I know, I know, we've been through this a million times, and I just spent the last hour in search reading all the posts. At first I was going to sell the greaseslapper, Cris had passed away and I just didn't feel like doing it. But lately I've been feeling that I should finish it. Here's the deal. My avitar was a purpose built race car. Homemade chassis, 'glass body. I e-mailed Lawrence Title and they think I should do a bonded title. I'm supposed to call them Monday. So if I do the bonded title bit, will it be considered a '29 A roadster? I know from all the SEMA e-mails I've gotten lately that things are up at Texas DMV, but, 1, I don't want to spend several thousand dollars for a title, and,2, I don't want to be dealing with all the smog and DOT BS from a new build. Has anyone done a homebuilt in TEXAS in the last year or so? Thanks, Mike
It looks like you have to jump through a few hoops but no flaming ones. http://tx.opengovernment.org/system/bill_documents/001/238/850/original/HB00890I.htm?1310510288
Suweeettt!!! Thanks, Larry. Got the driver's door cut open yesterday. The original builder glued the doors shut. It wasanaltered afterall! I'm still itching! Now I'm wondering if I should still go through Lawrence title because they will make the process so much easier, or if I should try toughing the title process out myself. I have no problem with an annual safety inspection. The whole point is new eyes looking at problems I've grown used to. Gonna have to get rid of those F1 front brakes and put discs on! On that note, Larry, we've talked several times in the past, and I'd like your opinion, and everyone else's , for that matter. I have all the drum brakes from two 9" rears, but I still have the metric GM discs that were used on the rear of the wasanaltered when it was a race car. I can get a mechanical disc emergency brake that works on the pinion of my 9" from Speedway, would the discs on the back be worth keeping? Should I know the answer to that question without having to ask it? Hmmm, 454, auto, 4 wheel discs, discs in front, drums in back, hmmm. Pate is coming up, and I need a windshield! Thanks, it feels good to be working on the wasanaltered again!
Mike, You are a glutton for punishment, aren't you? Maybe not what you'd expect, but I like things simple when I finish them up even if it takes a little more work to get there. So I'd go with the drum brakes. I think they'll give you plenty of stopping power when combined with disc on the front of your car (especially considering the weight of the car) and not have the additional hardware hanging off the pinion. Larry T
Thanks, I've been leaning in that direction. I like simple too, but I'm left handed, and sometimes my thought processes get clouded. Disc/drum has been/is still being a simple, easily adjusted brake system all over the world. Won't need a booster. Didn't have a booster on the discs that were on the car originally, and the pedal pressure was tough, but those brakes weren't as well coordinated as the new ones will be. In race trim, the little car weighed a bit over 1500, I'm guessing with the 454, full interior, and street trim, I'm still going to come in under 2,000. The 454 is bone stock, all standard, '79 GMC 3/4 ton truck with a Crower .280 degree cam and a 650 AFB. I know, but that's what size carb Carter suggested I run with the "peanut heads". That, and the fact that I probably won't ever get past about 4,000 RPM! It will defiantly be one of those cars you drive with the throttle. I have two 9" rears out of mid '70's p/u trucks, and will use the best ratio. I'm guessing both are "one leggers", but since I have no plans to race the thing anymore that's OK. I'm going to finish this beast.......
If you can do a bonded title and come away with a title for a 28 or 29 Ford that would seem to be the most hassle-free way to it unless the cost is a really big hassle.
So .... If I read the article right, then I can assemble my Whippet sedan, and go through the "builder's title" process, and instead of it being titled as a "201? Homemade", I can title it as a "1929 Whippet Streetrod" ??? And I don't have to worry about all of that smog crap on the engine and exhaust ??
Have a friend who went thru the tax office. Did all the things they wanted and got a title. It to is a bonded title. After three years it will change to a regular title. He is not a patient man and did not lose his temper thru the paper work.
I took a copy of that article with the bill number on it to my tax accessor who also does the vehicle registrations. She was aware that there were some changes and she is going to look into it and let me know !! The way that she read it, I can go apply for a builders title, receive a state issued VIN, and title it as a 1929 Whippet Sedan replica. That is fine with me as long as I dont have to title it as a 201? home made !!!
The lady here in my tax office (Houston) had not heard of it, and when I explained and handed her a copy of the law, she said "I DONT NEED TO SEE THAT!!" I calmly told her that this was a LAW that was enacted in September of 2011, which the Tax office is now obligated to implement. She handed me some paperwork that seems to be the old assembled vehicle crap from before the new law was passed. Let me know what you all find out on this. Thanks in Advance, Dave
So, I just got my call back from Lawrence title, and his comment, in a nutshell was, "we can't help you". Apparently, since my car has absolutely no numbers on it at all, I have to apply for an Assembled title, and Texas DPS will assign a number to it. He tells me that it will be titled as a 2012 "assembled" with the body style section reflecting that it is a replica of a 1929 Ford. He seemed to have little knowledge of HB890. I can't get past the fact that a law has been passed that concerns everyone that deals with titling automobiles in Texas, and few of the very people that do this day in and day out know anything about it! Is the news still being passed on by word of mouth !?! So apparently, my next step is to go to my local tax office, and procure the paperwork to apply for an "assembled" title. Will it reflect that my car is a replica of a 1929 Ford and as such doesn't need to have smog and DOT ephemera? I'm not feeling too confident that this is going to be a smooth process. Maybe I do want to use the "historic document" that I have from Alabama. I would like to stay on the good side of DMV. More later.....
Mike, I know it's a new law, the folks at the local tax offices probably haven't had to deal with it yet. If they haven't heard of it, I think I would start working my way up the chain (all the way to Austin if I had too) to find someone that does know something about it. I'm going to lunch, I might slide by the Tax Office here and see if anyone knows anything. Larry T
Well, I just ran into the same thing everyone else is. I know the people at our tax office pretty well and they told me that since they hadn't had anyone apply for a replica title, they really didn't know anything about them. They tried to call some one "up the chain", but didn't get through. Since I'm not doing a replica title right now (and I didn't want to piss them off, since I always seem to need their help) I just let them get back to their regular work. And that's were you're gonna run into trouble, this isn't really "normal work" for them. This is something that's new enough that no one knows anything about it on a local level. The folks at my Tax Office said they only did one or two Assembled Titles a year, so it's gonna take a while for them to figure this out. You might need to call a regional office (or higher) to get the info and get a contact number for your local people. Larry T
OK, here's the deal. I just got back from DMV, where I talked to the nice ladies. First, they won't even have the forms for HB890 until March 29th. They know what is going on, they just had a seminar on it. One lady told me I definitely want to wait until they get the paperwork for the "street rod" title, as they call it. They were echoing Larry that the "street rod" title was made for guys like me. The major difference, and I didn't spend a lot of time holding them up, there was/always is a line waiting, is that with an assembled title, your car will be whatever year you title it in, and therefore is responsible for the smog requirements of that year. And for the next 25 years. Wherein, the "street rod" title will be as a replica of whatever year the body of the car is, and will be smog exempt, but will still have to pass the basic safety inspection. Looks like it will have a separate licence plate even. At least at this point in time, that's what they think. I'll go back after the first of the month, and get all the forms, and we will see. I got the impression that we were all going to learn when I apply for my "street rod" title. I certainly got the impression from them that titling my car was a given as long as I meet their criteria. Thanks, all. Thanks, Larry.
Thanks Mike: I think you are on the right track. Maybe my local tax office has attended the seminar, and now understands the law- I'll see what I can find out down here. Best, Dave
I got my Texas title early last year and it really well except for one part. First was the inspection. I knew the inspector so it went pretty quick but he still had to write "fiberglass replica of a 1932 Ford roadster."The second step, the DMV, was the problem. They insisted on calling it a "2011 replica . . ." so I took their paperwork, with their new VIN, to the county. I filled out all their paperwork myself, including the title application. When it asked for the year/model I wrote "1932 Ford Roadster." My title came back about a month later saying, "1932 Ford Roadster." No problem!
Sure am following this with a lot of interest, as I have a project that was obtained from the scrap metal man.. I can get receipts for most of the parts but I will be very curious what they require on that...... Maybe someone in TX finally figured out they were losing a lot of title money because they had made it about impossible to title a lost title vehicle unless you are the original owner. There are hundreds of potential projects out there and the bonded title is the only way on some of them, and ones without numbers are just flat impossible to title in TX, or at least in my county. My local office doesn't want to deal with Bonded titles even. For instance, when you ask them where to obtain a bond, they hand you an out of date photocopy of a one item list of title bond issuers and appraisers.
Some observations from the twenty minutes I spent today waiting for an opportunity to ask for forms at the DMV. These ladies are the epitome of bureaucrats. I watched one of them struggle with a customer whose english was worse than the clerk's spanish for the whole time I was there. The commercial clerk's are dealing with people who apparently feel they have "rights" because they are "in the business", and the line snakes back to the next office. Every one of us that's in that line has a problem, or we wouldn't be there. We would be doing this online, or by mail. No wonder their "shields" are up. What surprised me most was how willing they were to help me when they found that, 1, I wasn't in a hurry, and second, there was no chip on my shoulder. I left with the impression that when the ladies at my local DMV had the proper papers, and knowledge, they would be quite willing to help me get a title.
There is an ad in the DMN now from a new company (one I've never heard of anyway) Classic Auto Title. Ad says they do lost, bonded, transfer, or lein research. 214-697-8948. You might just call them to see if they have heard anything about the street rod title process.
Just got back from the Ft.Worth swap meet, and met a guy that does bonded titles. I told him I had a homebuilt frame with no numbers, and he told me to take the car, on a trailer, with as many receipts as I could muster up to the Ft. Worth police impound lot most any Saturday, and they would assign me a number. From there it would be simple to get a bonded title. He said it would have an assembled title that would reflect the body style and year of the car, and that it would only be liable for safety checks. Wow, seems like everybody I talk to has a different story.....
Sorry guys! I've been involved with finding drum brakes that fit my old style small bearing 9", crewing on the sprint car, and getting ready for the Pate swap meet. I'm taking about half the garage! I'll go to DMV after Pate and get the paperwork. I'm going to call the guy I talked to in Ft. Worth to make sure I wasn't dreaming when he said I could get a vin number assigned. I'll get back to you all. Again, sorry, Mike
Man, thanks for all the information on this thread! I'm about to start the process of getting a title. I was going to go for a bonded title, but it sounds like the "Custom Vehicle" title is what I should be aiming for. Just curious, have you been told anything about going to an Autotheft Taskforce or anything? When I was looking into the bonded title, I was told by the DOT that I would have to take my truck there to have it check out for an stolen parts since nothing but the body it original. Get any ideas on pricing? It sounds like a bonded title would run me around $5-600 out the door.
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