Hey yall i read something on here not too long back about trying to get titles created/recreated for these trucks. There were a bunch of mixed opinions of how easy it was to get done.
Just found what may be a HELL of a deal of a on a 53, only thing is it has no title. Im still waiting to hear back from the guy about rust and frame condition; but the title thing may be a deal breaker for me.
If you have had some experience on this what do yall recommend? I know i need to contact the DMV to see about state specific stuff but just wanted some over all opinions before i do. Thanks yall

Jon

 

If I recall, Va is one of those states that is very hard to get one, now if the truck is in another state that may be a different story. Of course there is more to consider that JUST the lack of a title, like WHY there is no title. There is a guy right now in NC trying to sell an F3 that was stolen from him in 2003 while it was in a shop being worked on. He had long forgot about the truck when 5 years later it was recovered when somebody bought it and was applying for a title for it. Needless to say, the buyer trying to get a title was out the money he paid for the truck.

 

Take down the VIN on the frame and on the cab and go to the local (to the truck is better, if not to you) police department and tell them you are interested in buying this vehicle and would like them to check to see if 1)it is stolen (make sure it is a nation-wide check; that may take a while) and 2) if it was last registered under the same name as the person you plan on buying it from (if available, it may have been 'purged' from the system). Jurisdictions vary, they may require you to tell them the name of the person you are purchasing it from in order to do #2. They should provide you with a form that states the VIN was checked for you to give to your DMV when it comes time to register it.

If you have to ask for the numbers over the phone or by e-mail because you can't make it out there, be polite but firm. If the seller will not provide them, don't buy it.

 

I once bought a truck with no title,from an attorney,who had a valid power of attorney on the registered owner of the truck,who was in prison.i thought it was a slam dunk!!.fixed the truck all up and THEN went to title it.it was difficult,some hoops to jump through with state.had a title within four months,with the stipulation the original owner could have taken the truck back at any time within 24 months.it worked out in the end,but was stressful.i WILL not do that again.the first question i ask when looking at a vehicle now is if the seller is the registered owner.if not,i walk

 

He might be able to get them to run it against the stolen list, but they will not tell him who the last registered owner is/was, they can only disclose that information if he has the vehicle in his possession, signs paperwork to verify how the truck came into his possession and an officer personally verifies the serial number. Lots of hoops, but that all falls under the federal laws. BTW, they should actually ask him for a tracing of the numbers in order to run them. (What I did for 25 years)

 

Thanks a lot for the help guys. Ill make sure to get the numbers from the seller next time i talk to him.
In case he doesnt know; where exactly are the numbers located on the frame and cab (i thought the data plate was on the driver side but want to make sure)?

 

It should be stamped on the frame rail, passenger side between the firewall and the front axle. Although I have heard of some being stamped on the crossmember by the radiator toward the passenger side. If it's an F100 it should start with F10.

 

Thanks again Harley

 

The only legal way is to follow YOUR state laws - Having been in the USAF for 22 years I can talk about how I did it in 10 states but none of them was VA

 

Virginia is getting tough about titles. You can't even scrap a whole vehicle without the title in your name. The DMV website has a lot of info to sift through obtaining a title . "Abandoned vehicle title" would be a good start. There is a downloadable bill of sale/verification of value form.
This will be of some help when actually going to DMV. It's not impossible, but I quit buying anything without a title here unless for parts. It's just too much of a hassle. Local offices are understaffed and main office in Richmond is nearly impossible to reach on the phone. Good luck.

 

I agree, I have had the title hassle in several states myself. Some are easy, like California (unless they have changed the laws in the past few years) and Washington, while some are next to impossible ( like PA, where if you have no title you need to go to court and have a judge award it to you, which no matter how well prepared you are may not succeed).

The advice I gave should at least give you a start.

About my comments about the name on the registration, Federal law or not, I have had the police provide me with the name so I could track them down to get the title straightened out. Maybe they were just being nice because they knew me.

 

From what I remember, on old Fords, the numbers were on the drivers side frame.
Either on the frame horn, or back by the cab.

 

On the trucks, they were on the drivers side prior to 1948, not after.

 

Mark, unless it was more than 15-20 years ago, they must have really liked and trusted you, because they could have lost their jobs for giving you that information. That is considered a real serious offense since 9/11.

 

We must be living in two different Washingtons. I've found the experience to be extremely frustrating here. If you don't have a title, it requires an inspection from the state patrol. If the vehicle is not "running and roadworthy" which is the quote they gave me, they won't even look at you. You're hosed. If you know something different, or have a friend on the inside more helpful than the office staff I've spoken with, both locally and in Olympia, please enlighten me.