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MG TD TF 1500 - TC with Title Problem

I would not want to be selling or buying this TC, which has a title problem:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/MG-T-Series-/201574242899?forcerrptr=true&hash=item2eeec2da53:g:DI0AAOSwYmZXEtte&item=201574242899

From the ad: "The title shows the VIN as TC8114 (from the data plate in the engine compartment). The engine casting date is April 21, 1939 (from an MG model TB which is basically identical to the TC engine). The VIN is stamped TC9415 on the frame."

The only place I know a TB had a casting date is on the head, so probably it has been replaced with either a TB or Morris head (they are identical, and share casting dates in 1939 - Morris 10(?) heads are pretty common in the UK, at least). The engine's timing cover HAS a bump for the chain tensioner, so probably it is not a TB block. But what engine is it, original or not? - the engine number, unfortunately, not given in the eBay ad (I have asked for it); the two numbers given are not VIN and engine, unfortunately.

But the real problem is the VIN, where the title does not match the chassis. That is a BIG red flag, and I would urge caution to anyone considering this car! The DMV and police take a VERY dim view of a car and its owner, when the two numbers do not match. Caveat emptor!

Tom Lange
MGT Repair
t lange

It's no big deal. Just take the car to a Highway Patrol inspection station and they will hand you a certificate which you give to the DMV in order to correct the title. My Y-Type had a completely wrong VIN when I got it, not even from a Y-Type or even a car number. Ten minutes and I was on the road.
Steve Simmons

The owner has very kindly replied that there is indeed a 1939 block casting date on the left side, so the engine pretty clearly is either a TB engine, no. 773.

When I lived in CA a friend in Pasadena bought a 65 Mustang convertible, and was stopped for speeding by a CHP officer who became suspicious of all the new paperwork on a nice car with a quickie paint job. He checked the fender VIN right there on the 210, noticed that the stamped fender number had been cut out and re-welded (my friend had not noticed this), and impounded the car on the spot. The hidden number turned out to be different still, and after more than a year of the car sitting outside in an impound yard with the top down, he and his lawyer gave up trying to get it back.

It's not always easy to have a VIN corrected, and I would insist that the frame number of any MG match the title, for legal peace of mind.! Why ask for trouble?

Tom Lange
MGT Repair
t lange

Having the wrong number on the title is a far cry different from welding in a forged VIN number car. That's a federal offense and WILL result in your vehicle being seized.

A paperwork error however, is a simple matter to correct. I've done it more than once. Wrong VIN, wrong year, wrong model, all easy fixes.

This is in CA of course, and some states may have DMVs that are more difficult to deal with than ours.
Steve Simmons

I agree with Steve, at least for here on the Best Coast. When I purchased TD 581 from a party in Texas, I registered it under the proper chassis number. Verified by my local PD (Which also asked "Who makes MG?") and accepted by the DMV.

However, the Texas paperwork showed the Body number as the VIN. DMV never picked this up...the Tax Franchise Board did, three years later. Several long pieces of correspondence got them out of my hair and they accepted the fact that I had paid the correct tax on the vehicle when I registered it.

Charles Duffy

I bought an MGA in California which had only been registered in Texas. after months of trying the seller
gave me the car. He said texas keeps no records once a car not registered for a "while"!
I sold the car to a guy in Germany who didn't care about registration!

Chuck
cj schmit

That's odd, Chuck. All you should need is a bill of sale. CA DMV doesn't care if there is a paper trail on a car or not. Georgia is also a no-title state. I bought an MGA there and registered it in CA with no issues. It took a bill of sale and a VIN check by the DMV to ensure it wasn't reported stolen. You can take the VIN number off of a bare frame that you found in the desert and register it as a road vehicle that afternoon! I actually know a guy who did basically that.
Steve Simmons

Tom & I tend to be more than a bit cautious about vin numbers and titles!
IMHO: Get it right before you buy / restore! Don't assume anything as you may in for a very different result according to what state(s) are involved!

Ohio can be an incredible exercise in insanity and frustration! Trust me!

Right Tom? LOL
David Sheward 55 TF1500 # 7427

This thread was discussed between 05/05/2016 and 09/05/2016

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