Old body on a newer chassis. A rat-rod story. What has to stay for DMV?

CasterTroy

CasterTroy

Faster'N You
Joined
Mar 21, 2005
Location
Wallburg
@Tacoma747 I know you've had the man out to your place to title military vehicles as RV's, and maybe you know someone that may know the answer to this that can help.

@Chris_Keziah @Joe J. as well

If someone had, lets say a mid 90's chevy truck with a great engine, frame and driveline, and wanted to use all those goodies in a rattrod they wanted to build. What part(s) would they need to use in order for it to stay titled a 90's chevy truck?

I say this because the body would likely be a 30's or 40's sedan that wouldn't likely come with a title, and or VIN.

What's "the man" gonna look for?
 
Cops see a 30s heap going down the hwy, they want a title for a 30s heap. They don't care it's sitting on a S10 frame.

Antique tags are super easy to get where I'm at. I'd go this route.

Now, the legality of that is questionable, but that's another topic.
 
When I was flipping vehicles, I was always told by the DMV that a 'permanent or factory placed VIN' had to match the title to be 110% compliant in NC. Talking mainly 80's and older vehicles, that usually meant a VIN stamped somewhere on the frame. Now, that's to be 110% compliant, that's not saying I haven't seen the DMV check the title against a data/warranty/line plate and be good to go (which is easily swapped). But the one time you get the guy that knows 'the rules' and knows a specific type of vehicle, congrats, now you have an expensive parts vehicle.
 
UTfball68 said:
congrats, now you have an expensive parts vehicle.
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That is what needs to be avoided

I know the vin plate cannot be removed from wherever it is...so if that's in the dash of the truck, regardless of how much of that truck you cut out to use as the "platform" that portion of dash/firewall has to remain for whatever you weld up to it. So if the frame from the truck is used (with the vin) JUST how much of the firewall/dash has to remain for it to be a legit 199X chevrolet?

Kinda where I'm going with this
 
So, on the subject. In January 1993 and earlier cars will be antique tag eligible. If a cars tag has lapsed say by 5 years, can you get it inspected and go straight to antique tag?
 
I don't have a good answer but if you don't get one I can ask a buddy that builds rat rods, they do this stuff all the time and doesn't seem like it is too complicated.
 
^ this?? What about “rat rods” made out of 50 different things drug out of a barn/field, slathered in linseed oil and are “cool”? Constructed Vehicle Title a thing in NC?
 
There are options in NC to get a custom or replica vehicle title. You will want reciepts/bill of sale for all the major items you use.

Official NCDMV: Other Vehicle Types to Title & Register

www.ncdot.gov www.ncdot.gov

Shreddinlettuce said:
So, on the subject. In January 1993 and earlier cars will be antique tag eligible. If a cars tag has lapsed say by 5 years, can you get it inspected and go straight to antique tag?
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Yes. It depends on what you consider an antique tag. One is a special plate you pay for, through the DMV. Or they will issue a standard plate, and you can put a Year & State specific tag on the bumper, as long as the standard plate is in the vehicle.
 
Do some legit homework, Where I'm not sure. A big Hot Rod group in Alexander County had a spell and a lot of cars got inspected and such.

The deal was all these classics running updated drive train.....the push was to make them compliant to the newer drivetrain, smog, safety and all......the why was the folks collecting taxes was ill about Joe's 37 being worth 1500 dollars on paper and was clearly worth multiples of that range.

As for rat Rods....them are clever folk. But how many have Factory fuel injection, rack and pinion, ac, heat, leather interiors, and candy paint? How many are realistically 50-80k cars?

That was the rub. Frame drive train swap builds are one thing, Putting a hot V-8 in an old Fastback and not much else is another.
 
When I “tried” to get the title on my 51 Merc the DMV revin’d it because they could not verify the original vin in multiple places. The previous owner had made a custom dash thus losing the original vin plate. This process only applies when the vehicle is not a NC title. My 63 Galaxie had an NC title and was a breeze, the Merc was 1 1/2 years to finally get the title. What really pissed me off was they confiscated my original 51 title!

So cliffs are if both vehicles are NC titled I highly doubt you would have any issues since neither will be required for inspections. I would think it would be a bit of a gray area.
 
Buffy said:
When I “tried” to get the title on my 51 Merc the DMV revin’d it because they could not verify the original vin in multiple places. The previous owner had made a custom dash thus losing the original vin plate. This process only applies when the vehicle is not a NC title. My 63 Galaxie had an NC title and was a breeze, the Merc was 1 1/2 years to finally get the title. What really pissed me off was they confiscated my original 51 title!

So cliffs are if both vehicles are NC titled I highly doubt you would have any issues since neither will be required for inspections. I would think it would be a bit of a gray area.
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have you heard of any of the troubles I was referring too?
 
My closest experience with what you mentioned was the inspection and title on my XJ. My parts bill alone was $38k, DMV valued it around $800. Local Chevy place would not inspect it they were major dicks about it because the original title indicated 6 cylinders and now its 8. Took it to Dekra and the guys was a major gear head. Quick safety inspection and out the door. The only reason I had to get inspected is because it was a 2000 model. I am interested to see how my next inspection goes in November.

Not sure if they will make you have an initial inspection on something with an original NC title but over 30 years old. The key is having the title in your name before you start. I usually get the title in my name before moving forward then come back later to get the plates.
 
Wish I could help but I did the opposite for a customer. We started with a Scrambler that had a clean title in my name that I sold to him. After title was in his name we kept only the body. From there TDK frame, JK axles, crate HEMI, crate trans and t-case, and so on.

on the road it looks like a restored Scrambler and title / registration matches VINs on firewall and windshield plate Even though everything else is modern
 
AdamH said:
Wish I could help but I did the opposite for a customer. We started with a Scrambler that had a clean title in my name that I sold to him. After title was in his name we kept only the body. From there TDK frame, JK axles, crate HEMI, crate trans and t-case, and so on.

on the road it looks like a restored Scrambler and title / registration matches VINs on firewall and windshield plate Even though everything else is modern
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That's the kind of thing I hope to do after I win the megamillions
 
I'm so glad I don't (won't) live in an inspection state. :flipoff2:
 
Shreddinlettuce said:
Inspection county. I just moved from buncombe to Henderson, I had a bad cat, Hendersonville don’t care, lucky I moved a month before I needed to test emissions
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True. No county in SC has had inspections since '95, so I'm spoiled.
 
XJsavage said:
True. No county in SC has had inspections since '95, so I'm spoiled.
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this explains a lot of the things I've witnessed down that way....but also jealous
 
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