With the recent post about Boyds and titles it made me wonder what does the title follow..body or frame?
Or the motor? I know some states used the engine serial number to title cars as recently as the 50's. In the specific case I had to sort out, there is no number on the frame, but the body has a serial number. Since I was removing the old motor, I was able to get the title changed to show the VIN number on the body instead of the motor number.
In Missouri, the number used to be on the frame, body, and motor. This required the owner to notify the Dept of Motor Vehicles each time the engine was replaced, which became a difficult item to manage with the many engine replacements. The practice was dropped and is no longer required in Missouri. Now, there is a number on the body and frame(Suppose it is true universaly through out the states) I replaced the frame on the 62 with out notifying the Dept of Motor Vehicles. There was a body shop owner who told me to bring him the old frame and the new replacement and he would cut the numbers from both and weld in original frame number and finish the frame so it would appear to be the original frame. Didn't do it and have never had an officer look at the vin number.
In AZ, the rules seem to change frequently regarding inspections, but for cars that originally had the vin on the body, it follows the body, unless there is also a number on the frame which doesn't match the body, then the state makes up their own number for the car. They used to inspect most cars for VIN at title transfer, but they've backed off. They have been asking for reciepts for major components on some obviously modified or new repro cars. Now we all gotta be nervous about our Alabama titles....
It has always changed, from car to car, and from state to state. That's why VN numbers were standardized and federalized in 1968.
i think in texas it is the frame. i know on a bike even if everything is harley and the frame is after market it is not a Harley. It is considered a special build and you have to comply with the year you title its laws. sure a car is pretty close to the same here
In NY. Its the frame.or the motor. On my panel truck i used the numbers on the original motor,but on my 31 A i used the frame numbers. Both times i just took a rubbing of the numbers,went to the DMV,was issued non-transferable reg. Then if the state found nothing wrong you are sent a transferable Reg. I never had a problem yet.
In NC it depends on the year of the vehicle. My Hup had neither chassis number or VIN plate on it. I had the original engine which had a number. NC used engine numbers in the 30's to title cars so I was able to get my car titled with a 5 digit VIN (the old engine number). Short VIN numbers will cause a little grief when you try to get insurance the first time.
If I read it right, the Boyd thing is about money...taxes. I doubt it's a witch hunt to find bought titles..as long as you pay the fair amount of taxes owed the state. Their idea of what is fair not yours. It's ALWAYS about the money. If you are stealing cars and buying Alabama titles, I hope you get caught. I bet most people undervalue their cars when they register them with the state even on a legitimate sale and title to save on taxes. With the price of Boyds cars that could be some big bucks for the government. I'm sure he was legit and had all the paper work in order. Somewhere I have a Fla. 34 Ford coupe title with a number off a 396 Chevy engine. I know of at least one model A coupe that is legally titled as 68 Ford. The year it was reconstructed. That should get them going!! If you paid a 100 grand to have a hot rod built and registered it as a 10 grand driver you may get hit with back taxes and penalties. Needless to say it doesn't concern me.
Another bit of info- Now in the state of Arkansas you must get a VIN varification through the state police in order to register an out of state titled car.
In Mass. it's the frame.At least that's the experience some friends and I have had. One guy has a '37 Gibbons cabriolet body on an original '39 frame and the DMV had to check the numbers and bless it when he completed it. Both of my hotrods came out of NY state and the Mass. DMV never questioned the NY title when I registered them.
I was wondering about this too. I am going to build my frame on my new project. The body components range from 34 Olds to 59 Olds. A friend of mine has a 47 Olds title which is right in the middle, so I thought, perfect! I am wondering if that is a bad idea. In IL I don't think you have to pay taxes on the value. There is just a set fee based on year. Maybe I am worrying about nothing.
On any '32-48 Ford, the car's number is stamped on the frame and on the transmission only. The great majority of early Fords built in recent years as streetrods use repro chassis, keeping none of the serial number locations--and probably many of those are titled by the now gone number, especially if the car was purchased fairly complete and with existing paperwork. I'd imagine owners probably stamp the old number on the new frame to save hassles...and then sell the original frame to a hot rodder or restorer. What happens down the road if the new owner of the frame tries to title it by that original number??? The guy with the frame, after all, can PROVE he has that number--the guy with the body on his expensive streetrod can only show a stamping that doesn't match original Ford stamping. What hits the fan then, and where does it stick?? I could imagine serious trouble for the streetrodder...
When i went to register my '37 I had "gotten" a NY registration from a friend of mine, paid $25.00 what I found amazing is that the DMV in NY had a record of the vin #. I explained that" my father in law gave me the car back 20 years ago and finally got it on the road". I told them it was a 37 Chevy. Oh, now "our records in the computer designate the car as a '38. I "explaned that he had an accident way back when and repaired it with a 37 grille < total bullshit, but they bought it The point being is that NY still had a record of the vin after more than 50 years
when i had the out of state inspection done on the truck i had a vin number plate made and attached it to the firewall. when i got the inspection the dealer just matched the vin with the tag and give me my papers to go regiater for tags with.
Would you beleive that this is registered as a 1936 Plymouth sedan in NY state????? Well, it is !!!!!
My title on my Model A says it's a 28 because that's what's on the frame. The body is a 30/31 coupe that someone swapped on in the past. Model As didn't use a body number. Later cars had matching body, frame, engine and sometimes tranny numbers. All depends on what you're building and where you title it. Some states don't even title older cars. They just do registrations and plates. You can usually find your state's vehicle codes online somewhere in the state government site. Here in Idaho I could use the old frame and title to make the car a 28 Ford or stick a new frame under the car and have the state put a number on the body and frame and title it as a 2004 new construction. Makes a difference in a lot of states on what's required to drive the car. For example, Model A's are only required to have 1 tail light and no seat belts or turn signals. New construction cars are required to meet modern safety requirements. Some states allow replicas to bypass the modern car rules and some don't. Find your state's code and read it.
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