title/vin owner transfer.

To protect the innocent (namely me) I'll say I haven't read through any of the previous posts. To quote Klink, I know nothing.

All you need to have done is a VIN verification. CHP usually handles it, but they're not the only ones who can do it. Make sure your VIN plate is firmly attached to your firewall - the firewall that it originally came on, right? Hogan - right? Then trailer it down to your local AAA office and have the DMV person there do a VIN verification for you. Bring your title and also you might want to have a bill of sale handy. Depending on the dates on the bill of sale, you may be responsible for some back dues, but on an early Jeep it shouldn't be anything major. Just bring your checkbook since they don't take plastic.

 

...and if we don't hear from you for a long while, we'll know where ya are. J/K

Yes, this is not a bad route to take. Here's a linkey-poo to a Michigan DMV site...try entering the SN/VIN on the left side:
http://services.sos.state.mi.us/autolostandfound/
Perhaps it'll link to the last legally registered owner. I've had luck going this route. Heck even try searching nearby Ohio's online databank (title inquiry):
https://www.dps.state.oh.us/atps/titleinq.asp?mode=i

Lemme know if you need some help taking this route; BTDT.
-Alan

 

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/vr/newvehicle.htm

 

See my previous post, if you don't have a legal VIN, you can request one.

lj

 

Why can't you use the VIN plate from MI? If you have title and bill of sale that match the VIN, how would CHP know? What if you had changed the tub due to a wreck or rust? I cant imagine that you could not reuse the VIN tag on your "new body". Stolen VINs or such, that's one thing, but body replacment seems to be another. BTW, as far as I have seen, all early Willys have the body serial number held in place by screws. You can even buy new ones at the various early CJ resto places. Remember, the VIN law was not in effect in the 50s and 60s: each manufacturer used their own numbering system to id their vehicles. CJ2s and 3s had a body number and no frame number. DJ3s had a body and frame number. A lot of early CJs (mine included) were titled using the engine number as the "serial number". If the tag is on the tub when the inspector comes, then who would know?

 

In Ohio at least, if you "request" a new VIN, you'll get one for 2006 which means it'd therefore need to pass 2006 emmission specs.

 

Hmmm..... Sounds like a lot of what ifs and try this, and it seems you have some work to do. You need to go talk to someone about your problem, either at DMV or CHP. Reading up on the laws wouldn't hurt either. I think I would kiss your $200 away for now. I'm sure theres a way you can get a new vin and registration for it as kit car builders do it all the time. They might make you pass emmisions for your 4.3, but I can't see that being a serious issue that you'd risk a felony. I'm also sure there has to be some legal way to get around body swap vin issues, its just that no one ever does it. Keep in mind these laws are there to keep people from stealling and reselling cars, not to keep hobbyists from restoring them. See if you can find someone knowledgeable to talk to about this problem and see what they say.

Funny story: So my old roomate had to get his old m38a1 inspected for registration. For some reason his vin number in the frame was missing or not visible. So he found a likely spot on the frame and stamped in the number. Officer came out, checked it out and signed off and left. My roomate looked at his stamping again and realized one of his numbers was on upside down!R)

Good luck,
Kevo

 

You really are flirting with getting your hands slapped pretty hard. Especially if they even think you changed the VIN. Here in Texas, we can apply for a lost title with a bill of sale. Sure helps you sleep better at night knowing it was done the legal way without breaking the law.

The post about this being a felony is correct. You could get into a heap of trouble. My advise is don't do it.

 

This is a complex issue. I've done it three times now here in California, so I'm thinking everyone might benefit from my experience.

1st time, early 90's: 89yj body tub swapped onto 76cj7 chassis. removed YJ VIN and certified vehicle destroyed. Result: 1976 cj7 w/YJ body tub. This went totally above board, as I had no idea what I was doing, and needed lots of advice from DMV, CHP, and CARB. Had to get inspected at DMV and smogged as '76 vehicle.

2nd time, also early 90's: helped friend in complex swap: 1966 cj6 chassis w/title, late 70's cj7 body tub (no title...), remains of 1989 YJ used in the previous swap. I didn't talk to anyone about how to do this; I just followed the same process as before. Result: 1966 cj6 w/YJ frame, cj7 body tub. The only parts of that jeep that came from the cj6 were the ID plate and the 225. Technically, I could have been cited for removing smog equipment from that vehicle's motor, but the DMV personnel never mentioned that.

3rd time, last year: bought a 69cj5 that was titled in Montana. I didn't modify it, but the title was unknown to DMV. It had been sitting for more than a decade. Had it inspected; I should have been cited for smog violations again, but the DMV folks didn't notice. Officially, the ID for this jeep is only half of the actual serial number; DMV personnel only wrote down the last four or five numbers.

This is what I would do, were I in your position: 1st, ensure that your cj6 isn't stolen. 2nd, attach the VIN you bought. 3rd, make an appointment w/DMV for inspection. As long as the actual vehicle really wasn't stolen, there's nothing for anyone to say. Jeeps get rolled and wrecked all the time, and jeepers are famous for swapping every conceivable component.

As for any aspect of my behavior constituting a felony, I challenge that. There's nothing illegal about swapping anything from one jeep to another, per se. There are plenty of illegal swaps associated with smog equipment, and that's what you have to watch out for.

Everyone is encouraged to PM me with questions, comments, or concerns about this issue. Until then...you guys are simply the finest group of jeep fanatics I've ever had the pleasure to meet.

Scott Alvarado

 

What you want to do is illegal in Calif. The possession of a vin plate is illegal. Read sections 10750, 10751, & 10752 Calf. Veh. Code.

 

Cal, you're exactly right. Thanks for posting those codes. It appears that the CHP officer who told me, "Who cares? Just swap the ID plates", is as lawless as I obviously am when it comes to DMV regs. It's equally good to know that the current owners of those vehicles are safe from seizure, owing to their ignorance of the VIN swap, which in both cases is undetectable. Which gets me thinking...

Okay, I made a couple of phone calls to get some answers for my own edification. I don't condone criminal behavior, generally speaking, and am not about to do so here. Neither of the first two jeeps I modified have been seized, and the cj7 gets smogged regularly without incident. Outside of the renegade officer who got me started down this path to perdition, no one bothered to ask me the right questions during the inspection process; had the DMV inspector questioned the validity of the ID plates, I would have been forced to lie or give up the vehicles. Lucky me, I guess; one less lie to account for in the afterlife.

In the final analysis, given the ease with which jeeps can be undetectably altered in this way, the difficulty in establishing probable cause for a seizure, and the difficulty in meeting the burden of proof required to justify the seizure in court, I suspect that there are probably quite a few people out there who simply swapped ID plates from one jeep to another and simply lied to the DMV about it. That seems like an awfully easy way to avoid all manner of good and just laws that protect our safety and environment. Hmmm.