) , and since so many today are more likely to be "barn finds" or junkyard dogs, the paper-trail on a lot of US Patrols is probably "interesting".Plus, since all Patrols sold in the US only came with a serial number, rather than a fully coded 13+ character VIN, I know some states had unique solutions for dealing with that as well.
Do you have an interesting story about what it took to get your Patrol properly titled, and registered to drive in your home state?
Both of my Patrols have some interesting inconsistencies in the documentation. According to the serial number sequence in the US Patrol registry, my red Patrol is probably a 65 hard top kl60, and yet the "clean" Arizona title says it's a 62, which would require it to be a soft top model (which it certainly never was). I took this info (including a print out of the registry) to the Az motor vehicle department and asked them what the process was to get the model year corrected on the title, and they told me I had to have a $50 level 3 physical inspection, and that if the vehicle passed the inspection, then they would issue a new 17 digit VIN plate (that would have to be permanently rivetted to the vehicle) and then they would update the title- there is no way to maintain the L60-xxxyy serial number as the VIN if they update the model year on the title; don't ask me why- it seems quite stupid to me.
So, my red one will remain a "65 titled as a 62" for as long as I own it - Besides not wanting to piss 50 bucks away into the wind, I also don't want the VIN on the title to be anything other than the number that is stamped on the frame (and you'll see why below)
My green 66 has a very similar, VIN related issue- the Texas title does not list the L60-xxxyyy number as the VIN- The title has a long VIN number that is located nowhere on the vehicle, and so when I went to transfer the title to Arizona, I (again) had to tow the vehicle down for a physical inspection (it was a cheaper, $20 Level one inspection), but even after that, Az still said they could not transfer the title because they could not trace the Texas VIN. The fact that the texas title shows the model year as 66 (matching the firewall plate) and it shows the model as "L60" (again matching the firewall plate) they needed to see the VIN from the title, located somewhere on the vehicle, and I turned that thing inside-out looking for an ID plate with that Texas number, but it's just not there (and now you also know why I had time to take all those pictures of the many "unconventional" suspension modifications that were made on the El Paso Verde Loco machine).
So, I have had to begin the process to aquire a bonded "abandoned vehicle" title in Arizona for the Marty Robbins Ebay Patrol. I'm no stranger to this process- I think this my 5th or 6th old car I've done this for over the past 25 years.
The process involves sending a certified letter to every prior owner listed on the Texas title (luckily there is only one) asking them to get the title corrected in Texas. When 15 days have passed after the certified mail delivery window closes (Oct 6, 2013) the post office will return either the certified letter receipt, or the unopened letter back to me, and I will take it back to the Az DMV as evidence that the vehicle is abandoned by the prior owner, and then I will purchase an insured Bond against the Texas title (15 bucks); and then Arizona will issue me a new, clean title with all the numbers (model year, serial number/VIN) matching the numbers on the firewall plate.
So, inconvenience aside, I am confident that eventually the suicide deathtrap Patrol will be cleanly titled in Arizona, but this process has prevented me from busting out the tools and tearing it down until I get that document firmly in-hand.
Have any of you had to go through any "fun" processes in order to get your Patrol's papers back up to date?
And what about foreign Patrols privately imported into the US by you? What was that process like?
I hand all of the documents to the DMV clerk, they comment on how nice it is to have all the correct paperwork, I pay my fees and they give me license plates. A couple of weeks later I get a title in the mail. Done deal.
