Rat Rod Nation Location > Rat Rods of the Mid North East

Virginia "RAT" guys step inside---questions for you

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helo-tech:
Hey guys,

I'm in the planning stages for a "Rat" of my own, I'm concerned with putting the car on the road when it's done though. Virginia has some strange rules and would like some info before I invest a bunch of time building this thing only to find out I can't put it on the road.

I plan on building my own frame and body so there will be no previous VIN number, I understand that you can have a VIN created by the DMV, my question is, can it be titled as an "antique". the drive train and suspension will be from a '55 and '66 so the bulk of the car will be antique but the body and frame will be new. I guess I can call the DMV but man do I hate talking to them. I'm hoping someone on here from VA. will have already ran into this.

thanks,

miraclepieco:
In my state the law says it's the body resemblance that determines the year of an assembled vehicle. In other words, if it looks like a 35 Ford, it can be registered as a 35 Ford. If the body is constructed new, it would be registered as a 2014 "Other."

What's on the paperwork isn't really that important, just so the VIN matches. I have a friend with a 23 bucket T that is titled as an "Other."

helo-tech:
Well, I answered my own question and the answer sucks.

Virginia DMV and State police both say that if I build my own car from scratch (no existing frame, body or VIN), that it would be titled as a 2014 vehicle and therefore subject to all the safety requirements of that year, so it would have to have airbags, emissions system and everything else a modern car has.

SO, it doesn't look like I'll be building my own car, I will keep and eye out for an existing OLD body with a title but they are few and far between around here.

so once again, Virginia has proven to "not be the place to be"

miraclepieco:
I know a guy who put ONE Reo part on his car and titled it as a 1930 Reo.

helo-tech:
in Virginia, you completely build the car (road ready), THEN go through the process of titling it, first you spend $140.00 to start the process, then they send a DMV inspector out who then determines how it will be titled, only then do you know if you can even put it on the road. what a F'd up way of doing things.

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