Let the saga begin. I have a 1956 F-100 that I purchased over 20 years ago that did not have a title. I am now beginning my journey to find what it takes to get one.

I sent an email to the DMV, this is the response:

Thank you for using the Wisconsin Department of Transportation's website.

There are very specific guidelines for requesting a Wisconsin title on a vehicle purchased without proper ownership documents. Please call us at (608) 266-1466. Prior to calling, please have the following: VIN (vehicle identification number), license plate number or title number for the vehicle about which you are inquiring with a mailing address and we will send you a list of these guidelines. You may review the list to see if this process would best serve your situation. Please be aware you may be required to post a surety bond if the department deems it necessary in order to provide you with a title. We will contact you after receiving your application if we need further information. Our hours of service are Monday through Friday 7:30 am to 4:30 pm CST. The best time to reach a Research & Information processor is between the hours of 7:30 am and 8:00 am and also between 11:30 am and 1:00 pm


So, today I called the DMV to explain my situation again, and that I believe the PO may no longer alive. I was told that the vehicle will need to be inspected and to see if the VIN numbers are legitimate. I explained to him that the truck is a project truck, that does not run, and is missing the windshield and seats.

He replied the vehicle does not have to run, but must appear to be roadworthy, ie, it needs a windshield and seats, of which I have neither. He said he would not send 'the guidelines' if it was not able to pass the inspection... HUH?

Also... (cut and paste)

Please be aware you may be required to post a surety bond if the department deems it necessary in order to provide you with a title.

I had to cut the call with the DMV short. What does that mean?

I called the person that I bought it from, and left a message, to see if he may recall who the previous owner was. I am assuming they may be deceased.

I JUST thought of something!

I currently have another F-100 in my name, that IS roadworthy. I have an idea... but maybe I should not say out loud.....

Are you thinking what I'm thinking?

Or, maybe the previous owner lives down the street from me, and still has the title in his lock-box Mmm-hmmm like thats gonna happen.

Any advice?

 

Find an easier State to get a title and do it there through a freind or relative.
Than just transfer it to your state. Just a suggestion. IDK. It has always been easy for me in Alaska.

 

In love and war anything is allowed. ;-) Atleast I have been told?

Good luck

 

Why not finish work on it and register it later?

 

You are making this more difficult than needed. Get one truck road worthy and register via the mail. Wisconsin doesn't require an inspection but photos are needed to validate the plate category.

 

I do have a brother that lives in California, but I'm guessing it may be even more difficult there, or no?

I have also heard "It's not illegal if you don't get caught"

I am thinking of selling the truck. I told a prospective buyer that I would see what it would take to get a title. As far as I am aware, I can sell it with just a signed bill of sale, and let them worry about a title. Depending how difficult it is, I would like to get a legitimate title to sell it. I figure that may sweeten the deal and/or get a little better money for it.

I am asking what I think is a very fair price. While it IS located in Wisconsin, you won't find it on Google earth. (Iv'e been searching this forum, thats in reference to a truck in Illinois)

I had responded to a WTB ad on Craigslist. I finally dug it out of storage and sent him a lot of pictures. His last email after getting the pics he said he was still interested, and asked about a title. We have gone back and forth for quite some time, but now he is not responding to my emails. I hope he's not hosing me...

If he does not respond soon, I may be posting it in the For Sale section here, or CL, or Ebay....it's a Big Window...

I'll keep you informed.

 

In many ways CA DMV is easy to deal with...especially with an older vehicle. The issue that I have with them is that they are trying to legislate environmental laws that do not exist. I registered a 55 truck that I had bought out of state that was missing the engine. When I had the VIN inspected they told me that they could not complete the VIN verification because the engine was missing. VIN has nothing whatsoever to do with the engine but they are trying to regulate smog-exempt vehicles with later model V8 engines without legal authority to do so. The easy way around this is to have a certified VIN inspector complete the paperwork...they don't seem to have any problem with the engine being missing or modified. As the last person told me, why should I care when there is no section on the form that calls for engine type or number?

If you were in CA and wanted to register that truck then all you would need to do is fill out the form requesting a new title and change of ownership. The only thing they would need is a VIN verification and a bill of sale. Good luck...

 

There are ways but I would be very hesitant to discuss them on an open public forum. Serial numbers/VINs fall under state and federal law which makes things funner. This issue comes up on the forum from time to time, do a search and discuss it via email instead of the forum to keep FTE mods happy.

 

First let me state I am not a lawyer, the extend of my law training is watching all the episodes of the original Law & Order series, many Perry Mason shows in my wasted youth and various other law shows in the last 50 years and my experience in dealing with the government.

I wouldn't put a dime more into the truck until you have it in your name for two reasons. First, if some one comes along with the proper paperwork after you've stuck a lot of money and time into it they can claim it as the legal owner. You might be able to remove most of the detachable parts you have receipts for but other parts welded on or otherwise permanently attached will have to stay. Also, you will lose all the time you might have put into it.

Second, when you register the truck they'll want to see pictures of all four sides, the interior and the engine compartment. At least that's what they wanted from me when I've registered my last two classic vehicles. See my post for the lasted go around:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...tle-story.html

If you bought the truck in rough condition for let's say just above scrap price, something like $500 and you show them pictures of a fully restored truck they are going to give you a hard time when it comes time to pay the sales tax on the truck. You may not have to do the pictures if you are going to regular truck plates but I did when applying for Collector plates.

The two cars I recently had to deal with was a '37 Buick Special and the most recent, a '37 Buick Century (see the above link). With the Special I sent in all the necessary forms with the required pictures that I took before starting the restoration. I had a legal title for that one. I was applying for both a new title in my name and the Collector plates. A person from the state called me and asked if the car was road worthy. I told her "No, it's torn apart right now but I wanted the car in my name before doing any more work on it." She told me they could send me the title but not the plates until the car was road worthy.

Duane, I have to disagree because of the above reasons. With the Century I originally bought the car as a parts car without a title. I had planned to have the parts removed and the carcass cut up into little pieces within a week or two but then after looking it over, and with some persuasion from others, I decided it was too nice to cut up and wanted to get a title for it. I had to call the DMV three different times and talked to three different people to get all of the correct information on what forms I needed. The first person told me she could find the last registered owner if I had some kind of number, an engine number or even a license plate. The plate was still on the car and she was able to tell me it was still in the system. I know the owner died in 1991 so it's been over 20 years since it was last registered. The second person grudgingly told me the name of the owner that was in their system and a little Google searching I found more than enough information to find the member of the family I needed to contact.

One more thing, the first person told me anyone could fill out form DM2300 as an heir and get a title in my name. I don't know how legal that is and I could see some legal problems down the road if a member of the family wanted to cause trouble.

Now I wouldn't advocate this but I've known many people who have used titles from one old vehicle to title another old vehicle. My '49 F-2 was my dad's truck when I was a kid and I have the legal title for the truck but I have at least 5 different trucks into it. The only original parts of the truck are the frame, transmission and axles. Everything else has be replaced so it's next to impossible to know where one vehicle stops and another one starts. These old vehicles are so old and have gone through so many owners and have had so many repairs made to them in the last 50-60 years it would be extremely hard to match a title to a vehicle this old. I don't remember if my truck is registered using the engine number but the Buicks are. It was not uncommon to have an engine replaced 10-15 years after the car was new. Right there the numbers would have gotten lost.

PS. Welcome aboard. Where in WI are you located? Different DMV offices handle their customers differently. I had extremely good help at the West Bend office with the Century.

 

Thanks for all the replies.

I put in a call to the person I bought the truck from. His shop is only open Tuesdays and Thursdays. I'm not even quite sure he will remember me, or more importantly, the person he bought it from.

I did talk to one lady at the DMV that mentioned something about a records search to find previous owners. I also found a free website that only charges one dollar (free?) Is VehicleHistoryRecord a scam, or will they actually find the info I need? I suppose, for a dollar, I wouldn't be out much if it was not legit.

I would rather not register in one state and transfer to another, sounds like that could be a hassle. Also sounds like it could be expensive. If I were keeping the truck, that may be an option, but just to sell it, I just want a title.

I also agree not to do any work on it unless I am able to title it. I read bobj49f2s novel on what he went through with his '37.

Teardropty, I understand. That is why I worded it the way I did. Even though we all know it happens I know it should not be openly discussed. Question though, how do places like Broadway do it legit?

FourtyNiner, the guy at the DMV I talked to today said it did need to be inspected in person, and never made any mention of pictures. He also mentioned something about a surety bond, but I don't really understand what that is for. The lady I talked to the day before made no mention of an inspection or a bond. She told me about the MV2896 form to search PO's. I wish I could talk to her again, she seemed more knowledgeable (and friendly) than the guy I talked to today.

I will probably try to call the DMV again on Monday, or maybe I could try another email. Then I at least have the info in black and white, that I could share.

I am located in Watertown, and I believe I have been dealing with the Madison branch of the DMV.

Best case scenario, the guy I bought it has the PO's name, he is still alive, and will help me with a lost title. A couple signatures, twenty bucks, and get a replacement title.

I'm trying not to think about a worst case scenario, but......I am preparing for it.

Feel free to PM or email me if you have any 'other' suggestions.


I have been reading through the pages of threads in this forum, and have found a lot of useful information regarding the F-100. Many things have improved, and gotten less expensive, since I bought my first 56.

I'm rambling, and it is very late...

Thanks again!

 

Not sure about other States but CA only keeps records for 7 years...most vehicles of this vintage fall out of the system here rather quickly if the registration is not kept current. I would be interested to hear how the PO history search goes in WI.

 

You have it made if the person who's name is in the system is still alive and is willing to help. It should be fairly easy to get the legal title in your name.

Dealing with places like Broadway Title is dicy. States are getting tighter on using services like them.

Fortyniner's sister lives in Watertown. That's where I first met him, sort of, going 45 mph past her house on CW in my F-2. We saw these people standing in the driveway intently staring at us as we drove by. Later that night Duane emailed me to ask if that was me. About a year later we finally met face to face within handshake distance. Even we live less than 10 apart, he lives in Cedarburg and I live in Germantown, it took us a long time to actually meet.

 

The Century's owner died in 1991 and the car was still in the system although it might have because the car had collector plates which are a one time fee nonrenewable plate. I wonder if it would have been still in the system if the car had regular plates.

I had to call the DMV three times to make sure I got all the forms and procedures. Each time I called I got a little more information.

 

CharlyLed, that is why I started this thread, to let others know what it will take to get a title in Wisconsin in this type of situation.

I about fell over when I saw the prices for Broadway. I wondered if part of that fee was for a payoff to the DMV...

Has anybody tried the vehiclehistoryrecord.com website? The DMV would charge $5.00 per record, this place only charges $1.00, though I am sometimes sceptical of 'free' websites.

The first time I talked to someone at DMV (the lady), my phone dropped the call. The next day, I talked to the crabby guy, and I had to cut the phone call short... Hopefully my phone call to DMV on Monday will get the complete and correct information. Maybe Marv will call me back on Tuesday with the PO, that could make things even easier.

I see a few nice old cars roll past my house, but never any classic Ford pickups. Next time any of you up for a road-trip, I live East of the airport in Watertown. I welcome and encourage downshifting, engine revving, and smokey burnouts in front of my house.

Or...just a low and slow drive-by is fine too

 

With the privacy laws now on the books, I have a real hard time believing any 3rd party service exists that legitimately has access to all the DMV records in any state. You used to be able to buy a download of all registered vehicles with their owner's names and addresses in NM for $50, from the MVD. Those days are long gone (a good thing IMO, the list was used to mail out advertising for the most part).