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WhatÂ’s a title worth?

MN 66 Roadster

New Member
Joined
Mar 8, 2021
Messages
2
My EB experience is limited to a frame-off restoration of a 66 Roadster, recently completed. I’m interested in another project and recently looked at a 68 Wagon here in Minnesota. It was very rusty. Frame was not repairable IMO. Floor, rockers, fenders were shot. I completed some rust repair on the 66 but feel this tub beyond repair. The owner has All the original sales paperwork and manuals along with the clean title. But it’s a title to a vehicle that’s rusted away. So what’s a EB title worth?
 

DirtDonk

Contributor
Bronco Guru
Joined
Nov 3, 2003
Messages
47,345
Hey MN, welcome to classicbroncos!
No idea myself, so interested to hear what others say. I've seen glovebox and titles go for as little as $200 and as much as $1000 in recent years. I still think of them as the vehicle you're getting (when it's a complete-ish one like you're talking about) and would not pay more than $1,000 for a rusted out heap. However lots of people these days are falling all over themselves to pay more for the same.
Hate to think what some are actually paying, but I know the market is the market and so it's going to be hard to find a "deal" anymore.

Others might have more insight, having perhaps experienced it recently themselves.
Good luck. Hopefully the owner is reasonable about it.

Paul
 

RM70

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Oct 10, 2020
Messages
233
My EB experience is limited to a frame-off restoration of a 66 Roadster, recently completed. I’m interested in another project and recently looked at a 68 Wagon here in Minnesota. It was very rusty. Frame was not repairable IMO. Floor, rockers, fenders were shot. I completed some rust repair on the 66 but feel this tub beyond repair. The owner has All the original sales paperwork and manuals along with the clean title. But it’s a title to a vehicle that’s rusted away. So what’s a EB title worth?

Unless they had the frame section with the vin to go along with the title I wouldn't pay anything for it.
 

Rangerbj

Full Member
Joined
Jul 28, 2015
Messages
280
Paul and RM70 are 100% correct. VIN on frame is the only thing that matters.

As to the "worth". If you have a good solid frame, you can build a Bronco with all the after market parts.

Title and matching frame are $1,000 easily in CA
 

Jax302

Newbie
Joined
May 28, 2021
Messages
26
Just curious, has anyone ever actually seen someone from the DMV climb under a car and look at the frame?
 

Jax302

Newbie
Joined
May 28, 2021
Messages
26
What would your options be if you wanted to start your build with one of those sweet better than new frames or rolling chassis? Stamp you title VIN on the new frame? Cut the VIN section off the old frame and tack it to the new one?
 

pipeline010

Sr. Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2017
Messages
618
Just curious, has anyone ever actually seen someone from the DMV climb under a car and look at the frame?

I live in The Free People's Republic of New Jersey and all they want here is an EXTERIOR picture of the truck brought to the DMV. That was it.

The biggest things they look for? Spoilers and hood scoops. Hood Scoops will kill you in NJ.
 

ngsd

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Bronco Guru
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Mar 2, 2019
Messages
2,527
title

Just curious, has anyone ever actually seen someone from the DMV climb under a car and look at the frame?

I always chime in here as I hate when an unsuspecting buyer ends up with a nightmare. So many people will say it is OK and they never check the frame numbers. BS. I have had two very thorough inspections done recently that would not sign off until frame was verified in AZ with correct frame numbers. Either way, cars are now being sold non matching and entering the marketplace ready for the next person to find out they have a blemished title issue. Somewhere down the line there is financial liability for this especially with the prices now being paid for these gems. Cutting a frame and adding numbers might get you by but would you tell the next buyer that you did that? Probably not because it would hurt the value. Think about what you would pay for a highly restored vehicle that was VIN altered and take it from there. This is always a heated topic on here and social media. But I personally would NEVER buy a vehicle with a VIN issue.
 

ame

Full Member
Joined
Jun 28, 2016
Messages
191
If the frame Vin is usable then I would say $2500 min on the west coast as I know some people looking and that is there starting price for one.
 

56f100bbw

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Bronco Guru
Joined
Feb 3, 2008
Messages
2,286
Loc.
Tucson / lakeside AZ
A hot Rod builder friend in Tucson had a reproduction 1932 ford Chassis with a original 1932 Arizona title and the DVM would not let, dmv put their own sticker and vin # can’t transfer vin # from from another vehicle .
 

chuckyb

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Sr. Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2016
Messages
941
Just curious, has anyone ever actually seen someone from the DMV climb under a car and look at the frame?

In NC, the DMV sends the county license and theft bureau out prior to titling an out of state vehicle or inoperable vehicle. When they came out to look at my Bronco, they had me pop the hood so they could take a picture of the frame VIN and also took a picture of the glove box VIN.
 

76YETI

Contributor
Sr. Member
Joined
May 27, 2015
Messages
853
Loc.
KC METRO
What would your options be if you wanted to start your build with one of those sweet better than new frames or rolling chassis? Stamp you title VIN on the new frame? Cut the VIN section off the old frame and tack it to the new one?

Don't come to Kansas....They will inspect every inch of it...especially if it is coming from out of state.
 

Jax302

Newbie
Joined
May 28, 2021
Messages
26
DMV ladies in Florida are never going to lie on the ground or dive into an engine bay. I've never had them look beyond the door jam including for out of state vehicles. This last time the out of state seller had even written my name in incorrectly on the title. I crossed it out and wrote it in correctly which led them to make a sour face as they transferred the title.
 

mebco09

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Joined
Aug 13, 2018
Messages
460
Paul and RM70 are 100% correct. VIN on frame is the only thing that matters.

As to the "worth". If you have a good solid frame, you can build a Bronco with all the after market parts.

Title and matching frame are $1,000 easily in CA

OK, serious question here:

What do you do with a Bronco with a replacement frame?

Either:
1. A non-matching frame from a donor Bronco, in which case you would have two vin #s on the same Bronco,
OR
2. A brand-new replacement frame from Kincer or others?

So often folks on this board take the absolute answer, lots of "Always" and "Never", when there is grey area all over in 50+ year old cars, and every state is different. Neither one of these scenarios proves that a car was stolen.

Here in WA state, all they want is your registration money and the taxes that go with it. Finding stolen cars is not something that the LEOs do here.
 

Seventee

Contributor
Sr. Member
Joined
Dec 7, 2012
Messages
997
Loc.
In the sticks of MT
OK, serious question here:

What do you do with a Bronco with a replacement frame?

Either:
1. A non-matching frame from a donor Bronco, in which case you would have two vin #s on the same Bronco,
OR
2. A brand-new replacement frame from Kincer or others?

So often folks on this board take the absolute answer, lots of "Always" and "Never", when there is grey area all over in 50+ year old cars, and every state is different. Neither one of these scenarios proves that a car was stolen.

Here in WA state, all they want is your registration money and the taxes that go with it. Finding stolen cars is not something that the LEOs do here.

In Montana:
1) use the title for the donor frame. 2) Titled as a kit car, with VIN assigned by DMV.

Edit: in the case of #2 you could probably get away with using the body vin as long as you had the correct title to match the body. IF starting with no title, an assigned VIN will be necessary as they will check the frame for anything that is not already titled.
 

1970 Palmer

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Joined
Mar 2, 2020
Messages
455
A hot Rod builder friend in Tucson had a reproduction 1932 ford Chassis with a original 1932 Arizona title and the DVM would not let, dmv put their own sticker and vin # can’t transfer vin # from from another vehicle .

I agree, it gets really confusing very quickly. I would not "knowingly" buy any vehicle with a pending title issue. It's just a can of worms.

In my case, I sold my 1932 Ford Roadster to a buyer in Arizona. He went to the AZ DMV to change the registration after his purchase. They told him that there was another car registered in a Eastern State with the same VIN#. I supplied the buyer with all of my old CA Registrations, documenting that the car with that VIN# had been consecutively licensed in California for the past 12 years. In the end, AZ DMV had the power to cancel the registration of the vehicle licensed in the Eastern State, and they approved the change of ownership to my cars new owner. It was a little scary for a time.

One of the things to consider is that the modern Federal DOT seventeen digit VIN# system did not begin until around the 1980 model year. With the old very short VIN# (commonly called Serial Numbers) there's lots of potential for duplicate numbers and confusion.

I use the services of a privet "state licensed" VIN Verifier, anytime I have a out of state registration transaction, or something that is not a simple transaction that AAA will handle for me. It only costs me $35 extra, and my blood pressure remains normal.

John
 

chuck1022

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Sr. Member
Joined
Feb 25, 2017
Messages
562
In Montana:
1) use the title for the donor frame. 2) Titled as a kit car, with VIN assigned by DMV.

Edit: in the case of #2 you could probably get away with using the body vin as long as you had the correct title to match the body. IF starting with no title, an assigned VIN will be necessary as they will check the frame for anything that is not already titled.

If you cut the vin and welded into the new frame ...after its powder coated or painted.....would anyone know?
 

Jax302

Newbie
Joined
May 28, 2021
Messages
26

gnpenning

Contributor
Bronco Slave
Joined
Dec 26, 2011
Messages
2,190
Loc.
I have more questions than answers.
The important part of this type of questions is that there are states that will check. In today's world with people moving cross country and buying cross country it's wise to have something registrable in every state.

Not everyone feels this way and are willing to roll the dice. Just understand that a buyer may have a better lawyer than you. What is it really worth ??
 
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