I hope to sell my stock chassis to my 56. My question is who would be the legal owner of the title? Would it stay with body or go with frame? I want to keep it for sure

 

ask your dmv or a lawyer

 

Tittle stays with the body vin plate

 

The courts have held on a couple of occasions that the legal basis for a vehicle is the frame.

In situations where one person owns the frame, and one person owns the body, and both are claiming ownership of the VIN, the frame is considered the basis for the vehicle.

Now, having said that, no reason to let the title go with your frame unless you are selling the "vehicle".

In others words, if you are keeping the body with the VIN tag, keep the title.

You might want to grind off the VIN number on the frame before you sell it.

BUT....check with your state DMV regarding the legalities in this situation.

 

In others words, if you are keeping the body with the VIN tag, keep the title.

You might want to grind off the VIN number on the frame before you sell it.

That's it , you need the vin tag and title if you keep the body ,if you sell the frame grind off the vin number

 

Not being a lawyer or officer of the law, but have slept in a Holiday Inn..........

If I bought a frame, I would want a bill of sale (with the VIN listed) and that VIN on the frame to authenicate that I bought it legally.

If I was a police officer and came upon a frame without a VIN, shouldn't I be suspicious?

Perhaps one of our officers of the law should chime in?

Plasticman

 

The whole thing is funny when you are talking about these cars. Until 1954 there was no Federal law for motor vehicles, and certainly no standardization until way after that date. Any court that would rule that the frame, or the body, has precedent over legal ownership is nuts. Some cars didn't even have numbers of any kind on the frame or any part, other than maybe one public number. And that may have been casually attached, like it is on our C1 Corvettes, with two common Phillips head screws. Some used motor numbers, of which some were legal numbers, some were just control numbers for the manufacturer.

The States made the laws, some were sophisticated, some were not, to the point that there was little or no regulation. North Carolina was hung up on engine numbers. To this day if you change an engine you are supposed to notify them and change it on the title. But that falls apart when cars like my 30s Cadillacs, that used the engine number as its legal number, needed a junk yard engine. Did the car get the title for the junk yard engine?

I had a DMV inspector call me some time back to ask where the, other, numbers were on a 51 Chev. truck. She was stunned to learn that there were no other legal numbers, except the body tag. There are no frame numbers, or other hidden numbers ,and though the engine has a number, it means nothing legally. They are young and have not lived in an era that was not wrapped up in legal detail.

 

It is illegal to remove, deface or alter a VIN. Except! , if it is not done with fraudulent intent.

A good reason would be removing a portion of the frame for altering purposes or relocating the part that the VIN is welded to.

That being said, I understand that Kalifornia will impound and crush a car without a legal VIN. (Maybe an old wives tale)

Salvage or reconstructed laws require a copy of the title of the car that the part was removed from, to be included in the sale of the part.

The state may issue a new title and VIN to a reconstructed auto as long as proper documents exist.

This still could leave a car in limbo if the documents were lost or destroyed and the new "lick it and stick it official state tag" is removed.

The above "laws are chiseled in stone (or at least written on toilet paper somewhere)

 

The federal law covering VINs contains the phrase "in accordance with applicable state law (or words to that effect).

Check with your local DMV to see what the law is in your state.

What you don't want to happen is two cars with the same VIN.

That won't happen these days given NMVTIS, but the current title will take precedent.

Check your local laws and see how best to proceed.

 

REMEMBER THE 53 CORVETTE IN FLORIDA #29? Look that case up.

And the $1m dollar COBRA or GT-SHELBY and multi million $$ Ferrari ALL go by FRAME numbers.

I know a significant 56 SEBRING RACE car frame that was under a 55 Corvette DUNTOV winning car. The car was purchased so ''the original frame'' could be transferred back to the 56 race car.

 

Vintage Ferraris all go by the "Chassis Number" (which is stamped on the frame and on the underhood I.D. tag on the body), and the Chassis Number is also stamped on the engine, and INSIDE the engine, in the crankcase. Typical pre-80's Ferrari body VIN/data plate shown below.

 

I sold 2 frames one a 61 & one a 62, both vin numbers could not be read when picked up by purchaser.....and I told purchaser this before they came to pick them up, no objection by buyer....$3500 for 62 & $6500 for 61, both complete rollers.

VIN tags & Titles stayed with cars and were sold with the cars in separate transactions.

 

I got some from a junk yard. The cars were crushed and the owner kept the vin and trims. I guess these would be good for a home built racer.

 

I can't answer this setup question, you need legal advise from your attorney....