How to title a hot rod

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[http://www.dot.state.ia.us/mvd/omve/investstaff.htm Iowa DMV investigator contact info]

+

'''Titling scratch built or reconstructed rods and motorcycles in Iowa'''

+

Having just been through this process, here's the procedure, how it went for me, and a few tips. I built a trike, however this proceedure is the same for street rods and motorcycles etc, that are built from scratch.

+

1st, hopefully before you start your project, download the "Equipment Requirements" link above. This document lists the minimum items the inspector will be looking for when the time comes. Print out several copies, study it and know it like the back of your hand.

+

Yes, it says your street rod has to have fenders, and in the state of Iowa it's supposed to, at least for the first inspection. take them off later if you want.

+

2nd, save all receipts and document everything as you go. Do not use a major part in your project if you do not have documentation for it. What kind of documentation?? The engine and trans for example, you must have some sort of document that shows where these pieces came from. If you have an engine in your garage that has been sitting there for years and you have no documentation for it you have a couple choices. 1, don't use it, 2. get a buddy to write you a reciept for it. 3. Be able to show a title to a vehicle that you got the parts from. The trail doesn't have to be real long, just somebody they can contact to verify you purchased it from somebody and have rightful ownership of the item. Ideally, if you have an OEM frame, body or portion of either, you should have a title or receipt showing where you got the item.

+

Again, the trail doesn't have to be long, just a trail. If you scratch build a frame, be able to show where the steel came from.

+

3rd, Build away. Follow the rules, make it look decent, document it well, and you should fly through. Do something wierd and you'd better expect to answer for it, depending on who the inspector is. Just do it right and you'll have no problems.

+

If you have any questions, either consult with somebody who's been through the process before, or go straight to your local DMV investigator. The investigators are listed in the link above.

+

4th, Once you're done, or think you're done, contact your local DMV investigator and make an appointment for your inspection. BTW, the vehicle does not have to be completed to the point of being pained and show ready. It has to be assembled and road worthy, that's it. So if you want to get the documetation done/road tested and then tear it back down for paint etc that's your choice, it does not have to be fully complete for inspection.

+

Here's how it goes:

+

a: You will either have to transport your vehicle(No driving it) to the DMV office, or the investigator will come to you. My person acted like it could be done either way, and she came to me, but some have said they had to go to the office. Depends on the investigator I think.

+

Let them know that you have the above list of requiretments and believe that you've met all of them. Have a printout in hand when they show up, they'll ask for it.

+

(As hard as it may be for some, remember you are in kiss-*** mode if you want your inpsection to be successful)

+

b: The actual physical inspection. All investigators are different. Some will only give your project a cursory once-over, some will nit pick it all the way. Mine only looked to see that I had lights,horn etc, didn't even ask to see that they worked. When she started down the list of requirements and I was able to show her each of the first 3 or 4 she pretty much gave up, she knew it was a waste to check each one. I think what it comes down to is if your vehicle looks like you knew what your doing, it's safely constructed, and you won't kill somebody else the first trip around the block, the inpsector isn't gonna have a problem with it. Put together something questionable and you'll be in for a battle.

+

c: Review of documentation. Again, better to show them you're on the up and up than try to hide something. If you have a 2" thick pile of documentation your gonna be better off than if you have 2 Walmart receipts. Also, they will want copies of all reciepts, it's probbaly in your best interest to have 2 copies ready for them. Mine took them back to the office for copying and delivered them back to me the next day. Having a set of copies will save them the trip, and get you registered one day sooner.

+

Also, your receipts will determine the taxable value of your vehicle, which determines the amount of Iowa road use tax that you will pay. You will be taxed at the state sales tax rate(5% as of 2007) on all parts you have not paid tax on. See hints below.

+

d: VIN assignment. Seems to be standard proceedure that the inspector will bring the assigned VIN sticker with them and will attach it once the inspection is complete. They will also ask to stamp the new VIN somewhere in the frame. You will want a bare metal spot masked off for the stamping, or you will have to grind off a spot for it. It has to be stamped on bare steel. You can point of clearcoat the spot after.

+

e: Actual registration. Once your inpsection is complete, your investigator will notify your county treasurer's office with the information from your vehicle. In my case she Emailed both me and the treasurer's office right from her car before leaving my house. They will include your vehicle description, assigned VIN# and the amount you owe tax on. You go to the license plate office, fill out the application for title, pay your taxes and your done. Even though it took 3 people and a review of a couple proceedure manuals, it was probably the least trip I've had there in a long time.

+

CONGRATULATIONS, YOUR DONE!!!!

+

Some hints:

+

1. Again, remember to be on the up and up with this deal. You've probably got several thousand dollars wrapped up in this deal, not to mention many many hours of your blood sweat and tears, the last thing you want to happen is to have it all fall through at the last step.

+

Here's a fine example: I built a V8 powered trike, inspired by one that I had seen done when I was in high school 25 years ago. The original builder got caught driving it on his father's dealer plate and the local investigator found out about it. Strike one. When he finally called to have it inspected, he had almost no documentation on any of the parts, including a fair amount of Harley parts, that he had used building it. Strike 2. Besides all that, he pushed the requirements right to the limit, one taillight, one mirror, funky exhaust, marginal fenders etc. Having started out on the wrong foot, this was the last straw. Strike 3.

+

I know where this trike is. To this day it sits, never licensed, never legally ridden on the road. It's a shame, a beautiful project that got scuttled before it was officially launched......

+

2. Receipts and taxes. Probably the one sticky spot I ran into was that during the building of my project I bought about 80% of the parts off Ebay. Buying the actual parts was no problem at all, I had excellent luck and made some good deals, saved alot of money on parts that I needed.

+

The problem was that the state of Iowa is gonna get it's tax share no matter what, and I payed no verifiable tax on about $9000 worth of parts. Ouch, but what do you do?? The investigator can ask for a receipt or documentation for any part on the vehicle, you can't hold some back and not others because you don't know what they'll ask for. You obviously can't ask them to inspect a $30,000 vehicle and only hand over $1000 worth of receipts, questions WILL come up.

+

So, you have 2 choices. Buy all your parts locally so you can show that the tax was paid up front, or simply turn over your receipts and pay the tax later. Maybe I was a fool, I turned in approx. $12000 worth of receipts and ended up paying tax on $9000 worth of it. I ended up paying a $450 one-time road use tax, but at this point I had a huge investment in time and materials, what's $450??

+

If you buy something local, make sure you get a receipt, and make sure that there's a line on it that says "tax", if not you'll end up paying tax on it again.

+

3. Do your research up front. You don't want to get all done and find out that your chopped coupe with a 4" windshield doesn't meet the requirements, the law says 6". You might sneek by, but then again you might not...........

+

Hope this helps, if you have any questions please feel free to Email me: tkrause "at" cedar-rapids.net

===Kansas===

How to title a hot rod

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@@ Line 538: / Line 538: @@
 [http://www.dot.state.ia.us/mvd/omve/investstaff.htm Iowa DMV investigator contact info]
+'''Titling scratch built or reconstructed rods and motorcycles in Iowa'''
+ Having just been through this process, here's the procedure, how it went for me, and a few tips. I built a trike, however this proceedure is the same for street rods and motorcycles etc, that are built from scratch.
+st, hopefully before you start your project, download the "Equipment Requirements" link above. This document lists the minimum items the inspector will be looking for when the time comes. Print out several copies, study it and know it like the back of your hand.
+Yes, it says your street rod has to have fenders, and in the state of Iowa it's supposed to, at least for the first inspection. take them off later if you want.
+nd, save all receipts and document everything as you go. Do not use a major part in your project if you do not have documentation for it. What kind of documentation?? The engine and trans for example, you must have some sort of document that shows where these pieces came from. If you have an engine in your garage that has been sitting there for years and you have no documentation for it you have a couple choices. 1, don't use it, 2. get a buddy to write you a reciept for it. 3. Be able to show a title to a vehicle that you got the parts from. The trail doesn't have to be real long, just somebody they can contact to verify you purchased it from somebody and have rightful ownership of the item. Ideally, if you have an OEM frame, body or portion of either, you should have a title or receipt showing where you got the item.
+ Again, the trail doesn't have to be long, just a trail. If you scratch build a frame, be able to show where the steel came from.
+rd, Build away. Follow the rules, make it look decent, document it well, and you should fly through. Do something wierd and you'd better expect to answer for it, depending on who the inspector is. Just do it right and you'll have no problems.
+ If you have any questions, either consult with somebody who's been through the process before, or go straight to your local DMV investigator. The investigators are listed in the link above.
+th, Once you're done, or think you're done, contact your local DMV investigator and make an appointment for your inspection. BTW, the vehicle does not have to be completed to the point of being pained and show ready. It has to be assembled and road worthy, that's it. So if you want to get the documetation done/road tested and then tear it back down for paint etc that's your choice, it does not have to be fully complete for inspection.
+  Here's how it goes:
+ a: You will either have to transport your vehicle(No driving it) to the DMV office, or the investigator will come to you. My person acted like it could be done either way, and she came to me, but some have said they had to go to the office. Depends on the investigator I think.
+Let them know that you have the above list of requiretments and believe that you've met all of them. Have a printout in hand when they show up, they'll ask for it.
+(As hard as it may be for some, remember you are in kiss-*** mode if you want your inpsection to be successful)
+ b: The actual physical inspection. All investigators are different. Some will only give your project a cursory once-over, some will nit pick it all the way. Mine only looked to see that I had lights,horn etc, didn't even ask to see that they worked. When she started down the list of requirements and I was able to show her each of the first 3 or 4 she pretty much gave up, she knew it was a waste to check each one.  I think what it comes down to is if your vehicle looks like you knew what your doing, it's safely constructed, and you won't kill somebody else the first trip around the block, the inpsector isn't gonna have a problem with it. Put together something questionable and you'll be in for a battle.
+ c: Review of documentation. Again, better to show them you're on the up and up than try to hide something. If you have a 2" thick pile of documentation your gonna be better off than if you have 2 Walmart receipts. Also, they will want copies of all reciepts, it's probbaly in your best interest to have 2 copies ready for them. Mine took them back to the office for copying and delivered them back to me the next day. Having a set of copies will save them the trip, and get you registered one day sooner.
+ Also, your receipts will determine the taxable value of your vehicle, which determines the amount of Iowa road use tax that you will pay. You will be taxed at the state sales tax rate(5% as of 2007) on all parts you have not paid tax on. See hints below.
+ d: VIN assignment. Seems to be standard proceedure that the inspector will bring the assigned VIN sticker with them and will attach it once the inspection is complete. They will also ask to stamp the new VIN somewhere in the frame. You will want a bare metal spot masked off for the stamping, or you will have to grind off a spot for it. It has to be stamped on bare steel. You can point of clearcoat the spot after.
+ e: Actual registration. Once your inpsection is complete, your investigator will notify your county treasurer's office with the information from your vehicle. In my case she Emailed both me and the treasurer's office right from her car before leaving my house. They will include your vehicle description, assigned VIN# and the amount you owe tax on. You go to the license plate office, fill out the application for title, pay your taxes and your done. Even though it took 3 people and a review of a couple proceedure manuals, it was probably the least trip I've had there in a long time.
+CONGRATULATIONS, YOUR DONE!!!!
+Some hints:
+. Again, remember to be on the up and up with this deal. You've probably got several thousand dollars wrapped up in this deal, not to mention many many hours of your blood sweat and tears, the last thing you want to happen is to have it all fall through at the last step.
+ Here's a fine example: I built a V8 powered trike, inspired by one that I had seen done when I was in high school 25 years ago. The original builder got caught driving it on his father's dealer plate and the local investigator found out about it. Strike one. When he finally called to have it inspected, he had almost no documentation on any of the parts, including a fair amount of Harley parts, that he had used building it. Strike 2. Besides all that, he pushed the requirements right to the limit, one taillight, one mirror, funky exhaust, marginal fenders etc. Having started out on the wrong foot, this was the last straw. Strike 3.
+ I know where this trike is. To this day it sits, never licensed, never legally ridden on the road. It's a shame, a beautiful project that got scuttled before it was officially launched......
+. Receipts and taxes. Probably the one sticky spot I ran into was that during the building of my project I bought about 80% of the parts off Ebay. Buying the actual parts was no problem at all, I had excellent luck and made some good deals, saved alot of money on parts that I needed.
+The problem was that the state of Iowa is gonna get it's tax share no matter what, and I payed no verifiable tax on about $9000 worth of parts. Ouch, but what do you do?? The investigator can ask for a receipt or documentation for any part on the vehicle, you can't hold some back and not others because you don't know what they'll ask for. You obviously can't ask them to inspect a $30,000 vehicle and only hand over $1000 worth of receipts, questions WILL come  up.
+ So, you have 2 choices. Buy all your parts locally so you can show that the tax was paid up front, or simply turn over your receipts and pay the tax later. Maybe I was a fool, I turned in approx. $12000 worth of receipts and ended up paying tax on $9000 worth of it. I ended up paying a $450 one-time road use tax, but at this point I had a huge investment in time and materials, what's $450??
+ If you buy something local, make sure you get a receipt, and make sure that there's a line on it that says "tax", if not you'll end up paying tax on it again.
+. Do your research up front. You don't want to get all done and find out that your chopped coupe with a 4" windshield doesn't meet the requirements, the law says 6". You might sneek by, but then again you might not...........
+Hope this helps, if you have any questions please feel free to Email me: tkrause "at" cedar-rapids.net
 ===Kansas===