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I received my FIRST contact from the DOR (department of revenue) yesterday, barely able to understand what she was saying except for the part about my car was salvage and "...should have been sold for scrap"... I attempted to have the person understand that in Georgia, kit cars are "assembled parts" vehicles and not set up for the scrap pile.  She said that in "reaching out" to Florida that my Beck had been totaled out and was a scrap vehicle and couldn't be registered in Georgia.  The short version is that I then went to the Florida website and found no record of my car being scrapped.  I'm going to see if I can locate anyone higher up the food chain than this woman... I may have to find a good lawyer and spend several thousand more dollars to resolve this problem.

(my engine is still be worked on to get the carb's right...2 weeks going on 3...) 

 

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No, don't go the lawyer route - it's not as hard as that.

Talk with Leon Chupp on here about what he did and THEN find yourself a different DOR office or at least, as you said, find another person (preferably a supervisor) to deal with.  You might also call Carey at SE....He might have some insight, too.

Seems like state bureaucratic offices are all the same...

Last edited by Gordon Nichols

Meade,

Gordon has it right.  Most DMV employees never have to deal with registration of our unique cars, and the unique way they are registered.  I always advise guys to contact a local car club for registration info.  The Cobra guys have an organized body of info on most states, even down to which motor vehicle office and which employee in that office.  I know we have some members on here from Georgia.  If you put "Georgia registration needed" or something like that, you will likely get a positive response.  Best of luck and please keep the group informed.

I received  another call back yesterday from another state person and all she could say was that "...Georgia has its sources that can find cars that are junked...".   I asked her what to do next and she directed to more bureaucracy and forms to fill out, so I'm making copies of the Carfax (don't ever use them, they always charge you for more than one service) report, report from Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, and Florida title search. I haven't received the actual notification yet, as I obtained the notification from a nice clerk at the local county tag/title office. (All Georgia titles must go through state offices for verification.) I'll look to see if there's any additional info in that packed.

ps, Thanks to both Gordon and Jim for direction.  I'll see if I can locate Leon Chupp and see if has any insight.

Meade

I'll sell you "an acre in Baker" (FL)! It will be next to the SE Speedster/Spyder/VW club house.  FL has you covered - if you don't already have a FL license plate in your name - cost is $225.  Fortunately FL has no inspections (other than initial VIN and mileage verification).  We can put "your name OR my name" on title.

You'd think states like NY, NJ with high auto theft would have stricter rules than southern states.

I thought your car was a Beck - it wouldn't even have a VW VIN would it?  I'd think it would have an assigned VIN?

Last edited by WOLFGANG

In SC the DMV was taken aback that my Beck only had a 9-digit chassis number rather than a 16-digit VIN.  The local office tried to get me to apply for a VIN with a form that had questions on it like "How long is your mobile home?"  I finally got in touch with someone in the central DMV office in Columbia and she walked the local office through the process, which turned out to be very simple.

some new developments; to make a long story short, the FLORIDA title may have been screwed up.  Since the title said the car was (follow the logic) assembled with different parts, "...wouldn't that mean that since it needed parts, it was very much in a badly wreck?"  So I guess that since a car (kit) is assembled and you gather parts to put on it, it's a 'junk' car,  

I called the person in charge of titles and salvage cars etc, today and I explained what was going on and she said she needed the title number and she'd check on it for me.  That was late this afternoon.  I was also told by a friend of mine, I could take the title I received from missippi, take it to an auto rebuilder, and have that title officially deleted and assign a new title to the car. I also called Georgia requesting my original documents...which, after 11 weeks, I still haven't received.  They said give it a couple more days.

Don't feel like the Lone Ranger, Meade.  As I said in my post above, the local SC DMV office was completely without clue about how to deal with my Beck.  I had to call the main office to find someone who knew anything.  The process took over a month. That was long enough for the anti-rust coating in the gas tank to dissolve and gum up the fuel system, requiring removal and cleaning of the tank, cleaning of the carbs, and replacement of the brand new fuel pump and filters.

Last edited by Lane Anderson

I've spent all day doing this. I dealt with 3 states and it's all "cross-conversation", and nobody wants to listen. This was my last email from Florida.

Good afternoon Mr. Duckworth,

As you explained in your email, the Reconstructed brand on the North Carolina title does not mean
the car was salvaged, just as the Assmbl Parts brand on the Florida title does not mean the car has been wrecked, or it is salvage, or that it is a junk vehicle. As you state, kit vehicles are reconstructed using various parts and therefore Florida brands
the vehicle as assembled from parts. Since you are now seeking a Georgia title for the vehicle you will need to follow their requirements for titling.

Again, I am sorry that I cannot provide you with the response you are seeking.

Cheryl W. Bruce
Program Manager, Bureau of Issuance Oversight
Division of Motorist Services
Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles

fNo, when I contact Georgia D?Mv tomorrow, they'll again, tell me that FLORIDA will need to change their status that is listed on the national register of salvage vehicles.  f

I'm gonna go to bed and cry myself to sleep...

Meade,

Georgia does have State Inspectors who will inspect your 'rebuilt' car as road worthy. 'Kit Cars' are titled in Georgia as the year they were assembled. If the vehicle is using a VW pan/title/VIN and was once noted as 'totaled' or 'dismantled' in another state, then you will probably need to go through the State Inspector - of which there's a very limited number of them (like 10-12 in the entire state). There's info listed on the DMV site, explaining how you can titled a salvage vehicle.

I had experience with this bag of jokes years ago when I had a FFR Cobra and the state was requiring me to pass an OBD-II level emissions test if I wanted to register the vehicle (get a tag). I tried to explain to them, 'its not a NEW vehicle - it's a replica'. Frustrating to say the least.

However - Georgia does NOT require a title for vehicles from 1965 through 1985. They're optional. You can still register (license plate) your vehicle with a Bill of Sale, Insurance binder, and a T-22b form signed by a LEO. Done.

As for DMV personnel .. each office has 'tellers' and a station chief (supervisor), but they all report to the main state office off Camp Creek Pwy - off I-285 (Atlanta). At you located in the metro ATL area?

Hi JOUFUU, thanks VERY much for the information.  I've got a Beck and they have their own chassis, and I am being cautiously optimistic.   I got a phone call from a guy (Johnny) in DOR (department of revenue, the real culprit in this affair) the other day and he sounded  relative positive.  I had sent him a bunch of information, including a photo of my speedster,  explaining that other states use the term "assmbld prts" in their title and that is how they classify KIT CARS.  My Beck, I didn't know, WAS built as a 'roller' kit and not at the factory and ASSEMBLED FROM PARTS.  Johnny took the information to his supervisors and explained to them about the titling procedure in other states, explaining that kit cars were, in fact, "assembled from parts".  He said I should hear from the department on Monday, and he sounded like he thought they would give me a title...hopefully.  I don't want to jinx it, so I'll let everyone know the REAL results on Monday. 

I thought about applying for a bond as a final move; I just wasn't sure of the process. (My car WAS initially inspected by a state appointed examiner and HE even stated that the car was NOT a JUNK car.

Meade

 

 

JouFuu posted:

... However - Georgia does NOT require a title for vehicles from 1965 through 1985. They're optional. You can still register (license plate) your vehicle with a Bill of Sale, Insurance binder, and a T-22b form signed by a LEO. Done.

I tried to point this out about a week ago. It's generally easier to ask forgiveness from the government than permission.

Last edited by Stan Galat
Meade posted:

I've got to step back and take a breath; especially since the car runs like crap.  I have pulled off the carbs and cleaned them and readjusted them, put on a set of 40's and they seemed to run better...for a while.   Then they took on similar characteristicss.  I don't have that much money so I'm ordering a new set of empi carbs.

Meade,

Before you go too far and can't step back, pull off the fuel line that feeds the two cubs and drain some gas into a clean bucket or something. If you've cleaned all your jets and stuff and then they get all clogged and dirty again you may've some dirty fuel, overworked fuel filter, sludge in the tank, or something else. 

Drain some fuel into a bowl or bucket and have a look. Check out your filter and see how it looks. Also consider draining some fuel directly out of the tank from the bottom to see if there might be some sludge or debris in the tank.

Do the cheap stuff first before you drop some coin on new carbs.

Last edited by Robert M
Stan Galat, '05 IM, 2276, Nowhere, USA posted:
JouFuu posted:

... However - Georgia does NOT require a title for vehicles from 1965 through 1985. They're optional. You can still register (license plate) your vehicle with a Bill of Sale, Insurance binder, and a T-22b form signed by a LEO. Done.

I tried to point this out about a week ago. It's generally easier to ask forgiveness from the government than permission.

I work for the government .. not really wise advice.

That was one of the first things I thought about; NEW fuel filters and I checked the gas lines and they all seeped to be pretty new and fresh. I haven’t replaced any lines but I DID check the fuel bowls on both carbs and there wasn’t anything visible. When I pulled the carbs and the innards, I blew everything out and didn’t see anything in terms of obstructions. I did notice a difference when I put the smaller (40’s as opposed the 44’s) carb on. I’m wondering if the car isn’t “over” carburetored… The only time this car is happy is over 3000 rpm. It was almost like when I had my 356 SC; it loved to be driven in 3rd in the city (it was a lot quieter, too). Which reminds me, does everyone use the same header/exhaust system on the CB 1915 engines? When I took delivery of mine, the old guy who owned this had a stubby chrome stinger that raised the dead in my neighborhood. Thanks for the advice, Wolfgang.
Meade
> On Jun 18, 2016, at 11:08 PM, SpeedsterOwners.com <**************> wrote:
>
That was one of the first things I thought about; NEW fuel filters and I checked the gas lines and they all seeped to be pretty new and fresh. I haven’t replaced any lines but I DID check the fuel bowls on both carbs and there wasn’t anything visible. When I pulled the carbs and the innards, I blew everything out and didn’t see anything in terms of obstructions. I did notice a difference when I put the smaller (40’s as opposed the 44’s) carb on. I’m wondering if the car isn’t “over” carburetored… The only time this car is happy is over 3000 rpm. It was almost like when I had my 356 SC; it loved to be driven in 3rd in the city (it was a lot quieter, too). Which reminds me, does everyone use the same header/exhaust system on the CB 1915 engines? When I took delivery of mine, the old guy who owned this had a stubby chrome stinger that raised the dead in my neighborhood. Thanks for the advice, Robrert.
Meade
> On Jun 19, 2016, at 12:06 AM, SpeedsterOwners.com <**************> wrote:
>
One of the things that I was doing on adjusting the carburetors of course was to adjust the air control screw and on both carburetors, there was hardly any difference when you screwed them in and out. When I disassemble the carburetor is, but the needles were in good shape and was no disfigurement on either one of them. When I adjusted the other screws, I would get a lot of popping in the little bit of backfire through the carburetor. When I turn my engine off now, I get a loud explosion or backfire through the muffler. It'sunburned gases so what I did was I idled down the engine and I still continue to adjust the airflow controls and that made a little bit of difference.


Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone
-------- Original message --------From: "SpeedsterOwners.com" <**************> Date: 6/19/16 12:06 AM (GMT-05:00) To: Meade <meadeduck@bellsouth.net> Subject: Reply By Robert M: Registration Frustration Blues...

Meade,  My car was little used the first couple of months due to delays with registration.  I had a new gas tank that was coated internally with a cosmoline-like waxy substance to prevent rust during shipping.  Apparently the logic was that you would run enough gas through it that the substance would dissolve and be flushed through without having time build up.  Since I couldn't do that it clogged pretty much everything, particularly the idle jets.  The main circuits, which come into play above around 2500 RPM are much less affected.  This sounds similar to your issues.  I wound up having to clean not only the carbs, but the whole fuel system.  This entailed removing the gas tank and having it cleaned by a VW shop, replacing both fuel filters, and replacing the fuel pump.  None of this was particularly difficult except for the tank cleaning, which I farmed out.  I certainly learned a lot about the car in those first couple of months.

This really sounds like what you're experiencing, as much as I hate to say it.  Oh yeah - Try to always use ethanol-free gas if you can find it.

I  KNOW it's not the exhaust; the loudness is getting to me. The timing is spot on, the floats aren't sticking, the fuel pump and pressure appears to be ok. I  checked out the gas tank as soon as I  got it and I am running carb cleaner in the gas right now. 

I  can't afford $1200.00 for carbs, and I have used EMPI carbs on VW engines I've built and have gotten good performance from them. I  had a pancake engine I modified on a double cab after I pulled the old FI off and it ran like a scalded dog.

Thanks for the suggestions. 

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