Needs some Title advice in CA

Any body in CA who has had to get a title for an old car, I need your advice. Hauled my 55 F100 down to the DMV today to try and get a title before I build it. They told me that it needed to be completley restored before a title could be issued for it. They checked the #, and it is no longer in the system. Does this sound like the right way to start. I just do not want to go and build this truck custom only to find out that it would have to meet current requirements or some other stupid CA reg that would waste all my money and time. So my question is this. Is this the way that you have to do this in CA, or is there another way around it?

Thanks

Gerry

 

YOu got a clerk who doesn't like us "car guys".
Go to AAA.
You may still have to have CHP verify the VIN# depending on whether your local AAA does that or not, or if you have a friend who's a cop he can verify it IF you can get the proper forms...
You will have to have the truck weighed.
A weight slip is required or it won't get registered, no getting around it, so get it running or get a trailer.
The verification forms were on line 6 months ago but not now, I looked a couple days ago for them.. http://www.dmv.ca.gov/

Since you already went to DMV, if that clerk is an ass they might have "red flagged" your vin #
(That may be just a fantasy of my paranoia more than anything.)

 

Go through AAA, I'm in Bakersfield and the office here has a VIN verifier on staff, very painless, very easy procedure, helps that her husband is into old cars too.

 

Step # 1- Get a Billof Sale, or anything else, that shows you purchsed the vehicle. (if you want to make the Bill of Sale, and say you paid $25.00 for the vehicle, that's YOUR business.)
Step # 2 Get a DMV employee, or Peace Officer, to do a VIN verification on it. Sometimes, you may have to trailer the vehicle to the DMV/Peace Officer- I'm lucky- I have a friend that's a CHP that's also a car guy, and he drops by the house after work, pops open a cold one, and starts filling out the paperwork.
Step #3- Take the Bill of Sale, and the VIN Verification, and head for the DMV.
With most of the DMV's in CA, the less you say, the better. Hand them the paperwork, and stand back and let them figure it out.
With a truck, you may have to have the vehicle weighed before the DMV will issue a title and/or registration.
I just did that with my T Tudor- my CHP buddy said "yep, looks like a '26-'27 to me" stuck a new VIN # on the frame rail, gave me the paperwork that said "1926 Ford Two-Door" and I now have a CA title that says exactly that- NO Special Construction, NO "kit car" just 1926 Ford, number of doors=2.

Or, as Luke Jivetalker said, let AAA handle it. I don't have that luxury where I live, so I have to do it the (sorta) hard way

 

thats soem use full information.

i now have a better idea on what to expect and prepare for.

 

Hey, guys, thanks for the info. I didn't want to have a small fortune into the truck and find out that it could not be registered.


Thanks!!!!!!