Thread: titling & insuring custom antique cars?

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im just curious how much of a hassle it would be to legalize, lets say a rat rodded 32 ford, for street use? im in indiana.

vehicles that old didnt have vins, and im sure no one is gonna have a title laying around for a truck thats been sitting for 30 years. so what am i gonna need to legalize something like this?

now im sure there would be am inspection somewhere along the lines to get it legalized. well what all would they be looking for?

my plans are for a very rusty and bare bones finished vehicle. if it isnt truely needed, i dont want it on the truck. and truthfully, many people will probaly be scared to ride in the finished product itll be so bare. id hate to build something im not gonna be able to drive legally though.

so how much trouble am i gonna have to get something like this legalized? and what about insurance? any hassle there?

thanks for the response. ive been to indianas state website and searched quite a bit on the net. i was more looking for personal experience type info. maybe some stories of people failing inspections and why they failed. or stories of getting hassled for stupid stuff. just wanting to save myself some hassle down the road and be prepared.

and im curious why you say i should be cautioned talking about this on the net? im not asking about anything illegal. i have no intent of driving a car on the street illegally, hence why i asked what i did. i want the final product to be able to pass an inspection. i dont follow why any govt agency would be interested in what im talking about.

and nice cobra! my absolute favorite mustang of all time, 95 R. i will own one before i die. oh yes i will. looks like you race it from your avatar. glad to see it in a good home. i hate seeing them locked up in garages with plastic still on them. they need to be driven. only good thing about that, is ill be able to find a basicly new one when i go looking.

i dont know much about titleing but as far as insurance goes check out www.grundy.com

Just a little further clarification on the chassis number. My experience is that the VIN is closer to the radiator support than the firewall on the upper part of the rail. The VIN's are stamped very shallow and may not be visible if the frame is rusty or if the rail has numerous coats of paint. If your lucky, the number for the body is on a plate attached to the right side of the firewall. More often than not these plates are missing.

When titling a car, it will need to pass a vehicle safety inspection. This inspection will require you to show that all necessary equipment (lights, wipers, etc.) is operational. These inspections will either be done by your DMV representatives or by the State Police. They will want to see the stamped VIN on the frame rails.

Now this can pose a problem. Most states will not title a 'frame'. The vehicle has to be operational. The second problem is not knowing the VIN history prior to rebuilding the car (if necessary). The worse case is that you spent your money on a stolen car and the vehicle is impounded and you lose your investment. I would suggest doing a title history with your local DMV. As mentioned, make sure you have a bill of sale.

And finally, after you've run through all the hoops, have a VIN plate made. These are usually available thru Ford restoration suppliers. Don't try and make the car somethings it's not. The frame VIN doesn't lie. The reason for the plate? If you ever have to make an insurance claim, the adjuster will be looking for a VIN plate first and a stamping if no plate is visible. Companies can and will deny claims when VIN's do not match the numbers on the title or policy.