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Wed Mar 17, 2010 10:53 pm

Does anyone know how to register a bug with no title and no VIN? The VIN on the pan looks like it was purposely mangled to be unreadable and of course the body has no tag. It's a 62 vert. Do I just apply for a VIN? How do I do that?

Wed Mar 17, 2010 10:56 pm

I don't know about in CA but in Georgia you have to have an inspection of the vehicle by an officer.

Wed Mar 17, 2010 11:01 pm

Do they give you a VIN? Do you have to pass smog or anything?

Wed Mar 17, 2010 11:46 pm

No paper. No vin. No california registration. You can get around the paperwork, but wihout a vin you are out of luck except to change the pan to another with papers.

Wed Mar 17, 2010 11:47 pm

chrispaterson82 wrote: The VIN on the pan looks like it was purposely mangled to be unreadable and of course the body has no tag.
This means the car is STOLEN! Why get involved in the crime?

Thu Mar 18, 2010 12:22 am

Really in California there is no way? hmmm... Well maybe I'll be looking for a pan :-/ I doubt the car is stolen, especially for the asking price. He ain't making that much off me

Thu Mar 18, 2010 1:01 am

once you get the vin sorted out you can get around not having a title. you can apply for what is called a "goldenrod" title. which is a non transferable title that will allow you to renew registration each year.

as far as the inspection, get ready for a guy/girl in a lab coat to go over the car thoroughly and be ready to answer the questions about "this not matching that"

its a pain in the ass but can be done and once its over with you can relax....until you decide to sell the car :twisted:

Thu Mar 18, 2010 4:59 am

Sounds like a STOLEN car. If the price sounds too good to be true..it is. He can sale cheap..because he stole the car, stripped and sold most of the parts, and now you're buying what's left. Receiving stolen property is a crime, RUN, Don't walk away from this deal. If you've already made the deal, you need to seek legal advice from a real attorney.

Thu Mar 18, 2010 7:11 am

Yeah if it werent for the Vandalized Vin number on the Pann ?
I just walked away from a 68 because of it .
Man was that Dude Sprung !
Mach 10 with the B.S.
Started the usuall tweeker B.S. the Whole Universe is nothin but Numbers routine :shock:
Yupp put me too lookin around for Vampire's and Mojave Meth Mouthed Cannibal's .
Exit Stage left !
The Hell out of there !
Sean

Thu Mar 18, 2010 8:33 am

when bought my 1965 about 8 years, it hasn't been registered since 1984, so i had to take it to the DVM and have it inspected

all the guy did was, check the Vin on the transmission hump and the Vin under the hood, turn on my headlights, turn signals, checked brake lights, and that was about it...

i was worried it wouldn't pass because of the suicide doors!

Thu Mar 18, 2010 9:44 am

Bruce wrote: chrispaterson82 wrote: The VIN on the pan looks like it was purposely mangled to be unreadable and of course the body has no tag.
This means the car is STOLEN! Why get involved in the crime?
bedebtfree wrote: Sounds like a STOLEN car. If the price sounds too good to be true..it is. He can sale cheap..because he stole the car, stripped and sold most of the parts, and now you're buying what's left. Receiving stolen property is a crime, RUN, Don't walk away from this deal. If you've already made the deal, you need to seek legal advice from a real attorney.

X2

Out of curiousity, how did the seller explain this?

candymustang65 wrote: Yeah if it werent for the Vandalized Vin number on the Pann ?
I just walked away from a 68 because of it .
Man was that Dude Sprung !
Mach 10 with the B.S.
Started the usuall tweeker B.S. the Whole Universe is nothin but Numbers routine :shock:
Yupp put me too lookin around for Vampire's and Mojave Meth Mouthed Cannibal's .
Exit Stage left !
The Hell out of there !
Sean
That should sum it up for you.

Anybody missing a '62 vert?

Thu Mar 18, 2010 10:40 am

Honestly, given that kind of context of a lifestyle, the car could very well be his.

Thu Mar 18, 2010 1:19 pm

Peoples, has the original poster looked elsewhere on the pan for the VIN? I know there is one on the tunnel and one in the spare tire well. But, isn’t there also one stamped on the outside rear shock tower on the left side? When I was painting my ’73 pan I remember seeing a factory casting in that location. You might get under the car and hunt around.

Give it a try. You might be surprised. I'll check my chassis when I get home tonight to verify it's location.

EDIT: I just checked my chassis and was way off. The other VIN is stamped on the rear, right shock tower. It is just behind the body mount. At least on a '73 pan that's where it is. Hopefully they were doing the same thing in the '60's.

Thu Mar 18, 2010 9:36 pm

Even if the car wasn't stolen, which I think it was, I never ever buy cars without, clear titles that match the vin #'s. I check the title with the vin # before I hand over the cash. Why open that can of worms when you can easily find another car with a clear title. How may horror stories about bad titles and vin #'s have you heard?

Thu Mar 18, 2010 10:07 pm

Just go to a Highway Patrol inspection office and ask them how they usually handle this situation. They're the ones that would probably do the inspection and reassign a VIN.

Fri Mar 19, 2010 12:31 pm

Just got off the phone with a CA police officer who is a traffic specialist. Here is the process for a CA vehicle with missing and/or altered VIN's:

So, it's going to be a long process, but here you go:

1. Start the registration process with DMV. You will need to make an appointment at the local office and you'll have to trailer the car there. You'll have to ask for an appointment with a VIN specialist due to the vin plate missing and the VIN on the tunnel being altered.

2. DMV probably will go "EEEeeek! There's no VIN! This is horrible!" (This is no surprise or big deal). After a few deep breaths, if they don't automatically refer you to CHP, ask for a referral to CHP for a VIN verification and possible reassignment. If the clerk says that it can't be done, they are full of it. Just ask for a CHP referral.

3. Call your local CHP office and ask for an appointment for a VIN verification and give them the same story, along with "And I was referred to you by DMV and will possibly need a VIN reassignment." Yes, CHP can reissue VIN's. I'm not sure how it's done; if they give you VIN plates to attach or whatnot. CHP does state that you need to start with DMV and start the registration process first.

And there is the official CA law enforcement, traffic specialist answer!

Fri Mar 19, 2010 1:44 pm

JinxedSydney wrote: Just got off the phone with a CA police officer who is a traffic specialist. Here is the process for a CA vehicle with missing and/or altered VIN's:

So, it's going to be a long process, but here you go:

1. Start the registration process with DMV. You will need to make an appointment at the local office and you'll have to trailer the car there. You'll have to ask for an appointment with a VIN specialist due to the vin plate missing and the VIN on the tunnel being altered.

2. DMV probably will go "EEEeeek! There's no VIN! This is horrible!" (This is no surprise or big deal). After a few deep breaths, if they don't automatically refer you to CHP, ask for a referral to CHP for a VIN verification and possible reassignment. If the clerk says that it can't be done, they are full of it. Just ask for a CHP referral.

3. Call your local CHP office and ask for an appointment for a VIN verification and give them the same story, along with "And I was referred to you by DMV and will possibly need a VIN reassignment." Yes, CHP can reissue VIN's. I'm not sure how it's done; if they give you VIN plates to attach or whatnot. CHP does state that you need to start with DMV and start the registration process first.

And there is the official CA law enforcement, traffic specialist answer!

This is exactly what you need to do. DMV first, referal to CHP office, then a VIN verification process through the CHP. What year is your car, it may have a VIN on it, and where did you buy it at.

Fri Mar 19, 2010 4:38 pm

This is great guys! Thanks so much!

Fri Mar 19, 2010 5:34 pm

In all seriousness Chris- be aware of the huge thread in the splittie section on the standard microbus from Spokane. It cleared CA DMV- because weak interstate trace brought up nothing of it's past hot status. Your vert just came from state- and it was for sale for a long time. I'd say save your energy and find a donor pan with a legal VIN and title.

The last thing you want is to invest 13k in a car- only to have it come up stolen when it is resold in another state. My hunch is you could find a titled pan in your neighborhood for around $400. That's a much better starting point than the risk of losing that car after you've dumped a ton of money into it.

Fri Mar 19, 2010 6:27 pm

hitest wrote: In all seriousness Chris- be aware of the huge thread in the splittie section on the standard microbus from Spokane. It cleared CA DMV- because weak interstate trace brought up nothing of it's past hot status. Your vert just came from state- and it was for sale for a long time. I'd say save your energy and find a donor pan with a legal VIN and title.

The last thing you want is to invest 13k in a car- only to have it come up stolen when it is resold in another state. My hunch is you could find a titled pan in your neighborhood for around $400. That's a much better starting point than the risk of losing that car after you've dumped a ton of money into it.

Yeah, I think that is what I'm going to have to do and I'd like to do it before I really start putting money into the car. I mean I suppose I could try to get a new VIN but I might as well not deal with the headache. If I can find a pan for $400 or less, I think it's worth it to me to not have to deal with the bureaucracy that is the California Department of Motor Vehicles! AHH!