Interchangeable vehicles

[Brain75]

I hadn't thought about other models besides rangers, but yeah a Taurus used the 3.0 vulcan (or the Mercury badged identical Sable), all the RBV (Ranger Based Vehicles) - including the Aerostar van..... Ford Probe good luck finding one, my band teacher in high school had one but I have never seen one once in the junkyards.

Tempo/Topaz 1992+ but that is a shoehorn and a half, that one would be out in my books due to technical limitations and modifications to the power output.

FWIW though if I was gonna hunt down a Taurus and drive it, I would look for a SHO and while it was either 3.0 or 3.2L , it is DOHC 24 valve so not exactly the same animal as your 3.0 donor.

I would still hunt down and exhaust all options on fixing the title before giving up on that if the damage is super minimal (and a box/bumper only sounds super minimal to me).

 

[Brain75]

I can't show you all the pix, but my truck had a front right that creamed the headlight/fender/hood/core support and who knows what else (it was when my Mom still owned it and her boyfriend had the accident and "fixed" it....) If you want to know how bad a front right can get and still be fixed I think mine was just about there... all junkyard parts. I don't have any pix of the damage until after the boyfriend had replaced the fender/headlight and yanked it 1/3 of the way straight - that was my starting point.

In my intro thread (when it was still tan) you can see the damage as I got it, and here you can see where I got the core support "fixed" or so I thought - all the landmarks measured right.

You can see the core support is not right..

When I got all done the pass headlight doesn't line up with the hood like perfect, it is back about a shade less than 1/4".


Now, my junkyard is dirt cheap, but I think everything to do with the front ender repair probably totaled about $500-$750 excluding the paint. I spent way more on paint and my own time on hail damage.

After pix including a closer straight on pix of the front is also in my intro further down.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Yeah, my 92 got totaled but I bought it back and intend to do something with it. Most things gs are fixable if you’re skilled enough.

 

[Brain75]

oh and in my list of bent I didn't say, it bent the frame horn, I had to take a "biggest dang crescent" I could find and clamp onto it then add a cheater bar and just patiently carefully untwist it. it was pushed in and up with a slight twist to it. When I got all done, it measured the same distances and and and and as an '89 in the junkyard that had no front end damage at all.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

oh and in my list of bent I didn't say, it bent the frame horn, I had to take a "biggest dang crescent" I could find and clamp onto it then add a cheater bar and just patiently carefully untwist it. it was pushed in and up with a slight twist to it. When I got all done, it measured the same distances and and and and as an '89 in the junkyard that had no front end damage at all.

I’ve done a lot of Redneck straightening including chaining a bent bumper to the hitch of another truck and using 4-low and a sledgehammer to straighten a bent bumper. Chain hoist works better though, far more control. Come-along or winch works too. I even have some custom made pulling devices for getting at different damage. Patience and understanding what you’re trying to do are important though, because the best way to un-wrinkle damage to steel is go in the reverse of what happened. I have a book somewhere on it all.

 

[Brain75]

Just buy a rusted out same year Ranger, register it with the same color as your current truck and put the plates on your current truck. Nobody is checking as long as the year/make/model/color match. If by some miracle the cops ever have reason to run your VIN it'll come back to you because you own both trucks and if you explain the situation without making an ass of yourself you'll probably just get an expired registration ticket.

That depends a WHOLE lot on state and populace... where I am at in a county with less than 5k people total and I know the local sherrif by first name, she would just frown at me and scowl. In Denver it would be fullest extent of the law - and the Colorado law is $1k and 18 mo jail time for forgery on the paperwork and 3 years jail time if you did anything with the vehicle (like drive it or get in a wreck with it)..
It's gonna be that way with getting it inspected even - in my little county the sherriff would swing by my house and glance at the VIN I bet, in Denver if you drive it there they will throw your ass in jail for 30 days for driving an uninsured/unlicensed vehicle - have to have it towed to the inspection station.

 

[Brain75]

I just re-read the CRS (Colorado Revised Statutes - aka the "law") and it might have actually gotten easier here, but there was one big thing that I saw that I wanted to mention (and I bet Georgia is the same).
Inspection must happen at a State Patrol - no longer the sheriff here, but they require pictures and receipts of all of the parts replaced so you do not have to spend $4760 in parts, you have to show you bought (even junkyard receipt) a new box, bumper etc - all the broken unfixable parts. So if you find GA is similar, save all your receipts from the u-pull-it and take a picture of every part loose before you install it just in case you need to show.
The inspection is finally detailed (cause there was some BS over the years about excessive complicated with local sheriffs), all they check is the VIN matches, brakes, lights, turns signals, horn, seatbelt, etc - every 'safety system' is in working order, then you have to take it to an emissions place and get emissions re-inspected.

 

[Brain75]

Edit: the following was a response to an inflammatory post that has been deleted by mods, while it looks out of place the info is still valid so I am leaving it.
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In CO when you get a parking ticket, 1st thing they check is the VIN, technically the parking goes with the VIN not the plate.
I am former law enforcement but not a "cop", and I have seen people jailed (I worked in the jail) over stupid stuff like window tint, they (cops) do it. I would not want to ride around with the risk of 3 years in jail all over a minor fender bender when some other idiot hits me - I am not at fault but the cop still hauls my butt off over "fake" registration.

No attitude, I didn't post in all caps the whole post, I think you are over-reading what I wrote.. I posted what I did to let the OP know "how it is" in the 30 or 40 something compact states - those states that all signed up to the compact and enforce each others laws. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Driver_License_Compact

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Brain is correct, some places may let you get away with whatever. But a lot of places won’t. Some places even ignore the law, there was a big stink here last year because the city said that any Jeeps coming into town during JeepFest with no doors on would be fined. State law says if the doors are factory removable then it’s ok to run without doors. State law also says that tires cannot stick out past any fender flares and flares can’t be more than like 4” from the body. Local city won’t bust you for that, but Pittsburgh will tow your shit to impound for that. Best to find out what your state’s laws are on things. “Ignorance of the law is not, an excuse.”

 

[arse_sidewards]

I am former law enforcement but not a "cop", and I have seen people jailed (I worked in the jail) over stupid stuff like window tint, they (cops) do it. I would not want to ride around with the risk of 3 years in jail all over a minor fender bender when some other idiot hits me - I am not at fault but the cop still hauls my butt off over "fake" registration.

Anyway, you're clearly trying to shoehorn a personal vehicle through a process intended for commercial dealer auction, salvage title rebuild type stuff. It's not gonna work well and will be a massive time wasting PITA. Or just do it the wrong way and combine two trucks without the government's permission. Swap the VIN plates, etc if you want. Sure it's theoretically a crime but no DA is gonna take that shit anywhere if both trucks are in your name.

I'm well aware of the driver's license compact. You're kidding yourself if you think that every random state and municipality is enforcing the laws in a uniform way. Heck, states don't even enforce out of state equipment violations like tint unless it's a pretext to a fishing stop that resulted in a bust.

 

[JoshT]

I'm not going to delve into the whole registration and title status debate going on right now except to say this. The right way if you cab swap a Ranger (or the part that is assigned the vin on any vehicle) is to register the new VIN in your name and transfer your tag over to it. Most states will have a system or procedure in place to do this. Anything else is technically illegal and should not be recommended. If/when something happens you may get lucky with an officer that doesn't care, or you may get that asshole that has had a bad day and gets off on throwing the books at people. Considering that most states also have a state level law enforcement, such as state patrol, you can't count on only dealing with the friendly local departments. If you choose to do something else, you do so at your own risk.

For what I really wanted to comment on:

'48-56 guys have figured out how to fix a salvage title... Apparently somewhere like Vermont or New York have it pretty easy to convert a salvage title into a real title... the cab in those old trucks is one piece and the "VIN" goes with the cab (those are pre-VIN system, the have serial numbers), lots of guys flipping the cabs around to make a decent vehicle.

If you are saying this in regards to the 48-56 pickups, or those year vehicles in general, it is categorically false. VINs became standardized in 1966, prior to that the "VIN" was little more than a serial number. That part is correct. The problem is that prior to the 70s, truck VIN numbers were assigned to the frame, not the cab. In Ford trucks the VIN was assigned to the frame through at least 1972 when they transitioned from the 5th (bumpside) to the 6th (dentside) generation, and possibly later with the 7th generation change.

Legally speaking the stamped dataplate on the door or firewall of a truck prior to this change over is not a VIN label, it is a warranty tag and can not be used for registration purposes. Yes, most districts don't know jack about these older trucks and use it anyway, but that is incorrect from a legal standpoint. If a truck got broken down andsold for parts in the past, the person owning the frame to which the VIN is assigned would be the one with legal possession of that vehicle. The person with the cab should be applying for and getting a state issued VIN for the hunk of metal that they are trying to register.

Move up into the 80s when the Ranger was introduced and the VIN assignment had been moved to the cab. You can replace every single other piece of the truck, as long as the cab (firewall really) and VIN plate remain, it is legally the same truck. That's not to say that they won't squawk about safety and road worthiness if all that's left of a Ranger is the firewall and VIN plate, but legally speaking...


EDIT: Having said that, when I got my F-100 from my dad in 2018, the officer only looked at the warranty label on the door and verified that it matched the paperwork. Was almost an issue because dad did a body swap on it 30ish years ago due to rust (and it needs it again), but did not retain the original door tag since no one looked at it back then. Fortunately I thought ahead, cleaned up the frame rail to locate and verify the VIN (just in case), and bought a new warranty tag from Marti Auto Works that matched the frame.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

if all that's left of a Ranger is the firewall and VIN plate, but legally speaking...

Where is @Mattman347, I think that’s about all that’s left of his, plus most of the dash…

 

[Brain75]

I once again think that is a "depends on state" issue... or again "those who enforce the laws have no idea of the laws" - as far as DMV here in CO, the number tag stamped and riveted to the firewall on the engine compartment side is the only "VIN" and in '48 at least the serial number was only 2 places, there and the stamped directly into the top of the frame on passenger side - and the frame was/is illegible 90% of the time. I have heard that about the frame being the one true number before, but down at the DMV the tag they can get to without removing the A frame and fender is "the" tag.

I'll also counter that swapping vin plate (the part rivited to the dash) changes it from a simple 18 mo / 3 yr etc to a "knowingly and intentional" and changes it to 10 years in jail here in CO... That said amongst the oldie classic crowd there is more than one person who has switched tags since it is drilling out 2 rivets and then pop riveting things back together.
I think johnny law would turn a blind eye on a single infraction on a classic - something as beautiful as an old old truck. A mass production like a ranger I would be leary of trusting that the fuzz would be kind to you.

 

[Brain75]

I actually kinda was hoping you might chime in Josh, not to debate - that's always fun, but because you are about the only one with a classic in GA that posts here... do you happen to know how convoluted the salvage title rehab is in GA - that would help Mandy the most (also a GA resident)?

 

[JoshT]

Where is @Mattman347, I think that’s about all that’s left of his, plus most of the dash…

Had to go find that rig. Looks like he has the dash, firewall, floorpan, and part of the aft bulkhead. I think that's a plenty and, if it's registered, it probably doesn't get much road use outside of areas where that kind of build are common. Either around "home" or around the ORV area it's visiting.

I once again think that is a "depends on state" issue... or again "those who enforce the laws have no idea of the laws" - as far as DMV here in CO, the number tag stamped and riveted to the firewall on the engine compartment side is the only "VIN" and in '48 at least the serial number was only 2 places, there and the stamped directly into the top of the frame on passenger side - and the frame was/is illegible 90% of the time. I have heard that about the frame being the one true number before, but down at the DMV the tag they can get to without removing the A frame and fender is "the" tag.

The frame is the one true number on those older vehicles. I'm talking legal, not what people do or get away with. FWIW I've even heard of people restamping a frame where the original stamping has become too faded/pitted to read. Not right, but it's been done. I'd even consider doing it myself, if I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that the VIN I had belonged to the frame.

I'll also counter that swapping vin plate (the part rivited to the dash) changes it from a simple 18 mo / 3 yr etc to a "knowingly and intentional" and changes it to 10 years in jail here in CO... That said amongst the oldie classic crowd there is more than one person who has switched tags since it is drilling out 2 rivets and then pop riveting things back together.
I think johnny law would turn a blind eye on a single infraction on a classic - something as beautiful as an old old truck. A mass production like a ranger I would be leary of trusting that the fuzz would be kind to you.

Talking technicalities again, technically it's illegal to even remove and reinstall those rivets. Even removing the plate to clean corrosion, repaint, and reinstall the same tag on the same vehicle. Where they get you on those vin labels is the rivets used. It isn't a normal pop rivet, it has a special head. Replacement rivets are/were hard to come by and they get reinstalled with a normal rivet. People with authority are trained to identify the correct rivets and it's an instant redflag when the wrong ones are installed.

That's the federally mandated little vin label up in the front edge of the window. The tags on classics are a whole different story. As mentioend those are warranty tags, not official vin labels. Most were not installed installed with special hardware, just common rivets. There is nothing special to look for when looking at one of those. Even those that did use a somewhat special rivet as in the case of my F-100, I can readily buy those rivets from a Marti or some restoration shops, and its common to remove the label for a repaint.

I actually kinda was hoping you might chime in Josh, not to debate - that's always fun, but because you are about the only one with a classic in GA that posts here... do you happen to know how convoluted the salvage title rehab is in GA - that would help Mandy the most (also a GA resident)?

Nope, never messed with a salvage title here. I've looked into it in the past, but it's been long enough that I wouldn't want to try to tell the process in any detail. I seem to recall that it was similar to building a kit car. Various stages of approval, inspection, and documention before signing off as roadworthy, and it still keeps the salvage branding on the title IIRC.

It's something that I would only attempt if the damage were relative minor and cheap to fix, or had significant sentimental value. Vehicles can get insurance totaled overstupid stuff these days. Doesn't matter what the materials cost, the labor is whats going to drive it to or past the total threshold. If possible I won't report anything to insurance and fix it myself out of pocket. If not possible, I'll judge the cost of DIY repairs and buy back if it makes financial sense, or if I can make more parting than buyback cost.