I am kind of liking this and getting a title is fairly easy here in MI. Seems like a decent price if it's solid like the ad says but not like there are a lot of comparables out there.


https://muskegon.craigslist.org/pts/d/twin-lake-1954-dodge-panel/7797947033.html

My son had a 56 Dodge panel back around 2001.
I see a lot of bondo in the rear quarters in one of the two pictures posted. We had to completely fabricate rear quarters from scratch back then. With them already having bondo, the rear wheel,arches are gone.
You want to know what condition the rear barn doors are in as well, in fact the bottom of all the doors tend to rot away. (more parts not available).
That windshield fits only 54 and early 55 Dodge trucks, none were available in the 2005 time frame when the one in our 54 Dodge pickup got cracked, make sure that one is good.
These trucks had leaf springs and drum brakes on all 4 corners, the biggest brakes available on a 1/2 ton was 10" and they are pretty light duty for a panel with more then the flathead 6.
The round emblem on the nose tells me it was originally a flathead 6, a V8 became available in mid year 54 as an option, but this truck was a flathead 6 (not that it really matters).

If the windshield is good, and the doors are repairable, and you can deal with the rear quarters, the price is not to far out of line.

I really hate how so many cars/trucks are missing titles. Lots of ads say "Lost title...misplaced title etc". Go to the DMV and get a duplicate. Or if its an easy process...do it. It makes your rig worth more if it has the stupid title.
When I am looking for a car/truck...as soon as I see "no title" I move on.

Any ad that says something is "easy", but hasn't been done, is like that for me.

Thanks for all the info poorboy. I agree with you guys, and the limited pictures and information definitely goes hand in hand with the too lazy to get a title attitude.

A buddy and I have made a lot of money off of people to lazy or dumb to research getting a title.

We've bought a lot of 2nd gen Chargers without titles and then went and got them. The process is not difficult at all here in Kansas. You just have to know where to go and what to do!

Most people don't have the means to trailer and winch the car off and on at the inspection station (they won't get on the trailer due to liabilty issues) so there's that.

It all depends on the state. In Illinoise you must get a bonded title, pay a bond of what they say it is worth, then wait 3 years to make sure nobody claims it. NO THANKS!

Anyways.....

Way back about '84 when I was in HS, someone my Dad knew had one of these sitting on his property and offered to give it to us to fix up as a 'father, son project' . More so than complete lack of knowledge/skill (sorry Dad) on both our parts, the biggest issue was not only no title but no VIN plate as well. We couldn't even find the place it had been riveted. If the truck had been a runner needing work, my Dad would have pursued a state issued VIN, but it was far from it. The cool thing about it was it had been a Schlitz beer company truck, had the Schlitz logo on the doors and their famous tag line down the belt line. I used to have pic of it, but god knows where they are now if I even still have them. I've always wanted another one, but never seriously considered it.

(pic from the OP's ad)

It kind of bothers me a bit that it would be "easy" to get a title for any vehicle, from any state. If someone steals my vintage vehicle, the thought that they could haul it to Kansas and get a title easily, doesn't sit very well. That is why I don't buy any vehicle that doesn't have a title.

I fully understand that poorboy, and that would upset me as well. I guess I should have been a little more clear on my "fairly easy to get a title in MI" comment. It is only fairly easy if the car is not stolen or legally owned by someone else. The Secretary of State has a form you need to fill out, and it must be accompanied by a surety bond purchased from an insurance agent. The cost of the bond is usually $100, and the bond company researches the vehicle history and any other possible claims of ownership. If everything comes back clean, they issue you a surety bond. I did one last fall and the SOS also had me fill out a VIN verification form part of which involved me taking the car into the local police station where an officer ran the VIN before signing off on it. The whole process was about four weeks start to finish and I then had a clean title in hand.
You obviously run the risk of dealing with a dishonest seller though, so there is some risk involved if you suspect that is the case. Usually on a vehicle this old in this condition I tend to think more often than not stupidity or laziness is the reason for no title, but if it was a late model or high dollar vehicle I would be very suspicious.

I have gotten bonded titles on cars without titles before, but in both cases, I knew the history of the car.

The bond process (in IL) requires you post in your local newspaper that you are in the process of bonding the car with a specific serial number. The owner has 3 years to provide proof of ownership, that is dated before the date you apply for the bonded title after the posted date in the paper. If the car was not local to you, or doesn't get the local newspaper, he is screwed.

That bond you buy protects the State that issued the bonded title, not you. You loose the car (or make a deal to keep the car, which you have to pay for) and YOU have to pay back that bond amount back to the company that issued it. I'm betting you didn't read the bond.

As a note on how the current system works: Years ago I had a couple buddies that bought a race ready (less the motor only) Duster from a guy that had dozens of cars at his place. They paid him $800 (not cheap at the time), and he told them getting a title was easy. I did some checking around and found who the owner of the Duster was. I went to visit with him. we talked about his Duster, and he told me he was keeping it over at his buddies place for safe keeping. He blew up the motor, but was having trouble scrapping up the cash to replace it. We talked a while, and he offered to sell me the car for $50, which I "bought". He signed and handed me the title.
At this point my two buddies had been trying to get the title for the duster for a few weeks, but were having all sorts of problems, and the guy that sold them the car wasn't helping at all. I asked them if they would be willing to pay $50 to get the title for the Duster, and they jumped at the chance. That came as a lesson to them. I had the title for the car they bought, I could have transferred it into my name and took the car away from them. I informed them the guy that sold them that car did so illegally. I don't know what those two guys did, but lot of the cars sitting on the guys place were gone shortly after, and he wasn't around very long.

You can just keep buying those untitled cars as long as you wish. I hope you don't get burned with one that you bonded the title with.

I understand your position on this. All I was saying is that here in MI, both where I live and where the vehicle I started this thread about is located, the process for getting a lost title for a legitimately obtained vehicle is fairly easy. This is just my personal experience after having to do it last year on a car I bought, and previously hearing horror stories about having to file for a lost title. It worked out well for me, while for some it might not. Personally, I can not imagine trying to sell a vehicle without a title, but I learned there are many reasons a seller may not have a title to a car, and not all necessarily involve criminal or dishonest activity. Of course that is possible, but not always the case.