Getting a title for an old vehicle...

rockcity

rockcity

everyday is a chance to get better
Joined
Apr 10, 2005
Location
Greenville, NC
Yep, its another title thread...


I can prob. call the DMV but I'm in a conference call and bored, so I'll type up a thread...


Long story short, I bought a Series IIA Land Rover and want to get it titled and registered, etc. By the looks of it, I'm guessing its a 1967 but I'm not 100% sure.

I purchased it from a company with a bill of sale.
They purchased it from someone with a bill of sale 3 years prior (I have both bills of sale).
After a lot of research, I cannot find any info about the seller of the vehicle to the company I purchased it from. All I have is his name on the bill of sale.
The VIN (or Chassis #) is so rusted out I cannot make out what it is accurately.
I do NOT have any old paperwork which shows a previous owner or chassis #.

Basically, I cannot find any history of this vehicle as I have nothing to go by. Any help or suggestions on how to get it re-titled and registered?


Thanks
Rob
 
In NC... Good luck!!:flipoff2:

99% likely they will want every name on it to have this vehicle registered in their name, and in person. If the 1'st bill-of-sale doesn't have the second owner on it anywhere... Then I would strongly suggest the second person dissapear all together...:rolleyes:

Besides that, you are more than likely in for a surprise trying to title without a current registered title in NC. Been there a couple times with no success. Ended out easier to buy just a title and identification tag to use. You can either use the frame or the cab though if wanting to go that route.
 
I've considered the "lost title" option but need to contact the previous owner(s), which I can't find because either the vin # is not usable due to weathering/rust and I can't find the person on the first bill of sale...


ugh. Maybe it will be a "Jeep" and I can use the vin and title I already have... :lol:
 
I looked into this as well once but unless something has changed in the past few years, there's no such thing as "title bonding" in NC. I believe SC and AL participate (can't remember who else?) in this but NOT NC.

Basically a bondsman (lawyer) puts their neck on the line to say they researched the previous owners and vehicle maintenance records and found vehicle has not been totalled and states that there is a clear title out there to be had. $500 +/- and a few weeks later using SC or AL (or whoever) DMV and you get a clear title. You have to have a license in that state as well. I'm sure there's more to this but do a google and you'll get the jest.
 
Not trying to crush anybody's thoughts or be a jerk by trying to be the "title guru":flipoff2: or anything posting on all the title threads...:rolleyes: I'm only trying to help out for I've registered 40+ titles in the past 20 years in TN and NC with mostly "parts vehicles" and been there-done that / lived and learned and only trying to save someone else's time for all the time I lost. And trying to help out in exchange for all the answers I've got on NC4x4. Plus I'm bored today...

It's not exactly all legal but there are some tips to be had by using a combination of states to get things done. NC isn't all bad and has it's advantages as well. Just not much fun in NC without a clear title.

Another option is using a state that doesn't do "titles" only bill of sales. I think VA maybe??? That I can't remember off hand. Guru fail...
 
You can apply for a bonded title in NC (the DMV lady explained the process to me when I was trying to get a Zuk frame and tub titled). They have a form you have to fill out and you CANNOT ERASE OR STRIKE OUT ANYTHING or the whole process has to start over. You have to have a notorized bill of sale from the two previous sellers of the vehicle. That's where the process ended for me. If it hadn't, you then have to pay an insurance company a "bond" where you are insuring it against one and a half times the value they give you. (was not much in my case). The insurance company signs off on the bond and as noted, they try to determine if the vehicle is clear of leans, not stolen, etc. At that point, you have it inspected by a state trooper to verify the VIN against the title and probably pay some more fees, etc.

At some point you receive a bonded title and then I believe in 3 years, the bond can be dropped and you can get a regular title. It's a LOT of hassle - in my case more hassle than the vehicle was worth.
 
yeah i went to insurance company with a bill of sale and certificate of title from a dealer (but no title) purchased a bond for an '80 mustang it was valued at $300 bucks, (it cost me like $175)DMV came out and inspected it and i went and got ins and tags, after a certain amount of time ( i cant remember exactly) you will recieve an actual title and be able to sell the vehicle if you wish...yeah all and all a pain in the ass!!

scared to death!!!!!
 
that's fine and dandy if I had a VIN that was readable. There are 2 paces the VIN is on older Land Rovers; one is on the bulkhead (VIN since long gone...) and one is on the front right main eye spring hanger welded to the frame which sees a lot of corrosion and exposure to weather, hence the likelihood that the VIN rusted away on mine (an many others).


Guess about the "easiest" way is to purchase a VIN and title from another Land Rover and "rob" that one for mine?
 
You are talking about your jeep cj5 series IIA, right?
Thought so.

You've seen my tube buggy 77 k5, right?

Don't make things hard.
 
Last edited:
rockcity said:
Guess about the "easiest" way is to purchase a VIN and title from another Land Rover and "rob" that one for mine?
Click to expand...

I think you're on the money here...
 
Contact DMV they will have you bring it in for an inspection. Or come to your house if all your facts check out they will either give you a title for the vin listed or issue a new vin for it this hapened to a friend who purchaed a vw bus from Nevada. Because one of the vin tags were missing they issued a new vin numbr do not let people scare you about dmv

Sent from my SM-T210R using Tapatalk
 
Ron said:
You are talking about your jeep cj5 series IIA, right?
Thought so.

You've seen my tube buggy 77 k5, right?

Don't make things hard.
Click to expand...


I wouldn't recommend doing that in NC, especially if the vehicle is >25 yrs old.
 
Wwildman said:
Contact DMV they will have you bring it in for an inspection. Or come to your house if all your facts check out they will either give you a title for the vin listed or issue a new vin for it this hapened to a friend who purchaed a vw bus from Nevada. Because one of the vin tags were missing they issued a new vin numbr do not let people scare you about dmv

Sent from my SM-T210R using Tapatalk
Click to expand...


Blkvoodoo had an old Chevy truck that was similar. The cab rusted out way-back when, somebody swapped the cab, and the NC DMV issued a special VIN number for it. It had a metal plate on the door jamb with the new number.

I think it might have been classified as reconstructed or something, but it was legal.
 
A bond will cost you more money and less time but takes longer to receive the title several friend have done the DMV inspection and with in 2 weeks time theyhad a title. The last bond I went through took 6 months to get the title and was a pain inthe ass

Sent from my SM-T210R using Tapatalk
 
Was this ever titled in the us or is it a grey market deal? If so be REALLY careful if so......
 
I don't know.

The story I have was that this spent a majority of its life in Saudi Arabia and a US Army doctor had it when he spent some time there after the first Gulf War. Supposedly he brought it back to the US when he came home; I'm not sure who the doc is or what was done with it after. I did find some VDMV registration paperwork but there isn't any viable info relating to this vehicle. It may just be some old paperwork from another car. who knows.

I'm still digging a little but not finding much out.

The vehicle is hacked together by a previous owner and many of the "repairs" look to be something done with very limited resources. The vehicle is right hand drive, so its a non-US vehicle.
 
rockcity said:
that's fine and dandy if I had a VIN that was readable. There are 2 paces the VIN is on older Land Rovers; one is on the bulkhead (VIN since long gone...) and one is on the front right main eye spring hanger welded to the frame which sees a lot of corrosion and exposure to weather, hence the likelihood that the VIN rusted away on mine (an many others).


Guess about the "easiest" way is to purchase a VIN and title from another Land Rover and "rob" that one for mine?
Click to expand...

The body parts I have for sale has a readable VIN on the bulkhead.

88" II A chassis # 244 373 27G
 
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