TheSamba.com :: View topic - Using Beetle torsion housing with VIN in sand rail?

Thu Jul 23, 2015 8:29 pm

To clarify: I was talking about the highly illegal practice of building a rail and using the donor car's VIN to title/insure it.

It was an uphill battle of EPIC proportions to get my rail street legal in Pennsylvania. I have since run into about a dozen people (usually with few teeth, you know, the people known as 'Pennsyltuckian's) who swear their "buddy's cousin Jessup has one he's been running around on the streets for twenty years. He's using the VIN tag from his wife/sister's old Beetle!"

I don't doubt it for one minute. BUT, the truth is, he scammed his insurance company and WHEN, not if, WHEN he gets into the big wreck, he is going to be screwed, and worse, so are the people he hits. Who will pay their costs? Not the insurance company!! They are going to bail out and claim Insurance Fraud, and rightly so.

That is why it was so difficult to get mine through. PennDOT didn't want another half-assed rail on the streets. They made me do it all PERFECTLY legal. I didn't mind, I wanted it perfectly legal. I just pissed me off that because some back-woods, in-bred redneck took shortcuts, I had to pay the penalty. And , so does everyone else. It just isn't right!

The worst part? It isn't all that hard to do it the right way, and then you never have any issues. I get a kick out of the fool telling me about "Jessup's street legal rail" and he spots my Ez-Pass. "What's that thar thing?"
"It's an Ez-Pass". " You mean you take this thing on the turnpike? Aren't you afraid the State Cops will see you and confiscate it?" "No, I'm not. It is FULLY STREET-LEGAL".

Thu Jul 23, 2015 8:34 pm

TDCTDI wrote: Hey Axitech, I'm not sure which you mean as fraudulent, I did go through the correct channels with my tdi swaps & even got to experience the insurance side of it when some jackass hit me head on in his mothers car while he was texting,their insurance company refused to pay for anything more than book value for the gasoline vehicle, fortunately my insurance company paid for my vehicle after I showed 20+ comparable vehicles. As to the sandrail/buggy dilemma, in my state, they are titled as the donor vehicle. I've gotten pulled in many sandrails & a couple buggies & as long as the registration matches the VIN all went well, one of which was out of state, most of the time I was pulled it seemed to be out of curiosity more than an actual infraction (probably the not looking like a bug thing).

Sorry, I responded before reading completely. I am only aware of Pennsylvania's laws regarding the issue. Might be totally legal elsewhere and I wouldn't know it. My concern would be , what is the insurance company going to say about it? If you tell them it's a Beetle, and they see it isn't, you've lied to them. On the other hand, if you provided pictures up front, and they were fully aware, well, that is another story. I suppose if you could show that, they would have to stand by you.

Thu Jul 23, 2015 9:51 pm

As far as the insurance company goes, the problem that would screw me is that they would only insure up to the original purchase price of the original car (1966 beetle was around $1600-1800?) if I carried full coverage on it. If I want to get more coverage then I would have to get specialty insurance at an agreed upon replacement value (mileage restrictions). Your build probably will fall into some weird insurance black hole where you are basically driving it with liability only. (I'm guessing from some of your other posts you're military, thanks for your service, & you might be with USAA, if so, You should definitely look into how your rig is covered)

Fri Jul 24, 2015 4:10 am

Yes, we had to hunt around to find it. I use an independent insurance guy and he found that Progressive would issue full coverage on it for about $300 a year. They wanted pictures just like the state did, and they were very happy to insure it. The guy from Progressive said, looking at it, "it looks well built and, honestly, I doubt a 55 year old guy is going to go slingshotting around town in something that exposed".

Yes, I served in USAF for 4 years, and Guards/Reserves another 6. I am proud of my service, and you're welcome. It was my honor and privilege to serve. I wish I had stayed in and done thirty years, it really was that much fun!

Fri Jul 24, 2015 4:39 am

Is that full coverage or just liability & if full coverage, what's the agreed replacement value? With the values of all collector cars skyrocketing, I dare say that a vast majority of the cars on this site are underinsured & when someone hits your vehicle their insurance company will do everything to weasel out of a claim.

Fri Jul 24, 2015 7:11 am

Two things.... North Carolina laws are different than the 49 other states..... And Progressive, through independ insurance agent insured mine for a stated value of $10,000 dollars with pictures to prove vehicles authenticity....

And Yes by California DMV it is a SPCN (SPecial CoNstruction)...

IF you have any doubts about vehicle registrations go to this site and read all 50 states rules and regulations and report back...

http://www.semasan.com/page.asp?content=tag_title_toolbox&g=SEMAGA

And be aware that your back country - in bred - red neck buddy undoes all the hard work this organisation tries to do for us...

Dale

Sat Jul 25, 2015 7:00 am

"And be aware that your back country - in bred - red neck buddy undoes all the hard work this organisation tries to do for us..."

^^^ this is why I like Dale.

NC is cracking down on cars built with VW parts & end up looking nothing like a Beetle...

Special Construction classification keeps you out of trouble with the DMV. NC DMV people are eyeballing what Texas is doing in regards to rail buggies. As in, making it harder for rail buggies to be titled for street use.

bnc

Sat Jul 25, 2015 7:36 am

[quote="didget69NC is cracking down on cars built with VW parts & end up looking nothing like a Beetle...

Special Construction classification keeps you out of trouble with the DMV. NC DMV people are eyeballing what Texas is doing in regards to rail buggies. As in, making it harder for rail buggies to be titled for street use.

bnc[/quote]

THIS is precisely why I had so much trouble getting mine street-legal. DWP had it a little easier, and the next guy will be a little easier. That will continue until some in-bred jackass gets caught taking the shortcut and we all wind up right back in the long line to the Tyranny Office.

Look, I swore an Oath to defend and uphold the Constitution so I hate all these extra laws that government minions are forcing down our throats. However, until it becomes apparent that we have no other option but to kill all of them and wipe the slate clean, we MUST operate within the laws.

If we don't operate within the laws, they will drown us in more laws. On that day, they will smile with glee because you will be indoors watching videos of sandrails operating on streets from days gone by! You certainly won't be driving one!

Sat Jul 25, 2015 1:32 pm

Well there you go stevensj13, if you just use the beetles title, you will instantly & forever be known as the puppy kicking, kitten stomping, inbred redneckian that lives to wipe their butt with the constitution, DONT DO IT!

Sat Jul 25, 2015 2:23 pm

TDCTDI wrote: Ok, this will really get your goat, we can also swap diesels into gasoline cars (although we have to go through the license & theft div) they pop the hood, verify that it's a diesel & change the fuel designation on the title. I took the titles of both the donor vehicle & the recipient vehicle & they didn't even look at them, the only problem I had was trying to convince the officer that the engine was diesel.

Legally, in NC, you can only swap from gas to diesel if the vehicle in question was offered with a diesel engine from new.

Fun NC Fact #2: Engine swaps aren't technically legal - old laws are still on the books allowing rebuild of original vehicle engine, but no swaps.

Next: we can discuss how raising/lowering a vehicle in NC more than 6" from Factory ride height is illegal. Or mounting more than 1 pair of auxiliary lights (driving or fog) in NC is illegal.

bnc

Sat Jul 25, 2015 2:36 pm

Hey didget69, well crap, I'm screwed on multiple fronts. BTW speaking of old laws, do you know if the asshole actually got out of his DWI because he was pulled with a bad brake light & his defense was that NC law only required one brake light?

Mon Aug 17, 2015 4:53 pm

TDCTDI wrote: Hey didget69, well crap, I'm screwed on multiple fronts. BTW speaking of old laws, do you know if the asshole actually got out of his DWI because he was pulled with a bad brake light & his defense was that NC law only required one brake light?

I think DWI guy did get off on a technicality. However, he may be the Moped Guy I pass regularly while commuting to RTP. :lol:

UPDATE: http://www.charlottedwiattorney.com/change-in-brake-light-law/

Starting October 15, 2015, NC requires 2 operational tail lights or you could get pulled... Surprise! I wonder if the Ford Model T guys will get pulled over?

bnc

Mon Aug 17, 2015 7:58 pm

So what do you think... Is this guy even fooling around with vw tortion? What is your guess it is registered as? Think he is running current special construction smog equipment? I can see pushing it a bit but is this over the top? If not I guess anything goes in his state.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apqBbc7-Jhw