title issues

[mydodge440]

I have a 1953 b3b the serial number is 82279858, when I run the  vin on the forums it comes up as a 1952 could it have been incorrectly registered from the factory 

[mydodge440]

I just bought a 1953 dodge b3b the previous owner swears its a 53 for some reason the title doesn't have a year on it and when I ran the vin number through the forums it comes back as a 1952 , the vin is 82279858. 

[Reg Evans]

What do the rear fenders, dash emblem, and the Dodge script on the front of the truck look like?   52 and 53 are very different.

[mydodge440]

rear fenders are rounded 

[mydodge440]

[lonejacklarry]

In the 50's vehicles were titled by engine number as you have found.  What was a common practice was that the vehicles often were titled/registered in the year it was sold.  Your scenario of a '52 truck might have been sold in '53.  If your previous owner thinks it is a '53 that is because that is what he was told..........and passed along the information.

 

In Missouri, the title cane be corrected to match the ID number (you do not have a VIN as such as they came along in 1981 with 17 characters)  You have a vehicle number, or engine number or body number.  Anyhow if you gather the information regarding engine numbers and their sequence along with what you were given.  I would start with whomever handles registration questions in your state.  The highway patrol would be where I would start.  Your local license office probably will tell you it cannot be done so start with the people that would know and let them guide you.

 

I forgot to ask:  is the engine number you referenced on the title as such and on the engine block?  It should be on the left front of the block on the side--high on a flat area right below the bottom of the head.  Make sure the title number and the engine number match before you spend any money on the truck.  If they do not match, then you have a piece of paper and an untitled vehicle.

 

Edited February 5, 2019 by lonejacklarry

[Reg Evans]

Looks like a 52 to me.

 

[48Dodger]

B3B means 1951-52

1953 fenders were rectangular....and were used until @1983.

 

48D

[Merle Coggins]

As lonejacklarry said, it was likely sold and first registered in 1953 and so that became the model year on the title. My B2C was built in December of 1950, and must have been purchased in early 1951. The title shows it to be a '51, but I call it a '50 as the B2's are all '50's in my mind.

[TodFitch]

More likely that the state registered with the year when it first sold.

[48Dodger]

Model                                 Years Produced                                 Number Produced

 

B-1.......................................1948 and 1949...............................299,900

B-2.................................... ..1950................................................207,667

B-3.......................................1951 and 1952...............................298,925

B-4........................................1953...............................................104,262

 

The third letter is the Model Type : ie B-1-B   B= 1948-53 Pilot-House series  1= 1948/1949  B= 1/2 Ton

 

A further example would be a B-4-D  :   1953 Pilot-House 1 Ton Express

 

48Dodger

[Dodgeed]

On 2/4/2019 at 10:48 PM, 48Dodger said:

B3B means 1951-52

1953 fenders were rectangular....and were used until @1983.

 

48D

For what its worth, mine is a '51 B3B, as verified by the VIN forum registration numbers, but the rear fenders are rectangular, from a '53, as has been pointed out by some here in this forum, and must have been done by the previous owner in the restoration, using whatever parts were available. See the picture of my pickup. 

[48Dodger]

I have several parts trucks that have parts from so many different years...its a chore to figure out what was really the "base" year of said truck.

My favorite I hauled in? It had a 53 bed and fenders, a 48/49 frame, a 50 cab and a 53 hood....I guess I should mention it also had late 70's era Camaro seats...lol.

 

48D 

[Brent B3B]

On ‎2‎/‎6‎/‎2019 at 4:42 AM, Dodgeed said:

For what its worth, mine is a '51 B3B, as verified by the VIN forum registration numbers, but the rear fenders are rectangular, from a '53, as has been pointed out by some here in this forum, and must have been done by the previous owner in the restoration, using whatever parts were available. See the picture of my pickup. 

from this photo, I would have guess it a 53 also.... even the "Dodge" script on the front looks different than mydodge440's photo (as Reg mentioned above)  

either way, sure is Purdy  

[JBNeal]

My green '48 has its title number that matches the engine number on its build card, but the engine that has been in it since the late 50s is a '55 Plymouth 230...the front clip was originally from a black '50 with Fluid Drive...the radiator I pulled out of it might have been from a late 30s Pontiac, according to a mechanic in the know, who recognized the filler neck that had been relocated...so it's a survivor in the sense that it hasn't been turned into chinese  bullets...

 

my '52 parts truck has a title with an engine number for the title number, but a B-1 or B-2 front clip and a '50 Dodge truck 218...my '51 rolling chassis with Fluid Drive also has a title with the corresponding engine number for its title number, but the serial number's last 4 digits are illegible due to corrosion on the frame, so requesting its build card is not possible at this time...my '49 turns out to be a true survivor, as its numbers match its build card, but I had to go through the TX lost title process, which boosted my blood pressure by a few points, dealing with so many state employees who were giving me the runaround and with all of the bending over backwards they were doing not to help...so as far as titles go, as long as ya have a valid document, and something that looks close to what ya want, run with it and have fun

[Los_Control]

1 hour ago, JBNeal said:

go through the TX lost title process, which boosted my blood pressure by a few points,

Sure hoping I have some good luck here, I just bought a truck which original owner had died and executor of estate sold it with lost title .... to a different guy 3 years ago ....

 

I was bound and determined to help this guy get his chevy truck licensed and insured, so he's not walking, is a double amputee with little income.

So I bought the little dodge dakota that needs work and no title, may have been cheaper to just give him the money for registration & insurance.

Wish me luck on the title, at least it is a Dakota and may be worth using for a frame swap some day.

 

[JBNeal]

All things considered, ya want to secure that title before spending one red cent on a buggy, cuz if it has been reported stolen, it may be seized...this was relayed to me by a DPS detective who specialized in auto theft...I had to get a bonded title, which I was told meant that the truck was still subject to forfeiture until the bond expired...but this was on an antique that has a serial number, not a VIN...the county registrar said that the lost title approach works for vehicles with the 17-digit VIN as those are in a database starting in the 80s...as for titling on a frame swap, I was told by the DPS that the VIN follows the frame, not the body

[BigDaddyO]

On 2/4/2019 at 10:48 PM, Reg Evans said:

Looks like a 52 to me.

 

That's what my '52 looked like....well, with more rust.

[thisoldtruck]

This reminds me of a story about 25 years ago at an old car show swap meet.  Some guy was there selling service manuals, owners manuals, advertising literature.  He had bins and boxes full of this kind of stuff. 

 

Well, on the last day of the show, the Sheriff was there at his stand rummaging around. Supposedly, they were looking to see if he was selling old titles from vehicles.  This happened in Wisconsin and I guess Wisconsin really frowns on selling titles.