Fwd: <VV> rebodied corvairs/the 3rd one I couldn't title

[HallGrenn at aol.com]

One last $.02 from me.  Bill's points (and others) get into the value of the 
car.  Some of us may get away with things--our love for the cars have kept 
thousands on the road that would have been junked otherwise.  But values are 
increasing and our work has value too.  If you expect to get that value back from 
someone when you sell your car then you have to take their interests into 
account.  If you're going to drive "old flash" until you die and then be buried in 
it then no problem.

I talked about the 2 cars I got titles for and not the 3rd--a '65 Monza conv. 
 On that one all the paperwork was done and I was at DMV having put out about 
$500.00 in towing, tires etc.  The parts guy at Amatucci Chevrolet had told 
me about it when I bought some Corvair parts at a discount just before they 
went out of business.  It had been sitting on their lot for years.  The top had 
rotted through, the floors were rusted through and it was sitting on its rims 
with four flat tires.  They had no record of who owned it.

When I got to Glen Burnie (DMV Hdqrtrs in MD) the clerk pointed out that I 
had transposed two numbers on the VIN.  All the advertising was no good--I had 
to start over again.  The clerk felt sorry for me and looked up the correct VIN 
and gave me the address of the registered owner.  I promptly called to let 
her know I had her car and that I had rescued her vehicle from the crusher.  She 
said I couldn't have her car as her son was restoring it!!  Turns out the son 
had abandoned the car at Amatucci at least two years ealier.  After meeting 
with the daughter (who said her Mom had been paying for the "restoration" over 
the years) and showing what I had done to save the car as well as the 
paperwork that I had gone through everything worked out and the car went to a body 
shop to be properly done.

That was the last time I tried to save a car without an owner.  I've helped 
several non-Corvair types get their Vairs running, but a car without an owner 
is just a parts car to me now.

Bob Hall