I have found a car at an auction that has had the vin #'s cut out of the car. It is a 67 V8 convertible that has been completelystripped for restoration. All of the body work has beencompleted and sits in primer but otherwiseit is just ashell on a dolly. Hasdoors,hood, decklid, fenders and convertible top frame.

I have two questions:
1.What steps do I need to go through to get a title for the car?
2. Once I get the cat completed, what do you think it will be worth?

I am asking because of my concern on potentialdollars invested into the car that I will never be able to recoup if I had / wasto sell it.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

Thanks,

Nasaubayman

 

I know titling rules varies per state. Without a VIN, it will be difficult, in some states very difficult, to obtain a title. The problem not having a VIN too is you cannot check to see any history of the car. Isit even a real convertible? Or has it been chopped? While the VIN doesn't really mean anything to what one can do with the car or the final outcome, without an original VIN, all money invested will be ultimately lying in the builders lap. You will absolutely never get out of it what you will put into it.

 

run the other way...fast

 

Gee, ya think maybe it's HOT?

You'd have to pick up the vin tags from a real junker and weld/rivet them on during the restoration. Then go to confession.

 

yeah, id pass

 

Recoup money from a project where your starting off with a shell? LOL your funny. It's almost impossible to recoup your full "invested" amount even if you start with a mostly complete car. Building a car like that is done for the love of it and thats it! This is not in any ways an "investment" in money or time.

As for the title.. if all the VINs have been removed then you'll never register it as a Mustang again. It would need to be retitled with a new VIN and it is Classed as a KIT car. Each state has its own regulations for how to go about this however its a royal PITA in most states.

You'd be much better off finding another one thats in running condition with an older restoration already done.

 

I went to the Unique Performance auction today. Every car had the VIN cut out of it. Unique was accused of "washing" VIN numbers. It appears they were taking old Mustangs (probably with "salvage" titles) and grinding the VIN numbers off. Then they put their own VIN number where the original used to be.

Every Mustang shell had the spot where the VIN should be cut out of the car.

There were a couple Mustangs with the Eleanor kit installed. Most are without doors or hoods or decklids. But there's a couple that have all the body parts on it, all new floor pans, etc. Complete body and frame and absolutely nothing else.

I know you just drug a rough Mustang home for your wife. I'm betting if you saw what I saw today, you'd be willing to throw a couple grand at one of them.



[IMG]local://upfiles/64151/F7E65E833190442EAD2E61FCC35B49A2.jpg[/IMG]

 

If thats about me your incorrect. I spent 7 months looking for a car and was able to find exactly what I wanted. I got a running complete car, 5 miles away from my driveway that I paid less than 1000.00 for AND I know exactly what I bought. I figured you were looking at the cars at the auction. I happened to look at them online myself a few days ago and pointed out on this forum that they all had the VINs cut off them. How about whats under that primer or painted shells? I've heard horror stories about the body work that was done in their shops. You have no idea what your getting until it arrives in your driveway and you strip it down. Add to that no VIN or Title and I've just added months of work and headaches dealing with the DMV here. No thanks!

So no.. you lost that bet. I'd rather have the car I currently have which cost me almost nothing over one of the cars from their lot for a couple of grand.. or most likely much more.

 

Good answer.

 

ya u wont make any money on a project like that (you might break even at best) and u should never buy a car in primer u don't know wat there hiding under it