HELP.....................

[Guest captain zoom]

I am the proud owner of a 1957 corvette. The previous owner had it for 25+ years, and I was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time to purchase. Problem, car has no title or data plate with vin number. I do have a notorized bill of sale. Do not want dmv to inspect car and issue a reconstruct title. I would like a 1957 title and am trying to figure out the best way to get one. Car is literally a basket case and came home in boxes. It is the basic fiberglass body and several boxes of chrome pieces. No interior, No frame, etc. Planning on a sort of resto rod keeping the body stock, on a later frame, with a stroker motor..But I desperately need a vin plate before I sink any more money into this expensive project. Any suggestions, leads, advice,etc will be welcome.thanx Captain Zoom

[Restorer32]

You do realize you are asking someone to violate federal law?

[R Walling]

Possible scenario,

Buy a VIN plate from someone on line and then put $60,000 into your restoration .

When it is all done, the "owner" of the VIN plate can then claim his car with HIS title that was issued in another state before you titled it.

Thank you very much, when do you want me to send you the plate?

Titling is for your protection as well as the last owner. For all you know, the body could have been stolen 25 years ago and is still the property or the last titled owner.

In MA., you have to prove what car the body came off of for a title.

Go here and read,

http://www.crankshaftcoalition.com/w..._my_hot_rod%3F

Edited August 13, 2013 by Roger Walling (see edit history)

[TexRiv_63]

You currently own a pile of parts, not a car, so you have nothing to title. You need to buy a legally titled frame with a VIN plate then you can start assembling, although you may still have problems based on Roger's comments above.

[joe_padavano]

I am the proud owner of a 1957 corvette.

No, you're not. You are the proud owner of a pile of parts. If you are planning to build a modified car with an aftermarket frame, consider registering the car under the street rod or modified vehicle programs that many states now have. The state DMV would assign a VIN once you prove ownership of the parts.

[Guest captain zoom]

thanks for all of your replys, but in my state a title is easy to get with a vin plate. also in my state, and i assume in most others, you have to do a national vin seach through your dmv to see if anyone has any claim on that number before you start sinking money into it. an if, after 25+ years some yahoo decides that , "hey, i messed up when i let that car go and now, 25 years later i have had a change of heart and have decided i want this vehicle back", then you say real simple, come and get it, and bring plenty of cash for 25 years of storage as i do not accept checks.

captain zoom

[Scooter Guy]

if, after 25+ years some yahoo decides that , "hey, i messed up when i let that car go and now, 25 years later i have had a change of heart and have decided i want this vehicle back", then you say real simple, come and get it, and bring plenty of cash for 25 years of storage as i do not accept checks.

captain zoom

No, not quite. More like they'd be able to come and take it and would have every right to do so provided they had the legal documentation to prove ownership (ie, the title). You'd be left with nothing and would be out whatever you'd spent on a vehicle that never legally belonged to you.

If this thing pops up as a stolen car and the rightful owner wants it back, they sure as heck don't owe you a dime for it in order to get it. Definitely don't expect that. You're far more likely to have legal trouble for being in possession of stolen property than you are to have an owner willing to fall for extortion. Putting up a fight can only land you in more trouble. Sorry, but it's true. It's the risk you take when you buy a vehicle with no documentation, no title, and/or no VIN number or plate. You've got a mess on your hands, that's for sure.

[CarlLaFong]

Everyone always assumes that every car, in a scenario like this, is stolen. I imagine it is rarely the case. Without a VIN plate, nobody can prove ownership, either prior or current, on his "pile of parts". Buying and using a VIN plate from another car Is illegal in every state of the union, not to mention that the feds also take a dim view of such shennanigans. That's not to say it isn't or hasn't been done, many, many times. I think finding a "Historical Document" for a 57 Corvette is going to be challenging, to say the least. As far as the plate coming up hot, it seems to me that is not likely. If I ran a chop shop or dealt in stolen cars, I think the first thing I'd get rid of is anything with a number on it.

I am not advocating any of this. It is not a gray area. It is way into the black, but people do it all the time. Be careful

[Guest billybird]

Since laws and regulations have become so strict these days, I have a policy. I never consider anything that does not have a title. If I'm interested in something my first question is; "does it have a title"? If the answer is no ; I walk away.

[JohnD1956]

In NY State a 57 would not have had a title. It would have had a "registration" and it would have been a transferable or non transferable one. And it would be a bear to get on a car without a vehicle ID attached at the factory.

Since you are planning a resto rod, with a different frame, motor, and presumably everything else, why would you care about the original title vs a reconstruct?

[john2dameron]

This reminds me of something else that happened years ago. I traded a '68 Chevy Impala convertible in and someone promptly totally wiped it out. Several years later I got a phone call from a guy who claimed he had bought the car I traded in and he needed me to sign the title over to him. I let him know right quick that I signed the title when I traded the car in, the car got destroyed in a wreck, and I had not sold any thing to him so I would not be signing anything. Never heard any more about it but I am sure the car he had was not the car I owned.

[CarlLaFong]

Since you are planning a resto rod, with a different frame, motor, and presumably everything else, why would you care about the original title vs a reconstruct?

Insurance. It can be tough to get on a special construction

[TexRiv_63]

Since laws and regulations have become so strict these days, I have a policy. I never consider anything that does not have a title. If I'm interested in something my first question is; "does it have a title"? If the answer is no ; I walk away.

A big "Amen Brother" to that.