I just picked up a 1983 Trans Am Daytona 500 Pace Car for ridiculously cheap because it had no title. I'd love to put the time and money into bringing this back into it's prime, and everything unique to the Daytona is there except for a few pieces of the Daytona/'84 trans am body kit. Now issue, I've gone through the dmv as far as they will let me, I've gotten a hold of the original owner of which is in Florida by now, and he's a great guy, gave me a lot of information on the car and is willing to send me old pics and help me get a title since he's the last titled owner from over 20 years ago when he sold the car, almost exactly 20 years ago. So this car has been sitting for 20 years, and the reason for that is because like I said, over 20 years ago, the car had a lein that was left unpaid by the last titled owner. Now I know how banks work, and I know after 10-15 years, the unpaid lein is called a loss, zeroed out, and the person that had the loan gets his credit screwed. He's already said his credit is screwed because of the car, but I can't find out much about the lein without him on the phone, of which isn't going to be a problem...but anyone that works for a bank...how much of a headache is this lein release going to be? I figure once the bank gets him on the phone they are going to get all suspicious of why he wants a lein release on the car so badly. If I was to file for a duplicate title will it come back clean since it's been so long? Need help guys...please. Really like to get this thing back together and restore it frame up. Here are a few pics to see what I'm working on...







And complete crossfire system in the trunk to boot!


The car even has the original special 82/83 dual exhaust you can't even get anymore over the counter!! It's such a time capsule it's going to make me cry to crush her if I can't get this titled in my name clean. Help!

Jon

 

Have you gone to the Department of Motor Vehicles, or where ever you license vehicles in your state and done a title search? Since your aim is to restore it, any fee associated with the title search will be insignificant. Take up the chase for it once you know for sure what needs to be done to re-title the car.

Good luck

 

I got the name of the guy through the dmv, everything else they wanted money for of which I'd rather not waste money yet. They won't let me get a duplicate title without 20 bucks n forms the guy fills out, and past thqt, I don't think there's much of a search I can do on the status of thee title. My thoughts were if I can get a lean release from the bank since I know they claimed the loss already, the rest is a cake walk. Just wanted to come on here to see if there are any other options I haven't heard/read about. Its going to be hundreds of hours to bring back, but unlike my 88 bird and heritage 92 rs, I know this car will hold value 20 years from now, and would love to take the challenge. Thanks for the input!

 

Ok I must admit it's a little late and I've been working all day but from what I gather for $20 you can get a duplicate title as long as you have the previous titled owner fill out some paperwork, whom you say is a pretty cool guy? By the time you go through all the legwork of dealing with a bank to get a lien release from 20 years ago and I can't see why a bank would be so willing to help with a car they got screwed on 20 years ago, would you? So I would just pay the $20 and get the title and be done with it.

Ok I just reread through your original post and is your question that if you get the duplicate title that it will still have a lien on it? If so the best advice I could give to you would be to check out some title places out there on the web I know that certain states are easier to get titles in than others. I also "think" I read on here at one time that after 7 years (maybe in certain states?) that basically all previous title info is lost and you can get a clean duplicate title. I'm unsure but I would contact some title places that a google search could find and see what their advice is. Let us know what you find out.

 

Yea, that's my main concern, is if I can get a lien release, then I know I'm home free regardless, but without it, it's a loss and the poor car will be stripped and gutted. I will do some research on the internet, seems like someone else did a little leg work and got a clean title as well but wasn't clear on exactly how. I will have to find him and ask what was done, but again, different states are different states, and NY is a nightmare of a state to live in when it comes to cars, can't say it's as bad as CA yet, but it's getting there. Just was hoping someone on here has actually gone through this, because I thought NY had an abandoned car policy, but when speaking to the DMV, seems like all calling it an abandoned vehicle will do will get it towed out of my house for free. The damn lady wanted me to crush the car...I about spit in her face...

 

If you can get a replacement title and a lien release you're fine, if not treat it like any other car without a title. There are various services you can find online that will process a new title with only a bill of sale, but it's not exactly cheap. You'd really have to want the car, but then compared to the cost of a restoration it's cheap.

 

Well for any of these cars to restore, this would be one to keep, and anything is restorable with time and money, my time is free, the scrap metal is plentiful with a half a dozen if not more different third gens in 3 different pick-a-parts within 50 miles from me, and I have a welder, so body wise is going to be the hardest part of the resto, other than that, carpet, reupholstering seats, roof liner, and a heart and brain transplant and she's done (also from a donor), of which I can gut, send out, and rebuild myself. It's got the disc rear axle with what the guy said a posi that would hook for days, a mint 82-84 dash pad with matching mint center console, seats are all in one piece, and I have a hood to replace the slightly dented one on the car. Really it comes down to getting two new fenders, a windshield molding, and a correct radio and making it light up red for the pace car piece. The rest of what I need is all there.

Who knows, if it doesn't work out, I got one hell of a parts car, of which I probably can piece out the car for more than I payed and still keep the Recaros. By any chance Drew, can you point me to a few of those services? Does it keep the same VIN number? Thats the whole issue with this car, if I didn't care about the numbers matching from the radiator to the windshield, and I was a sleez, I would have swapped vins by now as I've got a parts bird sitting in the drive way with a title. I've ran into too many of those cars though to want to do that and destroy it's heritage.

 

It uses the cars existing VIN number... Do a Google search for "lost title service" and it'll find a bunch of them. You'd probably have to make a few phone calls to find out if it'd be a problem, but you might get just as far playing dumb about the lien and letting the title service company do the footwork.

 

Any updates on restoring the 83 DT500?

 

Also Interested in updates.