DMV came knocking on the door...good old days over ?

I was on the road and just walked in the door....what do I find stuck in the edge of the door to my house? A business card from a DMV inspector with a message requesting that I call him.

So call him I did. He said he wanted to check the "VIN" on one of my '29's. He also aksed if it was stock, to which I told him no, and I then briefly explained to him about how the serial number deal worked on model A's. He also wanted to know if the car was fiberglass.

The car in question was my roadster Holy Heck, which I sold just a few weeks ago and shipped it off to the new owner who has not yet registered it in its new home state. So it became a non-issue with the inspector.

I suspect that this may be a growing trend in the country, not just North Carolina, possibly a ripple effect from the "Boyd Incident" in California a while back, where states are going to look more closely at early iron....most probably to increase revenue.

Has anyone else had something along this line happen recently?

We, as a hobby/industry have had it pretty easy over the years and looks like now the good old days may be coming to an end and we're all going to take it up the ass.

 

friend ofmine came by the shop the other day and had the same story, guy registers his old car and dmv sent him a letter telling him he had to get it inspected. it is happening all over nc could be dmv is going after all those that buy titles and put them on glass cars . if you build a glass car here anymore you will have to get a custom built title for the year you submit the papers. could cause alot of headaches for alot of us. RED

 

Since he asked you if it was glass or not I'd venture a guess you are right. They are likely looking to stop the practice of building complete new cars that look like old cars and wanting to pass them off as old cars as far as regulations go.

 

Is there no such thing as "probable cause"? Sounds more like the "Storm troupers"

 

Well, no, the state does not need probable cause to check your car. (As far as safety checks go). This may or may not go over well, but driving is not a right.

You know, I don't have a big problem with the state requiring certain regulations for building a new car. Then again, this may have been something completely different.

 

On the road would be one thing but they walked up to this guys house. If he had been home they would have had him open the shop (if he still had the car). I see problems with that.

 

In Michigan I told them that the frame rusted and I had to make a new one-- then the body was so bad I bought fiberglass-and replaced the engine. Not too happy but MI is pretty easy.

 

I wonder what will happen if you buy a glass car, god forbid, from a guy who has bought a title, and you went to register it, are they going to come down on you? Thats the reason were seeing the cars with titles sell for bigger bucks than those without. Good luck!

 

North Carolina is the state that makes you pay an annual tax based on some book figure price wether the car is on the road, or a bare shell of a parts car hidden in your garage. As near as I can tell, they're closer to communism than anyone else in the country as far as DMV regs and taxes go.

 

Another thing the whole registration/title deal brings up in my mind is; my interputation of what constitutues the actual car in the eyes of the state.
Stay with me on this...

Say you've got a nearly complete stock '29 Ford roadster with a title and you take it apart, ditch all the stock stuff and just keep the body; you whip together a '32 frame, drop in a 59AB flattie, a '32 grill shell etc. etc. Let's also add to the mix that you then replicate the cowl, fab new doors and fab a trunk lid. How much of that '29 is left in the eye's of DMV ? Is it still a 1929 Ford?

Let's take it a little further...Let's say you build the car as I described above, you have it on the road for some time and then let's say someone hits the car and tears the crap out of the body and you decide to replace the steel body with a 'glass one (Please don't turn this into a 'glass vs steel debate I'm just using this example to make my point.) Is the car still a 1929 Ford roadster?

 

As a follow up...If a bear takes a dump in the woods is he still catholic?

 

holy shit
I am moving to nc in a few weeks
I need to know more about this
my 31 is titled and reg as a 31
but my 32 has nothing
IF anyone has more info please pm me
or else I am back to outlaw status

 

The part I have the most trouble with, is they came to your house. That is bullshit. A government worker knocking on my door is not okay with me. The way it works is: I go to their office, play their game, and pay their bill. They should not ever invade your privacy.

 

It's been a while since I've been able to build anything new for myself since I'm busy as heck with customer stuff, so I haven't titled anything new; but I had to deal with an inspector once before and he was cool. He (the inspector) chaulked the inquiry up to the fact that some desk jockey didn't know the difference between a serial number and VIN. In fact, he even told me "it's not hot rodders we're worried about" .

This recent incident is a horse of a different color.

You may wan't to title your '32 in PA before you move, and then transfer it to NC once you get here. Just a thought, because I'm a little concerned about how bad it may get in the future, not just here, but other states as well.

 

My inspeector was here today and I asked him about this.The way he explained to me is 1..totally original car,engine ,trans,etc...original title will be issued 2..original car with an engine that is not original... this car will be issued a custom title 3..Fiberglass or kit cars will have another title issued and I do not remeber what he called it.I will call him tomorrow and try to get a copy of the law.The inspector will be looking at frame numbers as well as vin numbers.Let me know if I can help because I do have a good inspector and he will be very helpful.Thanks!

 

A firend of mine pointed out a recent news item (July of this year) involving North Carolina DMV, I copied a news report that I just found on-line. This may have something to do with it...

SBI to examine questions over DMV chief Monday, Jul. 9, 2007 4:56 pm

RALEIGH (AP) — North Carolina's top transportation official said Monday he has asked state investigators to look into allegations that the Division of Motor Vehicles commissioner used his influence to help a friend obtain a special car title.

DMV Commissioner George Tatum has denied using his position to help Robert Kinlaw, a Fayetteville supermarket owner who received a state antique car title for a replica 1937 Ford truck. The title saves the owner hundreds of dollars in taxes and makes the car more valuable.

Transportation Secretary Lyndo Tippett said he asked the State Bureau of Investigation to look into the matter. The decision was announced after a story in the News & Observer quoted an e-mail Tatum's secretary sent to his staff that said Kinlaw was Tatum's friend and needed help.

"I take allegations of wrongdoing against the commissioner or any other employee to be a serious matter, and I want to eliminate any questions about our investigative process," Tippett said in a written statement.

Tippett said he has been pleased with Tatum, who was named commissioner in 2003, but ordered a review of the more than 80,000 vehicles titled as antiques.

Kinlaw was denied an antique title after his truck was inspected in Nash County, but he later received a title after taking the truck to a Fayetteville inspector.

An inspector who questioned the title application in an e-mail to his boss was briefly suspended by the DMV's internal affairs office. The suspension was reversed in a few hours by a deputy secretary of the Department of Transportation.

 

Now another side note concerning this topic. Never, has DMV ever asked me if a car is a hot rod or a stock automobile when getting the title. Never.

 

The CHP has a web site, whereby you can snitch a neighbor, co-worker, etc...for out-of-state plates. In Cali, if you are caught, you will be charged the back registration from the time the car entered the state. You may also request a DMV investigator if you suspect fraud. DMV has it's own law enforcement arm with full police powers (means they are armed).

 

It ain,t real if it ain,t steel.....

 

The proper response, IMO, "Please leave my property and return with a warrent if it's that importent to you. Otherwise we are done. Have a good day." Without cause you have no legal obligation to comply.

 

What does the fiberglass question have to do with anything? I could go buy a Brookville body and get around that deal.

 

First off go use a dictionary, that's not communism it's fascism. As for the taxes you can get the value ammended, not hard to do.

Yep, that's the reason this is all happening. I've dealt with the inspectors and they're nto trying to take anyones car or title, just wanting to verify that it is what you say it is.

Try it, tell us how it works out for you.

 

I always thought fiberglass cars or repop steel cars should be registered as new cars and I knew sooner or later that even the people at the DMV would figure that out also and do some thing about it. If your car was built in 2004 with all or mostly new parts it should be registered as a 2004 vehicle and not as a '32 or '29 or what have you. I know a real deuce cost a lot of money and they are hard to find or people don't want to deal with having to fix up a rusted out original body so a lot of guys build a fiberglass or steel repop one. I just think if you want the privilege of having and old registration and all the privileges that come with one such as no turn signals, no seat belts, no windshield wipers, no catalytic converters and all that then build an old car.

 

I just moved to OK from AZ and when I registered my '33 the tag agent asked me if it was "really a '33". I said yes and she looked it over and recorded the VIN on her paperwork. (Its all steel by the way) She could obviously see that it was a "hotrod" as the interior, wheels/tires and paint are hard to imagine as 1933. They didn't have me open the hood, just recorded the VIN (its on the frame top side under the carpet) and mileage. That was it. Of course I also had an AZ title saying the same thing. But now that I read this I wonder if her question as to "really a '33" was to see if it was a "kit" car or as they say "special construction". Of course she could have just been making conversation as she went about her business..............

In AZ at least if you "have a Brookville" or glass car you have to have a Certificate of Origin on the car. I guess if you used an original cowl and frame and pieced it together this wouldn't apply but then you would need a title.

 

It was just to make a point using a hypothetical situation, if it makes you feel better I will edit the post to read Brookville body instead of glass.

 

Legally, they can't walk onto your property if you don't give them permission or ask them to come. Most people assume they can do what ever they want and don't challenge them. It's a topic for a different forum but poke around http://www.landrights.com/ specificly http://www.landrights.com/trespassing_intro.htm

 

I don't particularly give a damn about the difference, I'm just reporting what people tell me. I'm sure the ability to have the value amended varies from locale to locale, just like any other state's DMV service. Regardless, that's no call to come on here and be an asshole.

 

---no, a baptist

 

exactly.. No one from the DMV has enuff clout to come to your door and ask to look at your cars . I dont give a shit what state your in. You need to be polite and tell them to come back with a state cop and the proper papers and if they dont have a search warrant when they come back then stall em again but in the mean time id call a lawyer for advice.. As far as drivers licenses and DWI'S they can call the shots.. I know this cause of my son. But as far as registrations and shit they really cant do squat ... they aint the fucking police.. Remember if you were going for a builders title they send a cop to look at the car not some asswipe from the DMV..
Dave

 

Anouther big problem with NC it that they require titles for cars this old!! If they did not like some other states your problems would be far smaller getting it on the road.