difficulties getting Title/paperwork for hot rods

[skull]

is anyone else experiencing a lot of bureaucracy getting titles/paperwork on the rods?

l been doing this car stuff for 35 years and it seems we just have more obstacles messing with our happiness and our rights, every time l turn around we get regulations, fees and just stupidity we have to deal with.

this state seems to be the worst, over two weeks to get a simple title transfer and l had all the correct paperwork but had to jump thru a dozen hoops.

Later

 

[sawzall]

Ill. is worse I have seen it take over a year and $1,000 or more with many,many trips to the DMV. and still no title! I have a friend of mine, his rod is finished and for 2 years it has been sitting in his garage with no paper work and no plates. he has tried everything. He's now trying to buy the same year truck with a title and switch the paper over and part out the new truck

 

[donsrods]

I hate to say it, but our days are numbered. It may not happen in the next few years, but I think eventually our cars will be allowed to be used for only things like parades and maybe car shows. If that seems farfetched, look at some of the laws that have passed that we never thought we would ever see come about.

The powers that be have all the reasons in the world why our cars shouldn't exist. They guzzle gas, are loud, are not as clean emissionwise as new cars, and are not as safe (no airbags, crumple zones, antiquated suspension systems, etc.) It will not all come at one time, but they will just keep making it more difficult to register and license them.

Titles have also become a hot topic. It used to be you could buy a title and make the car you built become that car. But there have been cases (one right here in Florida) where a guy was charged with using a title for a car he built that didn't belong to that car. He was facing serious jail time, although there were some other aspects to that case.

It used to be that the authorities understood that our cars were basically harmless and they gave us some leeway. But we are seeing some of that thinking changing more and more as time goes by.


Smoke em if you got em, guys. The handwriting is on the wall.
Don

 

[Tripper]

That's why I *always* use a title service. If an individual goes down to the DPS... they will hassle you no end. The girl I use has been doing title work for decades & when her people go down there... they just rubber stamp everything & I don't have to wait it line & deal with them! Worth *every* dime & then some!!!

BoB

 

[donsrods]

Bob, never used one, how do they work ?

Don

 

[05snopro440]

I hate to say it, but our days are numbered. It may not happen in the next few years, but I think eventually our cars will be allowed to be used for only things like parades and maybe car shows. If that seems farfetched, look at some of the laws that have passed that we never thought we would ever see come about.

The powers that be have all the reasons in the world why our cars shouldn't exist. They guzzle gas, are loud, are not as clean emissionwise as new cars, and are not as safe (no airbags, crumple zones, antiquated suspension systems, etc.) It will not all come at one time, but they will just keep making it more difficult to register and license them.

Titles have also become a hot topic. It used to be you could buy a title and make the car you built become that car. But there have been cases (one right here in Florida) where a guy was charged with using a title for a car he built that didn't belong to that car. He was facing serious jail time, although there were some other aspects to that case.

It used to be that the authorities understood that our cars were basically harmless and they gave us some leeway. But we are seeing some of that thinking changing more and more as time goes by.


Smoke em if you got em, guys. The handwriting is on the wall.
Don

Up here our laws have specific allowances for vintage iron, I don't see that changing any time soon. I know each state has its own unique set of hoops to jump through, though.

 

[Sam_Fear]

Anybody in Illinois should find a friend in Tennessee.

 

[IAM-LDS-2]

In Delaware if you have a street rod or antique tag you are already limited to parades and car shows . I got stopped and given a ticket for riding on the shoulder , trooper never asked me why I was out and about in the middle of the day and he never mentioned the "lack" of fenders . He also went out of his way to tell me two times that I could request a jury trial . I did and I got the ticket thrown out before my court date . A lot of how you are treated by the system seems to depend on the person you are dealing with . Seems there is a lot of discretion allowed at the DMV . I have only scratch built 2 rods . Both times I researched the law before starting my projects and got the title stuff out of the way before getting too much time and money invested in them .

 

[Willowbilly3]

5-6 years ago we could drag an old hulk in from a ravine with a bill of sale and there was a process that you could use to obtain title. Not any more. And it isn't just more bureaucracy, people were abusing the process. Quite often family disputes over who the car belonged to and then the state was caught in the middle.
Now the landowner can still use the a more complicated form of the same process.
Another option is a buddy with a wrecker service. Let him impound it and go through the abandoned vehicle paperwork.
Tripper's way sounds the least painful.

 

[IAM-LDS-2]

5-6 years ago we could drag an old hulk in from a ravine with a bill of sale and there was a process that you could use to obtain title. Not any more. And it isn't just more bureaucracy, people were abusing the process. Quite often family disputes over who the car belonged to and then the state was caught in the middle.
Now the landowner can still use the a more complicated form of the same process.
Another option is a buddy with a wrecker service. Let him impound it and go through the abandoned vehicle paperwork.
Tripper's way sounds the least painful.

I think the bottom line here is "if you can't title it - don't build it ".

 

[Bamamav]

I'm glad we don't have those problems here. We didn't even have titles until 1975, and they don't recognize them on anything earlier than that no matter what state it came from. Bill of sale is all you need, makes it real simple.

 

[Willowbilly3]

I think the bottom line here is "if you can't title it - don't build it ".

We still can do homebuilt but you have to have the car done before you can apply. It's best to ask ALL the questions before you start. Almost any vehicle that comes through my hands with no title gets parted out. I have sold them with no title, bill of sale only and then the guy sells it and the next owner starts hounding me.

 

[Tripper]

Bob, never used one, how do they work ?

Don,
Like most of you... I've bought a lot of cars over the years & make it pretty much a rule to get some kind of transferable paperwork although I've got caught a few times. Anyway... she knows exactly what is required & if I don't have it I try to get it! Once she has what she thinks she needs she has her people take it down there & she never failed to come back with the goods. I give it to her one day & go back & get my tags the paperwork & tags the next day. Or if I use same year license plates she takes those down & they run them against their book & if it was a real plate & is not registered to anyone else we're issued a small plate we attach to the correct year tag & that is good for 5 years & costs about $65! I've tried do do it myself & they want to inspect the car... so on & so forth. It eats up a lot of time dealing with them & waiting in line!

BoB

 

[Yankee Transplant]

I just hope it stays that way Bama.
all I need to do is get a bill of sale and hope they dont inspect it ... but I did hear if it hasnt been tagged in 10 years it has to be inspected ,,, ( dont know by who) I'm figuring I may have trouble the way you will be able to see the way my frame is cut and welded back together in the front of the cab ,,

 

[ronnysplymouth]

Just do the three year registration deal Skull......it's even transferrable if u sell

 

[skull]

thanks ron

ya ron, if this last trip to the DOL place didn't work the 3 year thing was a last resort, but l would have done it.

got the title in my name and a current registration & did the classic license so were done with that and l can drive her all over to car shows now

Later

 

[39flatback]

Not usually too bad getting paperwork on a vehicle here but there are exceptions. If it hasn't been licensed for many years and is out of the computer system it's not too bad. If it is in the system and the owner is deceased it can be a problem, I have one like that now and the expense of sorting it out just isn't worth it.
Here, you have to be careful to transfer ownership into your name when you buy it too. Cars 20 years and older have to have an appraisal in order have the ownership transferred into your name and it's taxed on the appraisal amount. If you rebuild it and then get the appraisal to put it in your name you'll pay tax on the finished appraised value not what it was worth when you bought it.

 

[billy]

For my 27 I went the homebuilt title route.
Thank god we don't have emmisions testing here.
To get my title I had a receipt for every single part including steel ,nuts and bolts.
Actually I made a build log
On one page would be a photo of the part and on the facing page was the receipt for it.
The lady at the DMV told me that I did it exactly the right way to make it easy to title my car.

 

[Bamamav]

I just hope it stays that way Bama.
all I need to do is get a bill of sale and hope they dont inspect it ... but I did hear if it hasnt been tagged in 10 years it has to be inspected ,,, ( dont know by who) I'm figuring I may have trouble the way you will be able to see the way my frame is cut and welded back together in the front of the cab ,,

I've never heard of any inspection here. I know some of the bigger cities like Birmingham and Huntsville have emissions testing, but I don't think that even goes back over 10 years.

New ownership starts with the bill of sale, doesn't matter how many years it's been since it's been tagged. They only collect taxes on running, driving vehicles used on the road, if it's not been on the road, then no taxes due with the exception of sales tax, and if it's a gift or a even trade, none are due.

 

[2.3Turbo_T]

is anyone else experiencing a lot of bureaucracy getting titles/paperwork on the rods?

l been doing this car stuff for 35 years and it seems we just have more obstacles messing with our happiness and our rights, every time l turn around we get regulations, fees and just stupidity we have to deal with.

this state seems to be the worst, over two weeks to get a simple title transfer and l had all the correct paperwork but had to jump thru a dozen hoops.

I wish we had it as easy as Washington state! If your really wanna develop an ulcer, try dealing with California DMV, California Air Resources Board and the Bureau of Automotive Repair. Bureaucracy at it's finest! It really doesn't get any better than that!