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Correcting VIN

Posted: Wed May 17, 2017 10:19 pm
by Ron LaDow
Greg, if this needs to go elsewhere, it's fine by me, but it certainly does address issues with some 356s.
My Speedster (bought in '73) was titled in CA using the engine number as the VIN. I have been told CA did this from the time of loaves and fishes until, oh, 1980 or so. In my case, I never laid eyes on the engine and fortunately, the seller wasn't lying.
Regardless, in order to avoid confusion and "stories" when I or those who end up with it want to sell it, I decided to get the title changed to reflect the chassis number.
Back in '05 (I keep emails; beware!) Bill Sampson mentioned a Sacto outfit who is familiar with the process:
All Vehicle Registration Services
11290 Point E Drive Ste # 130
Rancho Cordova, Ca. 95742
916-739-8088
Equipped with a CoA which states that engine was in fact in that chassis when it went out the factory door, I called AVRS and was told I needed a "VIN Verifier" which critter I did not know existed. They do, and for a fee, you can go there or some will come to you and state, over a signature, that the car in your possession is chassis #XXXXX.
So we now have the existing title, the CoA, the VIN verification form and (finally, since I don't want to drive to Sacto) a limited Power of Attorney. These (originals, with cover letter stating such) will arm the brave folks at AVRS to go forth and do battle with the dreaded DMV!
No spoiler, we do not yet have the new title in hand; I'll let you know how long it takes (better part of two weeks already, mostly awaiting calls to be returned).
And, I am told you do not need a fixer; those of you less repulsed by the DMV can do so. I suspect the time I spent waiting for return calls will be spent on site, standing in line.
Oh, and if you go to AAA, you'll get a blank stare if you explain the request.

Re: Correcting VIN

Posted: Wed May 17, 2017 11:00 pm
by Mike Wilson
Ron:

You can have the VIN verified by CHP. You can even make an appointment with them. Contact Ed Rutherford as he is going through the process as well and can advise you.

Mike

Re: Correcting VIN

Posted: Wed May 17, 2017 11:40 pm
by Ron LaDow
Mike Wilson wrote:Ron: You can have the VIN verified by CHP. You can even make an appointment with them. Contact Ed Rutherford as he is going through the process as well and can advise you.
Mike
Mike, yes you can. But that 'appointment' is not likely to be at your convenience and might include questions regarding the nerf bars and the front plate that's in the trunk and not displayed on the front bumper which isn't there, either.
Suffice to say, I have this theory: Deal with government agents at a level you can not possibly reduce; any one of them can make your life hell. As an example, I once had to satisfy an equipment violation written since the vinyl rear window in the Speedster top did not have the required embossing as 'safety glazing'.
Remember that hall-monitor in high-school? Well, you got it...

Re: Correcting VIN

Posted: Thu May 18, 2017 12:08 am
by Mike Wilson
I wondered where all those former hall monitors went! :-)

Re: Correcting VIN

Posted: Thu May 18, 2017 1:32 am
by Bob Kittel
Mike Wilson wrote:Ron:

You can have the VIN verified by CHP. You can even make an appointment with them. Contact Ed Rutherford as he is going through the process as well and can advise you.

Mike
Last I checked CHP was out of the vin checking service, I then went to the DMV which was a real zoo episode in itself. I should have gone to one of the private services.

Re: Correcting VIN

Posted: Thu May 18, 2017 7:51 am
by Jon Schmid
[/quote]Last I checked CHP was out of the vin checking service, I then went to the DMV which was a real zoo episode in itself. I should have gone to one of the private services.[/quote]

I have two rules regarding the CA DMV. 1. Avoid them unless absolutely necessary (driver license renewals, etc.). 2. Make an appointment in advance for when they first open for a given day, typically 0800. Then watch the zoo unfold behind you as you are getting your particular task dealt with.

Re: Correcting VIN

Posted: Thu May 18, 2017 3:01 pm
by Dan Epperly
I've owned probably 30 pre 80 cars in CA, most from the late fifties up to late sixties and the title always use the chassis VIN. I have held about the engine thing, but I bet it is more of a clerical error or out of state practice.
In any case, I have also bought a lot of cars without title, and have used private VIN verification services and then processed the rest through AAA.

Re: Correcting VIN

Posted: Thu May 18, 2017 3:07 pm
by Wes Bender
On my '56 Austin-Healey, the CA DMV refused to use the chassis number because it was on a tag that was held onto the frame with screws. They used the motor number (almost the same number, but not quite) because it was on a metal tag that was riveted to the side of the engine. Of course, when I restored the car I removed the tag from the engine and then re-riveted it to the side of the block when I was done.

I've had several 50s sports cars that the CA DMV used the engine number for registration rather than the chassis number. I don't know at what date they finally standardized on chassis numbers (I escaped in '95).

Re: Correcting VIN

Posted: Thu May 18, 2017 8:46 pm
by Steve Kram
Last time I checked AAA can do this for you, if you're a member.

Re: Correcting VIN

Posted: Fri May 19, 2017 12:39 am
by Ron LaDow
Steve Kram wrote:Last time I checked AAA can do this for you, if you're a member.
Steve, I started there because of my aversion to government agents and then I was told that AAA could do so from someone else.
When I explained the issue to the AAA DMV 'specialist' (with most of the documentation in hand) and asked what I needed to do to allow AAA to complete the process, the woman looked at me as if I had two heads.
Maybe I drew the OJT, but when I asked if someone else could help, she wasn't any more helpful. (shrug)

Re: Correcting VIN

Posted: Fri May 19, 2017 2:10 pm
by Steve Kram
In Los Angeles, specifically the AAA office in Santa Monica, they are qualified to do " vin checking" and certify it to DMV.
They did it for me.

Re: Correcting VIN

Posted: Fri May 19, 2017 3:41 pm
by Geoff Fleming
I have known of several cars here on the East coast which were registered using the engine number. Seems to have been a fairly common thing years ago.

Re: Correcting VIN

Posted: Sat May 20, 2017 4:44 pm
by Norman Connacher
Didn't realize it was that common. My '58 was registered in Washington state using the engine number. When I reregistered it, I did it using the VIN. Still waiting on the title from DMV.

Re: Correcting VIN

Posted: Sat May 20, 2017 9:03 pm
by Martin Bruechle
Thanks for the post Ron. I'm in the same situation in Ca.
How much does ARVS charge for this service ?
Thanks, Martin

Re: Correcting VIN

Posted: Sat May 20, 2017 11:26 pm
by M Penta
Here in VT, titles are not normally issued for older vehicles, but can be issued for an additional fee if desired. To get a title, I would need to have the VIN verification done by state police, but if I chose not to get the title I would not need the VIN verification. It used to be that the police would come to your residence to perform the VIN verification, but now apparently the car needs to be brought to them (budget cuts and all...), which would require trailering it there since it is obviously unregistered. I seem to get a different answer depending on who I speak with, but decided just to do it all by mail with out the VIN verification since I do not have time or patience for this garbage. We'll see what happens, I can always request a title later as far as I know.