by moore_rb » Wed Oct 16, 2019 9:38 am
If you bought it without a title, then you are probably going to be going down the long arduous road of securing a bonded title.
I've had to do this process for a few of the Patrols I've owned through the years.
Each state's laws are slightly different, so ask the Alabama Motor vehicle clerks about the bonded title process in your state; but the common theme is usually:
Tow the vehicle in to get it physically inspected by law enforcement, at which point they will find the truck's numbers on the firewall plate (if it's still there) and on the top of the frame rail near the exhaust (passenger side)- they will search the national databases for any existing vehicle records (or past stolen vehicle reports)
** If you know for a fact that the vehicle hasn't been titled or registered in 7+ years, then this step is not as risky as it sounds- most motor vehicle record searches come back with no results... at which point the vehicle is considered legally "abandoned"
After that, you will sign/notarize an affidavit swearing yourself as the vehicle's legal owner, and the state will set a bond amount (mine were all in the range of 150-300 bucks)... then you go purchase the bond from a bond insurance agency, take the bond back to motor vehicles, at which point they issue you a bonded title, and your registration and plates... The title remains bonded for 3 years, which doesn't really mean anything- I have sold and transferred vehicles with bonded titles (even across state lines) without hassle.
after 3 years, the bond drops off, and the title is "clean"
It's a boring process that can take several trips back and forth to the motor vehicle department, but in the end, it gets you a title, registration and license plates, so just treat it like a project, and take it one step at a time....
L-R:
White 65 Hardtop L60-3-00617 (undergoing restoration)
Red 65 hardtop 4L60-002565 (scrapped for parts)
66 Hardtop "El-Bondo Patrol", L60-00511 (Restored, then sold June2020)
Blue 67 Hardtop (sold March1997)
Green 62 Softtop L60-2-00504 (undergoing restoration)