Hey all, new to this area of ford trucks. I've always been on the 80-86 forum but last year I stepped up to a 94 150(great move for me). The new truck is a 300 6cyl 4 speed with overdrive 4wd reg cab. The bad news is I flipped and rolled the truck this week(danged freezing rain) My question is this: I can buy the truck back from the insurance for a measly $190.(no brainer right) I will need a cab; the bed suffered almost no damage. The frame appears good. No problem with motor or tranny as everythign appears ok. Will the cab from my 84 150 work as a replacement or should I try and convert the 84 to accept the motor and tranny from the 94. I know this would require an entire electrical swap or dump the fuel injection and go with carb on the 300. The 84 had a 302 and was fixin to be hauled off for scrap since I couldnt sell it, but I still have it and between the 2 trucks I know I can make 1 good hauler just not sure witch way to go. I think I would like to go the cab route if it is an option. Please help I'm stranded at home with no ride.

 

Doesn't sound like you have a lot of time to fiddle around with this, but you're better taking the good parts off the 94 for another truck. Since the insurance company wrote it off as "totalled", its title will be forever branded as such.. Depending on your individual state laws, once you repair the "totalled" vehicle, you might need to put it through a rigorous round of inspections before they'll allow you to even register it.

In MA, before you go through that, you have to submit the original title for a "salvage title" (which ain't cheap here ) Then have the repairs certified as acceptable by special inspection station, of which there is only one in the western half of the state, then take the paperwork from them to the Registry of Motor Vehicles where they will charge you for a regular title (with the "total loss/restored" brand on it) and you can register it, insure it, and within seven days put it through the regular state inspection.

I wrote all this because some years ago, 1990s I think) all 50 states adopted uniform title laws and requirements including the recording of all totals and floods, etc, because people were taking wrecks, repairing them half-****, and selling them to unsuspecting buyers as "good reliable vehicles" when in fact many of these band-aid jobs were potential death traps. (Or in the case of flood damage, they're money pits)

 

Gray91 you bring up a good point about the title. But if the insurance company pays off the claim and the owner buys the vehicle back, the title will not change hands and the title will not show salvage.

If the insurance company were to take possesion of the title and vehicle and resell the vehicle, the title would be salvage.

 

Check with the insurance company. If they paid a "total loss: claim they will have to record that somewhere. Most of the time if they total a vehicle they require you surrender the existing title to them before they cut you a check.. But all these things are variable from company to company and state to state.

If you own a 30 year old car (and don't have antique insurance) they'll total it for so much as a shopping-cart dent on the door. Doesn't affect the safety of the vehicle but in the title laws, total loss is all the same...

This might help...

http://www.dmv.org/tn-tennessee/salvaged-vehicles.php

If they give you back the original title unblemished, you're all set. If not, there will be some hoops to jump through, but from this link I read that it's not as bad as in MA where all titles and salvage titles must go through the RMV

 

thanks guys, any other ideas? Anybody?

 

Down here in Florida there are a lot of good rolling chassis with ragged out motors / drive trains. I would look for something with a good shell and swap out the entire drive train. I would then keep the totalled truck as a parts donor for future use.


Doug

 

I would agree that if you buy it back you will have a salvage title. Not sure how it works but that would go on the insurance company if you got in a wreck and killed someone because of a weak frame that broke. (example) They won't do it without a salvage title. I think I would swap the wiring, computer, engine, trans, and rearend.
Or find another about the same year that needs an engine/tranny to drop it in.

 

I would really like to find a 92-96 xcab 4x4 that I could put my power in. Prob is not many in that category here in Tn. Seems everyone here keeps an engine( just in case) in the barn. If anyone has any ideas of any within a couple hours drive from N.E. Tn please let me know. If not I think I might turn the 84(ole blue) into an 84/94 and update it with the wiring harness from Red and computer and keep the fuel injection. I really dont want to step back into carb country( no offense to all you old schoolers, but I really like f.i. after all: imagine that). Any way thanks alot.

 

All states different . My family Buy totaled cars all time and redo . picture's and a inspection by a certified barrage. IS all needed to get R title . As for insurance CO. They settled no biggie. To insure r title no biggie. Hd 1 Monte was totaled 6times (Hit By other people )

Like I said a state but state thing. For re buy price get it . Then check into it . At least you will have parts truck (I get $1000+ out of Rust buckets selling parts and thats with out motor or body parts .

I'd go for it . If you have stuff just check legalities first

 

msfpropass: I know of a 96 F250 ex cab in the Atlanta area that may be for sale by a wrecker company soon. I am working on a deal with them on an explorer. It will be a couple of weeks before I get there, as I live in Florida. If you haven't made a decision by then I can let you know what I find.

Otherwise, I would prefer having an older vehicle body/chassis wise with newer powertrain, if all other things are equal. That is, if the older body is in good shape, etc. This will give you more freedom of choice regarding emissions equipment, etc.

I once put the whole drive train, including efi computer, fuel tank, rear end from a 91 Ranger into an 83 Ranger. It looked like an 83 but ran and drove like a '91.

Also, my 54 f100 (in the other list here) has the engine with its computer and efi wiring, cruise and brake booster from my 92 Mustang which was totalled and repurchased as salvage from my ins com.

Good Luck, whichever way you go.

 

thanks again to everyone. Please keep the info coming as I would like to decide what I want or need to do soon. I hate being without a truck.

 

ok its been a few days, I'm searching everywhere. Does anyone know of a truck anywhere within driving distance?

 

Someone with more legal knowledge will probably tell me I'm on the shady side of thinking here, but if you have two trucks and two titles, and you move the cab (with the VIN plate) onto the other chassis, you've merged two trucks. Could be you could title it under either VIN.

In some eyes, it's not much different than moving your new drivetrain into the older truck. Just as a thought experiment, if you took the newer truck and used it as a "parts donor" for the older one, and moved everything that could fit, where does one stop and the other begin?

 

from what I've been told(i'm kinda new at this game too) this is legal in Tn. Dunno bout MI. I would rather find a newer truck(92-96) that has a good clear title that I can rework. That part I know I can do and stay legal. But if not I'm open to suggestions. Again if anyone knows of truck that fits please send em my way.

 

I looked into this a few years back here in pa, I found that you can switch a salvage title to an r title which it will be permantely branded as long as it would pass several inspections but in this state unless you have a frame puller your not going to get it past, if the frame is good and for 190 though may as well and gut it or use the parts, my neighbor has a beat one he used to drive and aother when something goes wrong he just flips in the new piece, he hits a lot of things too so the bumpers were gone long ago, hehe.