Hot Rods Car registration in California

So I picked up a 48 Chevrolet panel truck which turned out to be a 50. DMV sent me to the CHP for inspection and did not go well after about 2 and 1/ 2 hours he informed me that I am lucky that he didn't inpound it .. since all of you know that when new, the Chevrolet Co used the engine number for registration however when the engine was changed the new registration number became the serial number also as you know the serial number plate is put on with clutch head screws it is now held on with pop rivets. The inspecting officer noticed that the serial number plate had been removed for painting the vehicle and so since the inspecting officer said since the "vin plate" his words had been tampered with he could not give me form for the DMV so on one hand I'm glad they do a check like this on the other hand I have a really nice 50 panel truck that the DMV won't let me register without the right form from the CHP so we called the Vin verification guy he verified the Vin I took that to the DMV they informed us since I was referred to the CHP that form means nothing unless it comes from the CHP where can I go from here. Thank you

 

Was this local to Mojave? The one CHP officer in Bakersfield that handles all the verifications on this side of Kern county is really good. On my most recent Model A he actually went out of his way to set up a visits to my house to verify as he already knew it was under the body.

 

No I went to one.in Baldwin park

 

Many I should try Bakersfield

 

@gimpyshotrods might be able to help also

 

I am out of that service, but this is a difficult situation.

At no time whatsoever should a data plate that bears a serial number, or a VIN tag ever be removed from any vehicle, ever, period, full-stop.

Paint around it.

What CHP told you is exactly correct. You are VERY lucky that they did not impound it. They must have not wanted to bother doing the paperwork.

Removal of that tag, except by a duly appointed official, qualifies as VIN (and yeah, I know it is not a modern VIN) tampering.

Even without the vehicle being stolen, a zealous prosecutor can charge this as a felony, in all 50 states.

Your vehicle is now in the CHP system. If they recorded the reason why they turned you away, you may have no recourse here.

 

There’s a lesson here for those who live in California and are playing with old cars. Unless you have clear, clean registration documents, contact a registration specialist, aka VIN verification person first. Not the DMV or the CHP. Any little thing can derail the registration process and there’s nothing you can (legally) do to fix it.
Why did the DMV send you to the CHP?

 

This is technically the law in all 50-states. Some states simply do not bother to enforce it.

California does, largely because of the fact that we have >40,000,000 vehicle registrations here, and a therefore a ton of car theft.

It is also a good lesson about what the DMV, and often law enforcement, knows about these things.

There exists a book that details the location, typeface, size, and attachment method, etc. of vehicle markings, from the beginning of vehicles, to present. It is now in electronic form, and every DMV (or whatever your state calls it) and every law enforcement agency has access to it.

The only way one can get past this is luck, or pure laziness on the part of the inspector.

I used to be a Vehicle Verifier for the State of California. I would have refused the OP's inspection, too. If I did not, I could have faced hefty and expensive legal ramifications.

 

I use a lady in Hawaiian Gardens who has a Calif DMV service.. She helped change from the engine to the body id and sequence #.
48-53 Chevrolet pickups are probably the worst and most screwed up vehicle in California. Many were scrapped/salvaged and came back as a different year… I feel for you bro!

 

One of the guys in a truck forum I spend a lot of time on is going through something similar because who ever sandblasted the cab sandblasted the door post tag to the point that the stamped letters are no longer visible. His is another of the 47/early 49 with the clutch head screws. He does have a clear title but hasn't said if it has the engine number or door post number as the vin.
My door post tag on my 48 has about 10 coats of paint on it except where the WSP inspection officer scraped the paint off with his knife in 1977 . I'm going to clean that corner a bit, put it back on the door post, tape that spot where the serial number is off and paint it the same as the rest of the door post and call it good. Made by GM or tonnage doesn't mean squat to the inspectors.

These days I would be afraid that if you hauled that panel out of state and tried to run it through some other states dmv that the info that it flunked in Cali is going to pop up.
Back in the NSRA and others pre 48 days A crap ton of 49/53 trucks all the sudden became 48 trucks and titles from 48 hulks no matter what size were at a premium. There is a 53 in this area that was a "48" for years until the rod trot rules changed an all the sudden it was a 53.

 

Seems like you are in the market for a new door post

 

......

The lady at the DMV said the vehicle was to old for her and the "VIN" was.in yhe wrong place meaning not on the dash

 

Wow,
Alot of hillbillys around here are trying to sell vehicles without a title but will give you a bill of sale

I called our county DMV to check about it.
Its sellers responsibility to get a ownership title period. Dont buy anything with just a bill of sale or you are screwed

Dont give him a $ dime or you are screwed

 

next time go to AAA never to the dmv

 

Ehh, that seems like bullsheet. It's a 74-year-old vehicle. Don't give up. I think you can find a way to do it. Yeah, try Bakersfield CHiPs. And post some pics of the panel truck.

 

This is that point where the big gap between responsible (seller) and affected (buyer) can screw someone.
I really want a car that's still for sale since I went and looked it over 2 months ago. It has some issues currently that would require time and effort to fix, but the big one on top of it all is the guy has reg and plates, but says he doesn't have a title.
When it's a crusty old thing for under 500 bucks, that's possibly worth the risk. When it's thousands of dollars, it's NOT. Apparently I'm not the only one put off on the deal for whatever reason. I's still for sale and the price dropped 2K a month ago.

 

It did ci.r with clean title and trophy picture everything the owner had passed on I purchased it from his estate he had it for over 17 years so I thought I was good

 

Not a lot of good options here. Easiest one would be driving over the hill and hit Bakersfield CHP. Some time spent in prayer would be warranted here! Next option would be finding a '50 panel for sale cheap (good luck) and swapping the door post (lots of fun). Thirdly, parting that sucker out and try to recoup a fraction of your money. Lastly, hire an attorney and go after the sellers estate. It was the sellers responsibility to have proper title before he sold it to you.

This is obviously a lesson learned. Have the VIN (or whatever) verified before visiting DMV. Always try to go through AAA first. And, for project cars, don't turn a wrench or spend a dime before getting paperwork straight! My avatar roadster bought in pieces with a Bill of Sale only. Jumped through hoops and obtained an SPCNS (Specially Constructed Vehicle). Pink slip is in my name and smog exempt! My '54 Ford bought with BOS only. Had a professional registration service handle all the paperwork. Pink slip is in my name and smog exempt!

 

Did you get any paperwork from the manager of the estate sale?
I feel for you and your situation. If the CHP has it in their system now, there’s nothing you can do legally. Buy another one, get it registered and swap over all the best parts that aren’t ID related.

 

The OP is in a tough spot. I'm going to give you a little tough love.

1st....you need to know what you're doing. Learn about the car you want to buy. Look up their vin numbers. For example, if someone is selling you an SS Camaro..and it has a 6 cylinder vin..you'd know. Or if he claims its a 1937 and it has a different year vin number...youd know. Know more about the car than the seller. Google makes this all too easy. If it had a trim tag, see if the codes make sense with what you're seeing. Paint code shows red and there isn't a lick of red anywhere? Small alarm bell should go off. Inspect the tags and if they are mounted with the proper fasteners or if they're welded on. Wrong fasteners on the vin tag? Walk away. Don't believe anything you're told...you should know better. Learn if there are numbers stamped into the frame....find them...see if they match the paperwork. This is a common problem I've found with F100 trucks. Cab will be one model year, frame another. Why buy something like that?

I walked away from a pretty good '38 Chevy coupe project. Guy had legit paperwork and CA pink going back to the early 50s. The problem? The serial number or id number used was the engine number which of course was long gone.

2nd...Your first trip to get something registered should NEVER be the DMV. Never go the DMV. If you're knowledgeable like I listed above and there is an issue, you get whatever it is straightened out, then use a vin verifier and private DMV service. They are on your side more than the DMV and CHP which are definitely not.

3rd...whatever you do to get something registered has to be 100% legit and hold up to scrutiny by subsequent buyers. Years ago I bought a project, numbers matching '71 El Camino SS 454. When I got it home I discovered that the vin tag had turned to brown sugar. I found a place that could make a repro vin tag that looked identical..except for one thing. The proper GM original ones had a part number stamped into them..repro one didn't have that. I thought to myself..im going to sell this car to someone, who is going to dump untold money into its restoration to find out later it has a bs vin tag? Hey! Who put that tag on the car? I would never want to be in that position. Sold it at a slight loss...telling the guy explicitly that the vin tag had rusted away.

 

Yep, friend or foe, CHP is serious about it.
My dad knew a CHP officer. I had a ‘59 Chevy PU. When I painted the door jambs, I noticed only one top left rivet holding it on.
After painting it, I put a sheet metal screw it it to hold it in place.
His old friend said “remove that screw” before he’d sign off on it.

 

There is an old saying "better to ask forgiveness than permission". Absolutely the wrong approach for dealing with the DMV/CHP. JMO

 

In 1975 I bought an x drag car built by Blair’s Speed Shop for a customer in 1962. I had been his hot rod with an engine swap in 1958. Eventho he removed the firewall and engine and raced he kept the license/ registration up. I changed the title to me and kept it licensed for 5 years as we raced it. 3 years ago my son decide to bring it back to the street. The 1975 pink slip title still had an engine # from original so obviously no one ever checked in the 50’s or for me in the 70’s. I had let it lapse in the early 80’s.
The original body sequence # and id tag was still on the passenger side floor held in with clutch head screws. A DMV contract office person came to my son’s garage and with DMV forms changed the “ vin” to this tag. The alphabetical letters proved it was a 1940 Chevrolet Special Delux Coupe and the numbers were its sequence in assembly. With the help of the internet I had everything ready for her and she too had researched and our information matched. Her charge was $375 and everything came to me in the mail. If I had non-opted it nothing would have been needed but I didn’t.
6 months later I gifted it to my son.

 

I did.check all the paper work everything match went to AAA first then ran the numbers all good untel we compared it.to the registration that when I noticed that the firstb2 digits were reverse and the downward spiril

 

Here's a picture

 

When I bought my 56 T-Bird after I got it home, I noticed that the first number which is the year was a 5 instead of a 6. When I transferred the title, I sent in pictures of the vin stamped into the frame and the vin tag on the firewall. All numbers matched except for the year. I sent a message with my title, explaining the mix up. To my amazement, they sent me a title back with the year corrected. This was in Minnesota last year.

 

You seem to indicate you got a title, so unless I am missing something, if you got a clear California title with the truck, you should have been able to walk into any DMV and transfer it into your name... ABC

 

If the title matched the truck, then it "should have went through" and if the registration didn't match you can get that corrected. Hindsight is 20/20, now that it's in the system you need to find a better CHP or MAYBE going to the referee and getting a official new vin sticker on the door jamb?.

 

Did your panel come from another state or was the paperwork and panel from California?

 

Did that too two new titles so far