T confiscated because of engine number?

That's right, you better hope it's never checked. All of us with motor swaps and crap from various sources need to wake up. You know, they were crushing tuner cars in California for stolen parts and we all thought it was funny. Is it still funny?

 

Your block numbers have clearly been tampered with....




I think the cops are using the Texas I.D. number tampering statute on this one.
Although you were not the one who altered the serial number.....
You are the one that gets left holdin' the bag for it.





Texas Penal Code - Section 31.11. Tampering With Identification Numbers

§ 31.11. TAMPERING WITH IDENTIFICATION NUMBERS. (a) A
person commits an offense if the person:
(1) knowingly or intentionally removes, alters, or
obliterates the serial number or other permanent identification
marking on tangible personal property; or
(2) possesses, sells, or offers for sale tangible
personal property and:
(A) the actor knows that the serial number or
other permanent identification marking has been removed, altered,
or obliterated; or
(B) a reasonable person in the position of the
actor would have known that the serial number or other permanent
identification marking has been removed, altered, or obliterated.
(b) It is an affirmative defense to prosecution under this
section that the person was:
(1) the owner or acting with the effective consent of
the owner of the property involved;
(2) a peace officer acting in the actual discharge of
official duties; or
(3) acting with respect to a number assigned to a
vehicle by the Texas Department of Transportation and the person
was:
(A) in the actual discharge of official duties as
an employee or agent of the department; or
(B) in full compliance with the rules of the
department as an applicant for an assigned number approved by the
department.
(c) Property involved in a violation of this section may be
treated as stolen for purposes of custody and disposition of the
property.
(d) An offense under this section is a Class A misdemeanor.
(e) In this section, "vehicle" has the meaning given by
Section 541.201, Transportation Code.

 

Bonded title doesn't work for assembled vehicles (anymore). Counties are requiring inspections, so you have to go Street Rod title.

Would be happy to help anyone going that route...I'm knee deep in it myself.

 

Well, that sucks.

 

Gwhite - how long have you been in the process or have you already procured your title and if so how long did it take?

Sorry if we are hijacking this thread, but it really is important info.

Sucks Noah, hope all ends ok.

 

I really don't care if the title says street rod, bonded, replica, or whatever they want to call it. I just want it legal and then I want to drive the crap out of it.

Honestly, the whole street rod title sounds like a helping hand to us rodders, giving us a clear path to legality.

 

PM me...My county Auto Theft Task Force won't inspect a vehicle that isn't running, so I've got to do that before titling. Pretty much have everything else done - biggest hurdle was figuring out what paperwork I'd need (took dozens of calls to the DMV main office in Austin to get answers). Should be a walk in the park from this point onward.

 

I agree it is not the right way, And understand it is a crime.....I was not suggesting him do that, I only pointed out it has been done without trouble for years. Also not all states are so hard to deal with....bottomline the good days of registering your hot rod is over. So much bullshit to go through, I personally will not build a car for myself without having a clear title in my name before hand. This thread is a perfect example of what happens when a guy trys to follow the rules.....They got his car and there really is nothing he can do about it. Here in KC MO the city impounds so many cars that they have a auction every week of about 200 or more cars each week. So impounding peoples cars and selling them is big business for the city, All they need is an excuse, and your walking. If you try and fight them.....You end up in a 8 X 8 with bubba. Also Your so called "streetrod title" Does not sound all that great to me, As what about getting insurance for it? Not sure if you know or not but most insurance companys want to insure something "ford motor co" built, Not something "goober" built in his moms backyard. Not trying to pick a tick here, But I have had this discussion with my DMV and a few State troopers. None of them seem to have a solution to this problem. So we all just do the best we can and stay on the right side of the law.

 

Meanwhile, your impounded ride is earning impound fees at a rate of $25.00 per day, 7 days a week plus the towing fee of $175.00. If this goes on for a month that's a good chunk of change.

 

I will add to what Tom said,, Its another quote from Dr. J.. "" The Police dept is the biggest gang in town".. Noah my offer of a Legal non altered FREE replacement engine is still on.. Bobby

 

Because I put a Streetrod tag on my car (the color matched) the state of Florida informed me they have automatically converted my title to say Streetrod on it. I hope it doesn't hurt me in the long run.

 

The TX street rod title doesn't say "Street Rod" or "Assembled". Insurance isn't a problem anymore than it would be for a kit car. There are hoops to jump thru but it isn't rocket science.

Having a title with the original motor number wouldn't help in this situation - the motor has been replaced. What happens when the vehicle is sold and the state requires a VIN inspection? That number ain't there and now the whole car is under suspicion...or if the car is involved in an accident insurance ain't going to pay since the number on the car no longer matches the title. By law, a motor change in a pre-March 31, 1932 Ford requires a title correction which means a VIN inspection...OP would be in the same situation.

Bottom line here is this has less to do with the titling process and more to do with making sure your component pieces have clear numbers and you have ample ownership documentation.

 

Once the police take the car they have a legal obligation to take reasonable care of the car. So if it would be reasonable for someone leaving it outside in the rain to cover it with a tarp, then they should do that. However......if I were you I would either talk with the police in person , or if that doesn't work, send them a certified letter asking that they protect the car from the elements by installing a tarp. I would also offer to provide the tarp and the labor to install it.

Don't be intimidated by the cops ....ever! Remember , " To Protect and Serve ".

 

No such thing. NY does not title 1972 and older cars. They did, however, issue registrations every year (two years starting around 1990 or so).

Which means when you attempt to cheat the system with that NY registration slip, the guy who sold it to you could have a whole stack of them from every year that car was registered on the road and could sell them all and there could be cars in four states running with that same serial number as their VIN. There could already be one in your state.

 

Stolen property (as stated) is totally different than an ID number that has been tampered with. Wonder why the officer stated the engine was "stolen"?

 

(c) Property involved in a violation of this section may be
treated as stolen for purposes of custody and disposition of the
property.

 

That's (c) of section 3 ...

Section 3 states:

(3) acting with respect to a number assigned to a
vehicle by the Texas Department of Transportation and the person
was:

 

I'd have to believe that was the whole issue. the obviously altered number on the block that is also stamped in a form that doesn't match any normal GM stamping. Inspecting cop sees obviously altered number on block and assumes that the block was stolen due to the altered numbers. No numbers due to having the block decked at a machine shop probably wouldn't have raised too many eyebrows but and obvious attempt to alter them would.

The big problem right now is that the car is going to sit in impound at XX $$ a day for who knows how long before things get sorted out and even if the OP proves that the block wasn't stolen the cost of getting it out of impound is going to rival the value of the car in not too long of a period.

 

id have to agree about the numbers being banged up. i think a third grader could have covered them better. the thing is i dont know about you but when i buy something like this engine i never would think in a million years that it was stolen. who steals an engine like this? and you usually buy it at a swap meat or craigslist for cash . and hard to keep receipts for all these old parts and junk we buy. i guess if were a new corvette engine for $500 id be worried.

 

I thought that number just told what year block was used and what model was used in. Not what certain car.

 

This has been and intriguing situation to many of us, obviously. It occurred to me that a) the original numbers may have in fact been sanded off before the punch marks. Hard to tell from a 2D picture but that pad may no longer be flat.. And, b) the punch marks may be a good way to alter the underlying metal structure to prevent pulling up the original numbers with chemicals.

But yeah, on a 265?

Also, there are situations where it could be legit, as the OP says. Previously stolen vehicle is paid off by insurance co., no one wants its, ends up in junk yard where it is supposed to be crushed, junk yard instead alters numbers to resell. Something like that...

 

Doing that stuff is not hard. Losing your car is hard. How hard is it to ask to see the block numbers? If the seller says, "No.", keep walking. And a large manila envelope can hold receipts. If you have to use more than one, then do so. I have every receipt for my car with the exception of bolts and nuts.

The thing is, letting stuff slide has gone on for so long, people get relaxed. Things you'd normally do, don't get done. This situation is going to die down after a while and then everyone will probably forget it and move on to whether air bags don't belong on a car. But the OP won't forget it.

A very hard life lesson.

 

Yeah, worst case nightmare would be a State Senator using the database to reassess "those high dollar Street Rods" and taxing everyone.
Even worse would be all these Rat Rods causing an "unsafe at any speed" State vehicle inspection mandate for "Street Rods"...

 

My son's car was stolen last July 5th from a mall parking lot. It was recovered three days later, but I would not have known, if I had not been making daily calls to the local cops. Their normal procedure, it seems, is to MAIL a notice to the owner that the car had been recovered! The notice came to me one WEEK after I had my son's car in my possession, so that is ten days total! Enough time, had I not perservered in inquiring about the status of the car, where one additional week of fees would have accrued. I have a BIG problem with police and recovery impound yards colluding, though!!! To me, that is as bad as the damn thief taking the car in the first place! See where I'm at here? So don't lecture me, please.

 

That's a notification of owner/lienholder letter. I used to have to mail them out after the first 24 hours of storage. BUT, there wasn't a fine or penalty, that remember, if it went out late. Most storage lots get that letter out quick because they don't know how long a car will stay. That letter adds another $25 to the storage fee. $50 if one goes to the lienholder as well. It may be more now. That way, if you show up late the next day, your fees are: Wrecker fee, first day of storage and letters to the owner and lienholder. In Houston, that can come out to at least $200, for ONE day. So, someone at the storage lot dropped the ball, depending on the post mark. The problem isn't the police, in this case, it was the storage lot.

Trust me, I used to get docked that $25/$50, if I forgot to send that letter out. I only did that once.

 

I'm not a SBC guru, but all the info about these numbers that I have read clearly states that the numbers here in question in no way identify this part as a unique unit, and further, likely there were a number of units manufactured with the very same number stamped on this pad.

So, if a number can not identify any particular unit as being unique, how can it be defined as an "Identification number".

If this can be confirmed by a number of qualified Chevy gurus, in writing, I think that is where I would start. Then I would take it to the local media. They would be all over this.

The way everyone seems to be interpreting this, any part you use on the car can't have any numbers removed. Buy some sheet metal or tubing and grind off a number, guilty! Buy a part with a number on a sticker and it gets wet and falls off, guilty! Buy brake shoes with the numbers printed on the side of the pads...then they wear down, guilty! Hit a curb and scrape a number off of a tire, guilty! Pour a quart of oil in your engine and toss the bottle, guilty!

Nothing I see on the Texas statutes posted here states anything about what this "identification number" is supposed to identify. How crazy does it get?

 

I agree with Larry. They can suspect that it is a stolen engine because someone tried ( with no success) to conceal the number on it but if it does not show up on a hot sheet then it is not stolen (legally).

Stand your ground, the burden of proof is on them. Make them prove beyond a reasonable doubt that it is a stolen engine. Keep this in mind; a reasonable assumption about the dings on the top of the block is that someone is trying to conceal the engine number or that someone had a kid that needed a good old fashioned ass whoopin'. Either one is just conjecture.

 

Depending on how much the engine is worth to the OP, he needs someone on his side, as in a lawyer. The cops would have a totally different stand with that going on. Maybe one of the cops is a 'rodder looking for a nice SBC.

Bob

 

I have been in your situation 2 times before. The best thing you might be able to do is find out from locals if there is a car guy on the police force usually they work dealing with vehicles in some sort of fashion like state assigned vins and usually they are state troopers.

My case in point is I had a truck that I sold I took 1/2 down and a written agreement that the truck would be paid for before the title was released. Well long story short I never got paid and the guy never returned my calls fast forward 2 years and a friend tells me he found my truck for sale. I go check it out it is my truck with a new vin on it and the police would do nothing about it because he did not get pulled over in the truck even though it was driving without brake lights, headlights, wipers, and an illegal state inspection sticker. So I talked to a friend of a friend who is a sheriff for the state police and he came with me I had my bill of sale and all my side of the paperwork ready and the guy was not at his house. The sheriff told me to take the truck since I could prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the vins had been altered. He also told me to remove the vin plates and hand them to him. Well a few days later I got a call from the sheriff that said he reported my truck stolen with a different vin and now he is in jail for vin tampering.

The next time was with a dodge motor that I bought out of a junkyard and I had the bill of sale and tried to get a state assigned vin similar to your situation and my car was impounded. I talked to the sheriff that had helped me before and within 3 days I had my car back. It pays to know someone on the police force that is a car guy that knows cars well and is willing to listen and see all of the evidence.

It appears to me that the officer you were talking to did not take time to hear out anything you said and did not look at any paperwork that you had for the car. The guy you saw is wanting to break a big case and make his name known to get promoted but will only make himself look like an idiot.

Oh and as for my truck that was stolen I had to get reproduction plates for it. and luckily the idiot was not smart enough to grind off all of the extra vin stamps I had placed on the truck (hidden on cab, dash, and 4 on the frame)

 

Man, that's a big pile of speculation.