Paperwork Help

[Leroy-B1]

Wife has been on me for years to find here a 47-55 truck...its her favorite...anyway finally found one at a good deal its a 48 with a lot of new parts still in the box. The only problem is it doesn't have a vin plate or title that comes with it....normally I would run for the hills but I have known this truck and old man that owns it for some time and know there is nothing shady with the truck. He used it on the farm and never sent the title off as he only used it on the farm and never tagged it. Bought a bunch of restoration parts and was going to restore it a few years back and then lost his wife and never touched it again it sat in his barn. He tells me about it and when I look at it I notice it doesn't have a vin and I ask him about the title and he told me the story about it only being on the farm and that he never noticed there was no vin plate...would like to buy it and restore it just was wondering if anyone knew where I might find a plate and some paperwork for this?

[mr48chev]

It may still have an old registration slip in the glovebox or in one of those registration holders that gives the info you need. Or if it has the old plate in it you might be able to track things down that way with enough patience.

Also a lot of states used to use the engine number (The one stamped on the pad by the distributor on the original engine) as the vin number back when these trucks were new. If it still has the original engine you may be in luck there.

Check with the state first and see what hoops you need to jump through to title it as you might be able to do it with a notarized bill of sale, and an inspection.
Some states also have a deal where the Sheriff's dept or some other law enforcement entity inspects the vehicle on the property it is on and fills out a form to turn into the state. In essence, the land owner lays claim to the vehicle because it has been on his property for XX time.

You might check into a bonded title too. http://www.ncdot.gov/download/dmv/VR_MVR92H.pdf It would cost a few bucks for the bond but unless you are anal about having a "bonded" title on the truck that may be the best way to go. With a notarized bill of sale from the gent you buy it from that should work. Take photos of the truck as it sits and take them along with you if you go that route so that you can justify the sale price and that it actually is an old farm truck that has been on the farm for the past XX years. Usually after three years you can apply for a regular title in most states anyhow.

Someone is sure to suggest buying a title and using that but these days that may be a bit risky. Others will suggest going through a "title company" but they can't do anything you can do yourself with some leg work. And there have been several cases where those titles didn't hold up lately.