trades
 

Will someone tell me I am doing the right thing...this is my very well cared for 84' Chevy C20 Silverado 454 big boy power everything, like brand new bed, and 56K original mile main driver.
I am trading it to someone for a 65' Chevy swb chassis that has been media blasted, powder coated, and completely rebuilt from the ground up
with new brakes, wheel cylinders, bushings, bearings, steering box, etc. Like new and completely stock ready for a build-up...
The trade does have some other elements but basically it boils down to "this for that..."
note: I did have a "for sale" sign on the truck for a few months asking $3K firm.
I never got a call from that exposure. I really like the mid 60's trucks as well.

Re: trades
 

It is not a bad trade if you can or willing complete the project. If your not looking for a project then it is the wrong idea.

Re: trades
 

That's a tough one, you have a very clean truck there. Where else did you have it listed? Craigslist? Anywhere besides the sign?
Does the frame come with a title? Or proof that it's clean?

Re: trades
 

I didn't list it anywhere as I was in no hurry. I came across the chassis while I was getting some missing parts needed for my 65' Chevy panel interior. Not having a "like new" chassis under a beautiful paint job just seems wrong and that is the part of a build I have no desire to do. The chassis does have a title...the guy has to move and has no space or ability to finish it so...I also have that 65' GMC parts truck visible in one of the pix.

Re: trades
 

One major advantage of the 60s truck is that you don't have to smog it (or anything '75 or earlier). That's one of the reasons I bought my '73. This is for CA, other states are different.

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Im partial to our genre so id say keep your truck

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Yeah Bob...I really loved that truck. It is in wonderful shape too, fixed everything on it then I drove it on a 1300 mile round trip and thought I would go broke before I got back with that 454 in there and all the smog equipment hooked up.(when gas was $4 a gal.) I like to tinker too, I lift up the hood on this truck and I just don't want to go wrenching in there. Where as on my 65's there's nothing too complicated, no brains-mine or the machines to figure out, and easy wrenching all around. Also, the town I live in, no one would work on a carbureted vehicle for smog related work. Luckily my neighbor's friend knows a thing or two about them and prepped it to pass smog for me.

Re: trades
 

Now he is back pedaling on the title for the chassis. How do I check to see if this chassis is going to be a DMV nightmare?

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I would not walk away from this trade.......I would run!

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no paperwork on the chassis means you could be shafted do not take the deal

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Title is for the body, not the chassis. You don't need a title for a chassis. That's like asking for a title for an engine or transmission.

Re: trades
 

Unless the c20 is your 5th or 6th vehicle, I would keep it as long as possible. Original trucks are not that common anymore.

I suggest you find another way to obtain funds for the earlier frame.

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The California DMV will disagree with you as I just came from there and was told I need to show ownership or it can't be transferred.

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See if you can get a vin off that frame and have the dmv or a cop run it to see if its even in his name.Getting another copy of a title takes a month or today if you go to the states capital dmv.But to me sounds like its probably not in his name and hes trying to unload it on a sucker.

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No way would I even consider a trade like that, your truck at my age of 52 would be kept til some unforeseen circumstance kept me from driving even with my heavy right foot and unknown future fuel prices...

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If you want to ditch the truck market it to more than just the local area. An east coast customer would be more than willing to pay 3k for the truck and an additional 2k for transportation.

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You don't transfer a frame, you transfer a vehicle. You can't drive a frame. A frame isn't a vehicle it's just a part. If I had a truck and sold one guy the body and another the frame the guy that bought the body gets the title because that's what the VIN plate is attached to. The junkyard doesn't give me a title for a fender even though most cars nowadays have a VIN stamped on the fender.

Re: trades
 

I got the frame number from him but they are partials missing the first 3 digits but as I figured it is a 2wd (C), it is a swb and it is a truck so the first 3 can be deduced...I got the Vin.

Yeah...I thought that too C2O when I got it...I had a 85 Scottsdale that I regret selling 20yrs ago that was in about he same shape. I just like the 60's stuff better.

That's a thought! I got time to give it a try.

Your logic is winning the argument here...I was probably the victim of some idiot DMV no nothing. The question remains what problems could arise from this chassis should I mount a 65' cab on there and try an register it under the cabs Vin? Does the DMV/the law, check frame numbers against cab numbers?
Can I legally rivet these plates onto a different cab to mount it on the matching frame? What is the law in these situations?

Re: trades
 

You can't move/alter a VIN plate in most states although some do allow it because once again the body is also just a part, the VIN just happens to be attached to it. Usually requires both titles and someone of power to witness the swap. I have never had anyone look at a VIN other than the VIN plate, the one usually in the windshield. Most wouldn't even know where any others are. Here out of state titled vehicles they have to look at the VIN before transfer. I had to do it for a '65 Corvair. She went to the windshield. I said hey it's under the hood. No, that's the trunk. I said it's under the hood, back here.

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Pretty funny...those checking don't have the knowledge anyway.

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You aren't supposed to move a VIN plate.

If the body is registered, I don't think they'll ever look at the frame.

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In CA if you are assembling the truck and its out of the system OR there are questions about the VIN, you have to get a VIN verification. While some people don't know what they are looking for, CHP does (who does A LOT of the verifications). When the VIN on the frame doesn't match the cab, or the rivets holding the plate on are different, they start picking it all apart which can be a nightmare.

At the very least, you should probably get the correct VIN off the frame and contact DMV or CHP to find out what is needed before trying to mount the two together and make sure the VIN is clear before getting the frame.

You have nothing to lose by doing some of the footwork before you trade, but could be a world of headaches if you do it after.

It can also lead to problems if you play naieve and just mount the cab to the frame without checking if clear. Should an officer locate 2 different VINs on the truck, especially when you say one is only a partial VIN, it can lead to more headaches as they are investigating to make sure everything is legitimate.

Re: trades
 

Do yourself a favor and get is all checked out now, before you put money into it. What if that frame was stolen from a fellow hobbyist? By playing dumb you are supporting the thieves. I doubt it was stolen, but it's better to know now, then once you have put a ton of time and money into it.

Re: trades
 

cops will check it for free,call them
and explain the situation.
get it checked,
beats getting searched roadside.and then towed,as is,where is,
with whats in it,
and kept impounded ($$) till you prove it's yours.

Re: trades
 

I don't understand this paranoia about getting stopped searched and seized. What kind of cops are you guys dealing with out there? If you believe the frame may be stolen then by all means check the VIN. But it is not uncommon for a 40+ year old vehicle to have a different frame, or engine, or transmission, or door, or fender, etc. etc. I bought my frame at the junkyard, I installed it, I never lost a nights sleep thinking the car Nazis were going to take my car and everything in it. I can fix my car with a new frame, a custom built frame, or a used frame. MY choice. If I knew there was a VIN on the frame at the time I did it I would have ground it off, and it would be perfectly legal because it isn't the VIN plate, there is no intent to defraud, and it was a legally obtained used part.