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Re: [Mgs] So quiet!

To: Max Heim <mvheim@sonic.net>
Subject: Re: [Mgs] So quiet!
From: Simon Matthews via Mgs <mgs@autox.team.net>
Date: Tue, 23 Apr 2019 19:54:20 -0700
Cc: "mgs@autox.team.net List" <mgs@autox.team.net>
Delivered-to: mharc@autox.team.net
Delivered-to: mgs@autox.team.net
References: <CAOc+-dw=7CEDrgmHqzLFkfBiUYixo+HViyKcwCyFNGRMu4Zotw@mail.gmail.com> <CAOc+-dwHdKMkqkhtoPLQTxaR9e1Pq3LiwX0ngdxh9cVDoa337Q@mail.gmail.com> <5FC3313E-A715-414B-BDFD-45D073FA1529@sonic.net>
At least you have a car that is titled against a chassis number. My
MGA is taitled against the engine number -- apparently common for
California MGAs.

Simon

On Tue, Apr 23, 2019 at 12:15 PM Max Heim via Mgs <mgs@autox.team.net> wrote:
>
> I bought this 66 MGB roadster as a rolling shell in 2014, from a friend that 
> works at the auction and was just flipping it. The story was it had been 
> stored indoors along with a complete 1965 roadster since possibly the late 
> 1970s (last registration on the â??ran when parked" car was 1978). No 
> paperwork of any kind, and no plates, but it had a VIN in the 137XXX range, 
> which made it a mid-67.
>
> But the car had no reverse lamps, which made me dubious, and after it was 
> trailered to the paint shop, they uncovered the chassis stamp, which was 
> 97XXX, making it a very late 1966, which made more sense (this matched the 
> instrument panel layout, as well). Looking at the VIN plate, the numbers were 
> rather wobbly, like it had been hand stamped (well, they were all 
> hand-stamped, but presumably by persons that were experienced at doing it).
>
> After some contemplation, I decided my easiest way forward was to order a 
> blank plate and stamp it with the correct numbers, so when it did go to DMV 
> they would match. I did this after a web search to confirm that the numbers 
> were not in use. As it turned out, the VIN inspection was carried out by a 
> 20-something that had never worked with a pre-1969 vehicle of any kind, and 
> didnâ??t even look at the chassis number (he would have had to go underneath 
> with a flashlight and a mirror to see it, anyway).
>
> I have no idea what the PO (presumably deceased) had been thinking of. Maybe 
> he had several disassembled cars and just mixed up the tags. Or he acquired 
> this shell with no VIN plate and just made one up, which seems rather 
> negligent (also, it had a BMC 1967 secondary tag on it, which would have to 
> have been transferred from a real 1967, I would think). Who knows? Doesnâ??t 
> matter, now. It could hardly have been some kind of deception scheme or 
> fraud, since an unrestored MGB shell, unlike your Maseratis or Ferraris, is 
> not only practically valueless, the particular VIN digits have no 
> significance whatsoever.
>
> The discrepancies in paperwork between the transfer of ownership and 
> application for title, which were filed with the â??oldâ?? â??wrong" number, 
> and the VIN verification of the â??newâ?? â??correctâ?? number were smoothed 
> out by using an independent registration agent. Her services were invaluable. 
> She not only saved me 3 or 4 trips to DMV purgatory, her credibility probably 
> helped this peculiarity sail on through unquestioned. Basically, I just 
> appended an affidavit saying we were mistaken about the number, and were 
> correcting it. And her fee was ridiculously low.
>
> --
> Max Heim
> '66 MGB
>
>
>
> On Apr 23, 2019, at 11:33 AM, Richard Lindsay via Mgs <mgs@autox.team.net> 
> wrote:
>
> > I...sorted out the POâ??s attempted VIN swap.
>
>    Gulp! Glad that's sorted. I bought my Maserati Biturbo E with a lost 
> California title...and then a dead PO! It took me over a year to get that one 
> straightened out! I ended up with a bond title, but the car is mine now and 
> licensed as such.
>
>
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