's from #1. They all precede with the number 18.If that title doesn't fall in that list then something is up.
If it ever needs to be inspected to transfer the title, any inspector worth his salt will know a tag on a 32 Ford is not legit. They only had the serial numbers stamped in the frame and on the transmission. And they had a special number style that was not used by anyone else. Maybe you can easily buy and register it in Texas now, but can you sell it later if it needs to go out of state?
You need to check with DMV, Highway Patrol. I knew a guy (I'm in Texas) who was building a Shelby replica for a customer - painted, new 347 stroker, Tremec, the whole deal. There was an issue with the title/VIN, because of factory and state title/VIN laws. It was basically going to be parts or yard art forever. Your car may be fine. If the data plate/VIN (issued by the manufacturer and assigned by the state I think) matches the VIN on the title, should be no problem. But obviously, do your homework.
i know you are dealing with texas but if you bring a car into nevada you have to have a vin verification done at dmv if the car is titled in another state
In my state, and I believe most others, a new state assigned VIN number that's riveted on would be a modern 17 digit number, and not an original Ford number as listed above in @Deuce Lover 's post
As Hotrodmyk asked, does the tag look like if was installed by the state motor vehicle department (California tag shown as an example) or does it look like something from EBAY? Charlie Stephens
I passed on the car based on the fact that it turned out not to be a Wescott body and the seller suggested that fact did not change the price of the car. He did go back and take the Wescott body description off of the craigslist ad. He was a very nice guy. I actually don't think he knew it was not a Wescott because the guy he bought it from said it was as well. Only after pulling a kick panel and seeing round tubular metal rather than the square and flat steel used by Wescott did it become apparent. Not sure why I was getting pushback regarding street rod and billet products on this car. I asked the question under the "Hot Rod" section. Guess I just don't know the difference between a street rod and a hot rod. My error.
And no, the vin plate did not have any official state seal on it. It was a riveted plate that was produced likely when built in 2011. The title had a B18... starting the vin.
Very simply, this is a traditional hot rod board. The cars have to appear to be old hot rods and not modern street rods with oversize rims or billet laden engines. Without original Ford frame rails that would be a bogus vin number and spotted by most any legit state inspector. This state (Washington) allegedly will register an assembled vehicle = Wescott body and Lets say a Cornhusker 32 Chassis as a 32 because when you stand back it looks like a 32 but you get a Washington Stage assigned Vin tag. I believe the Cobra kit car brigade in the state are the ones who pushed it through. The trouble with a lot of those "classic" car dealers is that hot rods aren't in their wheelhouse. Most of them are quite knowledgeable about certain brands and certain models but Throw a hot rod at them and they are lost. They take what the owner says and that person may be the third fourth or 8th owner of the car since it was built, says and that is all they have to go with.
Hey Jeff, HAMB is all about "TRADITIONAL HOT RODS" , how cars were built before 1965. Moderators don't like pictures of billet parts and big wheels. Discussion of later parts is tolerated, such as later engines and transmissions (sometimes), but never Mustang II frontends. As you have found out there are a lot of knowledgeable guys around here that are willing to share and advise. If you continue looking at '32 Fords, study up on serial numbers. 1932 Model Bs are four cylinder motors. Their serial # were a continuation of Model A # and starts with a B 5,000,000 ( approximately, not going to look it up now). 1932 was the first year for the famous flathead V8. Their serial # are 18-001 to 18-203,126. Early Ford V8's are referred as Model 18. So you see that number on the roadster was bogus. If you have questions about the next car you look at give us a holler. I liked the roadster, except I'm known to be cheap... my neighbor used to say I'm not cheap, just thrifty. To make it mine I would change to '32 headlights, paint the gas tank and have an extra set of wheels and tires to change it up once in a while. Red
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