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Just bought a 1957 Speedster/Replica from Mass. It's a 1970 VW pan built by Vintage Speedsters of Cali. I went to the CONN.  Dept. of Motor Vehicles to have a Vin # check done and the QUALIFIED man said I DON'T  have proper markings! He states I need a VIN metal tag on the drivers side dash board, also,  inside of the trunk up against the back bulkhead (basiclly like below the wipers) and the 3RD metal tag is supposed to be where the original VW battery box was in the back seat area. Now I showed him that the only Vin# I KNOW OF was stamped in the floor tunnel under the carpet flap which IS LOCATED behind the e- brake handle this is the correct VIN# THAT APPEARS ON THE MASS. title .      Hoping for some CONNECTICUT MEMBERS TO GIVE ME SOME DIRECTION on this!!!!  THANKS,  B WAY   

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I lived in Connecticut a good part of my life and feel your frustration, here is what I know.

 

From Aircooled.net, locations of vehicle ID

 

"Under the back seat, stamped on the floor pan just forward of the transmission linkage access cover
On the chassis identification plate (a silver aluminum plate riveted in the trunk, near the spare tire).
On the vehicle ID plate fastened to the dash near the windshield on the driver’s side (vehicles made after January 1, 1969)."

 

Now, as a composite all there is left of the original VW is the chassis, which has as you stated a vin number on the tunnel and the other piece of the puzzle would be the certificate of origin as to where the body came from. This certificate of origin was used the first time around to generate the original title which resulted in the Mass. title.

 

My brother in law registered his Cobra in Connecticut and had success with this logic which is logical to all but the DMV.

 

I found when dealing with multiple trips to the DMV I would let people in line go ahead of me just so that I could deal with the same person who started the process so as to keep the conversation relevant to my situation.

 

Anyway my two cents and wishing you luck and perhaps a CT member will add their two cents as well.

 

 

 

 

 

B WAY...I feel for you. You're literally at the mercy of DMV people with varying experience and knowledge.

 

A little more than a year ago I registered an out of state Vintage at Danbury DMV....Smooth as silk!!! The official inspection consisted of checking the stated mileage off the odometer, and the vin# from the plate Vintage attaches above the gas tank. That was it! This Out of State Safety Inspection/Vehicle Verification took about as long as it's just taken me to describe it!

 

The registration process was almost as quick. Information from the Oregon registration with PO's bill of sale and Insurance card was accepted at face value and became the basis of my temporary registration certificate issued on the spot. Hell, my take out cup of coffee never got cold.

 

My good fortune was mostly 'luck of the draw'...But I prepared for this encounter by being first in line when the doors opened with all my paperwork in the order I anticipated it being asked for...My hair was combed and my teeth were brushed...You have to realize that these clerks deal with multitudes of ill prepared, semi literate, fustrating jerks!! You have to hit them early before they're drained of the juice of human kindness.

 

If there's no trail of paperwork on your previous registration attempt then I suggest you start fresh, early in the morning, at Danbury DMV...preferably on a cold drizzly day because inspections/verifications are performed in the parking lot.  

 

  

 

 

My Vintage Speedster was originally titled in CT. as special construction vehicle with a funky looking metal tag on the door jam with a three digit VIN number. I purchased it from the legendary Dr. Clock here in Pennsylvania. I then had to take it to a " Special Inspection Station",( $125.00) where they issued some paper work so I could take it to a regular inspection station( $35.00) Then take four pictures of it and send the whole works to PennDot and WAIT.............................then finally received a Pennsylvania title as a..............you guessed it, a special construction vehicle !

If you're trying to register it as a 1970 Volkswagen Beetle, then the CT DMV will expect to see the proper vehicle identification in the same places as on a 1970 VW Beetle - and BTW: Whoever made that list of locations got it a bit wrong and it should be:   The CHASSIS ID is under the rear seat, the BODY ID is on the bulkhead behind the Spare and the VIN (for quick ID by DMV folks) is on the tag in the lower left corner of the windshield (and they should all match).

 

BUT!  You don't actually HAVE a 1970 Beetle.  You now have a "Special Construction" vehicle, which has a much different way in which the CT DMV will inspect and accept it.  

 

Carl Berry, over in Danbury, is probably the best person on here to call and pick his brain, but remember that CT has adopted the SEMA guidelines for registering a Special Construction (Hot Rod, Street Rod, Classic and Kit car) car in CT, so first, read what the Sema guidelines are for CT, here:

 

http://www.bipac.net/semaga/TagTitleToolbox_CT.pdf

 

Then pick Carl's brain and THEN plot out which DMV office to attack and how.  It might also make a lot of sense to call the DMV office of choice first and find someone who at least sounds knowledgeable over the phone and then show up to let him/her escort you through the process.  I just transferred my registration into Massachusetts from South Carolina and couldn't find anyone in my local DMV office who was helpful, so went elsewhere til I did (and He convinced me to gently side-step the official DMV dogma and how to go about it).

 

I just emailed one of the officers from the Tie Rod Car Club (I think they're out of Vernon, CT, but cover all of southern New England - the largest, oldest car club in CT) to see if I can get you some support from others who are far more knowledgeable than I - I'll let you know today what I find.

 

Gordon

The Speedstah Guy from Mass. 

OK, I got an email reply from my contact in the Tie Rod club, and he says that CT is not yet fully following the SEMA stuff, that he's really a Hot Rod guy and doesn't know that much about the Kit Car guys, but that CT hasen't yet gotten all screwed up at the DMV as Massachusetts has (Athough he thinks that the Masachusetts law changes favored kit cars (read that "Cobra Builders") at the expense of making it a lot harder to register Hot Rods (which are far more numerous).  Go figure.

 

Not much help, there, so I guess the fall-back is work closely with Carl Berry to copy his successful approach, and then document things along the way so we can share with other new owners coming along.

 

Thanks,  gn

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