How do I get a title for my truck?

I have a 1944 GMC 6x6 former army truck. To the best of my knowledge there has never been a VIN or a title for the vehicle. It went from the Army to a fire department in Missouri, then to a farm. Nobody ever got a title for it. Missouri has no record of my vehicle.

The TX DOT has officially denied my application and I have the letter from them. According to them, the next step is to get a hearing to award me a title.

Is this the best way to go about this?

Since there is no VIN, can I register it as some sort of home built vehicle?

Neil

 

sounds to me that TX dot will probably issue you that title, you just have to jump thru their hoops to get it done..after all they only want your money..just go up there and ask em how much to write the check out for.

 

Are you sure that there's no number that could be used as a VIN? How did the army keep track of its maintainence?

I think that in addition to TX wanting money, they also want to make sure that it isn't stolen. So you may need to advertise the VIN (which is why you need one) for some period of time, and then have a court declare you the owner, which is a first step in getting it titled. Of course, this varies by state.

One of the best things you can do is call your local state representative and ask how to do this. At least in PA, this is the best way to submit any Specialty Constructed vehicles. Definitely through the state rep and not the DOT.

 

Sell it to a friend in Georgia and give him a bill of sale. He will rigister it, and then when he gets the registration, have him sell it back to you with a bill of sale. tx recognizes that Georgia has no titles for old vehicles, and will give you a title based on that Georgia registration.
Second thought is have a dealer do it.

Somewhere on that truck is a vin number.

That is all the help I can offer, and it is worth the cost.

 

broadway title in alabama, I used them, my car is now legal.

 

Broadway may be your best bet but you'll still need to find the vin. It has to have some frame numbers somewhere.

 

someone on the www.stovebolt.com site could probably direct you to location of the vin#. pm spanky here on the hamb he has lots of knowledge of big stovebolts!

 

Texas is a #@$%#@ for registering anything other than a simple straight forward title. Have you looked into a bonded title? I have found it also makes a difference which tax assessor office you visit as well. Some are more friendly than others. I titled my last kit car and current 53 F100 without a title in Texas under a bonded title. Essentially you purchase an insurance policy in case it does end up to be stolen. There are companies in Texas that will handle everything for you for a few hundred bucks. After fighting the system on my kit car I simply used the title service company on my truck, far less headaches. This is who I used: http://www.lawrenceautotitle.com/FAQ1.htm

 

it should have data plates on the dash or above the driver on the roof ,unless some one went to the trouble of removing them, other wise on the firewall just like they should be on a car of that era



go to the main army vehicle site,


G503.com


, they will know what you need to do because they have done it before,

 

Keep in mind, many states DO NOT recognize paperwork from the various "title companies", and these companies will tell you if your state does or does not accept the paperwork from them. I don't remember if Texas is one of those, though.

 

I have the serial number off the frame. I also have the serial number of the engine. Texas won't recognize either of these as VIN numbers. I have provided both to them. The truck was converted from a cargo truck to a firetruck and the serial number was XXX'd out on the dataplate. No new number was added.

I have a title bond for the purchase price but they won't accept that because it wasn't appraised. Only a Texas DOT approved appraisor can do the appraisal but none of them will touch a vehicle this old. It is a big circle that I keep running around in.

I have thought about using Broadway but that is going to $350. I already spent $100 on the title bond. I should have waited on that. I just hate spending $350 for something I can't bolt or weld to the truck.

Has anyone tried going through the hearing?

Neil

 

http://its-titles.com/

These guys are way cheaper. I spent $160 on a 3 window Coupe title forone of my cars which turned out to have a Lein on it from 1936 for $200 . I didnt want the hassle trying to explain that it must have been paid so I decided to try these guys. Very Very fast and cheaper than the rest!!

 

The serial number is on the left front frame horn under a million coats of paint, Just document your history with the vehicle and jump through their hoops. There is a huge Military vehicle collector grouper out there, they can help.

 

A friend of mine in Virginia who collects vintage Airstream trailers bought a mid-Seventies Airstream that apparently the Secret Service had originally bought (it had been converted into a mobile office). Like your truck, it also didn't have VIN number or title. I thought that I could title it here in New Mexico, which is pretty lax, but logitics of pulling the trailer back to NM, was too much, not to mention that Virginia wouldn't even issue me a temporary tag without a VIN number.

My friend ended up selling the trailer to another collector.

 

Does anybody know if this company works in Wisconsin? I used to use Broadway title but they don't do Wisconsin anymore. Thanks ahead of time and sorry about the hijack but when I saw this company made me wonder.

Good luck with the 6x6 title. We(my dad) brought one years ago and had trouble getting a title for it also. Never did. They kept saying something on the order because it was an ex army truck that when we brought it at the auction the terms were it was for parts only and not titleable even thou it was complete and drivable. I drove it home. We pulled the front winch off of it which we mainly wanted and sold the rest of the truck to a muck farmer that had a whole fleet of them for more than what my dad paid for it at the auction. He didn't care about the title and said that most of his 6x6 didn't have titles that he used them off road in the fields. Everyone was happy. This was about 20 years ago when this happened.

 

LOOK on the OUTSIDE of the right (passenger side) frame rail just back for the front bumper/shackle mount for a VIN#
If it has one that's where it will be.

 

I have that number. The guys over at www.cckw.org helped me find that within a day of it arriving at home. I gave it to TxDot and they wouldn't accept it as a VIN. They want to use the serial number on the engine but since engines can be changed, it makes no sense to me at all. (one could argue that is what is to be expected from TxDot )

From the serial number on the frame I can document when it was made, what vehicle type it is, and what contract it was made under. I can further narrow it down to when it was converted to a fire truck! It was part of a very small number of cargo trucks converted in March of 1945.

The hangup with TxDot is establishing the value of the vehicle. The new rules are designed to have a vehicle taken to the dealer of that type of vehicle and getting them to determine the value. It works great for modern vehicles. Hot rods and military vehicles are out of luck.

I am getting a little worried now. I have put a large amount of work into it and it no longer resembles the vehicle I brought home.

Neil

 

There is a guy in Waxahachie TX that sells those things. Look him up and see what he can tell you. There should be a serial number, so the VIN part is easy, but the value question is a pain.
The folks at the title office can go outside that stupid ass appraisal guide, but most of them don't know it. A bill of sale or a 3rd party appraisal is key. Go ahead with your hearing. They will issue, just takes longer.

 

if you have a # off the vehicle, the one stamped on the frame use that to have it registered in a different state that only requires a bill of sale. fuck those dickheads in texas dmv! do you know anyone with a wrecking yard? slip them some cash for a notarized bill of sale.

 

I am hauling two scooters forty miles today to get the state troopers to inspect them and give me certificates of road worthiness. Then I have to buy title bonds and then go to the tax office and pay up.

Today is election day, and it will be easier for dead men to vote multiple times than for me to do something legal.

 

That is what is so frustrating. I HAVE a notorized bill of sale and an insurance card showing the fire department as the previous owner! It is still not good enough.

All this for a truck I can only drive in parades and a couple other times of the year.

Neil

 

Some towing companys have lien services, pay them to fill out the lien papers.

 

I scanned the needed page of my 1940 GMC factory repair manual that 'splains the locations, but it won't post.. (too big? my old computer won't post them anymore?)

PM me an Email addy and I'll send it to you that way.

 

I tried to reply to this post three times to help you out. Everytime I get though typing a long message and hit submit it tells me that I am not logged in.
B.S.
I am tired of typing. you can email me if you like.

 

You are dealing with people at txdot that have no idea. Check another office or call one in another city, prerably large. Start with a supervisor or manager type.

 

Check this: http://www.its-titles.com/
NH requires no title on old vehicles http://www.nh.gov/safety/divisions/dmv/title/faq.html
Neither does VT http://www.aot.state.vt.us/DMV/FAQ/FAQSTitles.htm
Got friends there?

 

Texas titles to the vin number stamped on the frame. This comes about because of the chop shops that were using 70's chev truck frames under later model totaled trucks and selling them as the later models. Some of the people that work for the dmv don't know thier jobs and the laws. Not just my 2 cents worth,, but also my expertise at hoop jumping.

 

The vin is on the passenger side cab under the hood on the side of the cowl. The number on the bottom line is number used for the vin, Some states also used the engine number after the number on the id plate. Being a military vehicle it may never have been titled. If memory serves me correctly, Chevrolet did not issue actual vins until 1953 or 54.

 

I went to the tax office today to request a hearing for my title. I was told, "There has to be a title to contest for there to be a title hearing".

She did decide to review my paperwork and decided to waive a couple of the requirements. SO I am back to using the bonded title application process. All I have to do is get the TxDot letter reissued with the correct serial number from the frame. Then get the bond ammended to match the serial on the TxDot letter and the date to be after the TxDot letter. Then get the vin number verified by a safety inspection station. No safety or emmision test required. So I am basically back in business.

Neil

 

I have a License plate and a title!!!! All it took was:

A checklist from the previous clerk showing EXACTLY what I needed.
The title application form.
A notorized bill of sale.
Confirmation from the Missouri DOT that no title existed under my number.
A reissued TxDot rejection letter.
A statement of physical inspection.
A photocopy of the TXDot rules showing that prior to 1955 the engine block number is the VIN number.
Proof of insurance.
A reissued bond.
A pencil rubbing of the engine serial number.
Photos of said serial number.
Photos of the truck.
A former military vehicle plate application form. (The clerk didn't even know these existed)
Payment of sales tax and plate fees.


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