VIN Info: Looking for an EB Guy in West VA. *FOUND!!!!

[amc78cj7]

All this talk of bonding titles, etc. during a frame-off build up has me now wanting to make sure I document the parts for our EB project and get bills of sale. I am hoping someone here might be able to help.

The frame we are going to start with came off a 1976 from West Virginia. The guy I bought it off of in Michigan cannot recall who he bought it from, but says he had a lot of Early Broncos. I believe the guy in Michigan bought the entire rig from the guy in West Virginia and the body was toast, but the guy in W.Va. held onto the title and glove box door.

So, are there and West Virginia EB guys around this board, or does anyone know of someone in W.Va. with an EB collection?

It's not much to go from, but I'm hoping the guy here in Mi can provide me with more details of the original vehicle soon.

UPDATED: STORY CONCLUDED ON POST #11

Here is a pic of the original vehicle the frame came from if it helps identify the source

Thanks for any help.

 

[amc78cj7]

Oh yeah, and he bought it off a listing on bronco graveyard around 3 years ago.

Updated: More info. The guy lives about 1 hour into West Virginia from the Ohio/Pennsylvania borders.

Updated II: Color is Blue. Will attach pics tomorrow

I don't want/need the title off this guy so long as he will shot me a bill of sale on the frame....

 

[amc78cj7]

Just did a little scrapping on the frame and got the VIN. Does anyone know how to track titles based on VIN?

Also, I was trying to decode the VIN. It has a serial # of X88...

According to this website: http://www.broncohio.com/tech/ebvins.html

1975 went to August serial number X79999
1976 started at August A00000

In other words it says there was no X at or above 80,000. What gives?

Also, there are nice VIN history tracking sites out there, unfortunatley they only work for 1981+ vehicles with 17 digit VINS. Unfortunately they won't accept the 11 digit VIN on an EB.

 

[amc78cj7]

Well, it gets more interesting. I called the MI DMV and told them the story. They forwarded me to the WV DMV who say I can submit a "request for vehicle information" form based on the frame VIN, but that they cannot disclose the name of the title holder. They are also sending me a "message forwarding form" in which case they will send a letter to the title-holder requesting that he get in touch with me to discuss the "bill of sale". Sounds like a long shot.

So, any leads I can get on the owner from here would help me avoid that route and SIGNIFICANTLY improve my odds of moving forward with our project. I'm just glad this came up while the frame is still sitting on the floor of our garage and not after the buildup.

 

[BigFord74]

The biggest thing you need to worry about is if the previous owner of the frame wants it back. Since it's still tech in his name. I had pretty much the same situation with a '69 Charger. Luckily for me the guy worked with me and helped me get a title for it.

 

[mrw]

Trying to do the right thing and work with the DMV is like beating your head against a wall!

If you know any cops they might be able to do a VIN lookup. You are, after all, just trying to make sure the frame isn't stolen and legitimately title your Bronco. Making a phone call to the State Police can help or give you a few more tricks to try.

 

[tsmustangs]

Go to the State police office and have them run the VIN. Most of them are pretty decent about helping you out. Then if it checks out. License it in Mi as a lost title Vehicle. That's what I've done in the past. And remember after 7 years it's no longer even worried about.

 

[amc78cj7]

Go to the State police office and have them run the VIN. Most of them are pretty decent about helping you out. Then if it checks out. License it in Mi as a lost title Vehicle. That's what I've done in the past. And remember after 7 years it's no longer even worried about.

Yeah, but the guy who sold the frame did not want to sell the title or glove box door which makes me think he either 1) is using he title on another vehicle or 2) has sold the title. In either case it makes the lost title vehicle invalid. I really just need him to get me a signed clean bill of sale for the frame so I can get a bonded title.

 

[iwlbcnu]

How can you get a title for the frame if he is reusing the number? That would be 2 titles for one vin.

 

[BigFord74]

Yeah, but the guy who sold the frame did not want to sell the title or glove box door which makes me think he either 1) is using he title on another vehicle or 2) has sold the title. In either case it makes the lost title vehicle invalid. I really just need him to get me a signed clean bill of sale for the frame so I can get a bonded title.

But on a Legal stand point, whoever is titling the glove box is tech. the one titling the frame. They may be apart from each other but they are still the same vin.

 

[amc78cj7]

Happy Ending

So this story has a happy ending.

This afternoon I used the search function here to locate xbanone who had a half-cab and lived in West Virginia just inside the Ohio/Penn border. Off an old classified ad phone number here I gave him a call. He calls back in the afternoon and says he never sold a Bronco to a guy in Mi, but that I should try a guy named Ed that lives about 1 hour inside WV and whom he bought the half-cab off. He gives me Ed's phone number. Around the same time TheBroncoRanch calls my work with a lead. He says "I was thinking about your W.Virginia case and you might try Ed S. So I call Ed this afternoon. Tell him my story and that I am looking for a 1976 title from a Blue Bronco in Michigan. I tell him the VIN from the frame.

He checks his file and says "I'll be damned". He has the title and the glovebox door that matches my frame. Turns out it comes from a 1977 Blue Ranger. He had picked up the '77 in poor shape as part of a 2 bronco deal several years prior, then sold it as a parts vehicle but had kept the title.

So we now have a matching title for our frame. And oddly enough my son has always said his Bronco will be blue when it's done. And this Bronco started it's life in the Michigan truck plant in 1977......which is about 30 minutes from our house.

Thanks everyone, including the Parts thread about the '73 title that spurred me to look into this yesterday. Hard to believe I could find that matching title only from the information that:

1) it came from West Virginia about 1 hour into the state
2) the previous owner had several Broncos including a halfcab
3) this bronco was blue when it was picked up.

 

[1975stroppebaja]

So this story has a happy ending.

That's great news! Glad to hear it all worked out. I'm in WV but unfortunately I had no help for you.

 

[fordguy]

So this story has a happy ending.


Thanks everyone, including the Parts thread about the '73 title that spurred me to look into this yesterday. Hard to believe I could find that matching title only from the information that:

1) it came from West Virginia about 1 hour into the state
2) the previous owner had several Broncos including a halfcab
3) this bronco was blue when it was picked up.

amc it is called community the bronco brethren on this site are beyond awesome if they can help they will great ending