TX Title Issue, Motor # ('49 Jeepster)

[victorialynn2]

I have a '49 Jeepster I want to sell. I have a title from the 60's that has a engine number for the VIN. I guess it was the custom back then. It's a Texas title. I want to sell it to someone in OR. It has a new engine with a new engine # that doesn't match. Tx says I can have it inspected by a deputy, probably have to get a bonded title, and I'm told they will give me a new number, not the number on the VIN Tag. 

I'm told Oregon won't title it with that number because it doesn't match. So I guess I have to sell it to someone in Texas only? Does anyone have experience with this?

[victorialynn2]

Correction...'48 Jeepster

[Matt Harwood]

This is very problematic and since every state is different, you're going to have a hard time making it work. However, I've found that in most cases, other states will accept what your home state decides to do. I believe if you buy a bonded title, they will use the VIN on the car, not assign it a new one. I'm not 100% positive, but a few years ago I had a Dodge Power wagon that we sold to a fellow in Texas. With Power Wagons, frames and cabs had their own serial numbers and over the years, frames, engines, and cabs get switched around. It's no big deal, but this particular truck was titled by the cab number, which was a tag riveted to the door jamb. Texas would not accept a number that wasn't stamped into some permanent part of the truck, AKA the frame number. We ended up buying a bonded title for the truck on that frame number for the new owner.

 

Essentially, a bonded title is an insurance policy--if the guy who actually has the title with that serial number on it shows up and claims his truck, it reimburses the owner for the loss of the truck due to problems with the title. I do not believe he had to get a Texas-assigned VIN on the truck and was able to get the bonded title using the frame number, which is really the right way to do it. I think after three years of no claims against the bond, the title becomes valid and unencumbered. The downside is that bonded titles can be expensive. I think I paid somewhere around $15/$1000 of value and on a $60,000 truck, that was A LOT of cash for a title.

 

I've also faced a problem like you're facing with your Jeepster with a Model A. Model As were typically titled by engine number. I had a nice roadster but as I was putting it on the trailer, the engine failed catastrophically. I bought a new crate engine and installed it but, of course, the title no longer matched the engine. Fortunately, I was able to take the title, photos of the new engine, photos of the old engine sitting next to the car, and rubbings of the numbers themselves to the DMV and a very helpful lady put things right by changing the VIN on the title. That's VERY rare and many states won't allow something so drastic (fortunately, this Model A was titled in New York), but that might be worth a try. If you can explain the situation that the engine has been changed and therefore the title no longer matches, you might be able to make a case for switching it back to the original VIN. But I bet they say NO because that's what they're best at down at the DMV. It can't hurt to ask.

 

I bet you need to do a bonded title, and that should cure your problems. If the truck isn't very valuable, it shouldn't be terribly expensive. Oregon should honor whatever title Texas decides to issue and it should be transferable. As long as the number that's on the title is somewhere on the truck, there's not much they can say or do about it, regardless of what the number originally was or where it was located.

[Grimy]

VL2 and I Pm-ed last week on the issue of locations of serial and engine numbers.  Unfortunately, Willys-Overland saw fit to attach their serial number plates (which VL has located) with *screws* rather than rivets.

 

By some miracle, VL, do you happen to have the old engine with a number matching the title on the premises?  If so, I'd photograph the two engine numbers AND the serial numbers and get a new title issued under the serial number.  I can provide a copy of the page from my early Jeepster's owners manual (so early, it was a station wagon OM) which has the serial and engine numbers written in fountain pen--to show that titling via engine number was a common practice 60 years ago.

 

If you don't have the old engine, Matt's idea of a bonded title is the way to go--but try to get them to issue a new title with the serial number.  But DON'T remove the serial plate to take in--I had one inspector look to see how cruddy the screws were! 

[victorialynn2]

Thanks Grimy. I don't have the old engine. I have a Deputy inspector coming next week per the DMV's suggestion. I will then go to the San Antonio DMV and see what they say. The inspector told me they'd probably assign a new number and not the vin and was unsure but thought I'd have to go the bonded title route. I will let you all know. I have at least one other car I may have a title issue with also. :/

Edited December 2, 2016 by victorialynn2 (see edit history)

[victorialynn2]

Also, the buyer is a manager at a new car dealership and has 50 cars himself and has been through this before. He does not think DMV in Oregon will accept title of the VIN is not on the title. Tx DMV will issue title with the old engine number without a bond, but when inspected in Or (or any other state I'd imagine), it won't match and DMV won't issue title. This basically makes the car impossible to title out of state and that reduces value I would imagine. Hopefully I will find a solution. 

[victorialynn2]

Thanks for the info as well Matt!

[Restorer32]

Just be glad you are not in PA.