State inspection for an old vehicle

Picked up a '69 Ford 250 with a dump bed. Have no title, just a bill of sale from an out of state seller. The current tags on it are about 10 years old. I called the local tag office and they said it needs to be inspected by a state trooper before a tag can be issued.

What all will they check for during the inspection (Kansas)? The headlights, horn, turn signals, brake lights, wipers work. No windows are broken, has a muffler that works, a rearview and 2 sideview mirrors, factory seat belts, and tires with tread.

It does not have any mudflaps or fenders for the rear tires. Would that be a problem?

Depends on your state.Vermont requires mud flaps on pick ups.Maine does not.

How can you get a tag without a title? A bill of sale doesn't prove ownership.

My mistake. I think I meant to say that the state police can give me the first step of necessary paperwork in order to obtain a title, which can then be used to get a tag.

In Arkansas, the inspection by police is to run the VIN number through their system, checking for stolen, etc.
Also, to verify the VIN number on the tag matches the number on the frame.

All I can see here is a Kansas State Trooper needs to verify the Vin # So you can register it
in that State
Heres where you can get forms needed for title

When I've had a vehicle inspected in Kansas they've never done a "safety" inspection regarding the turn signals and the like, but just confirmed the VIN number on the vehicle with the title and that was only with vehicles with an out-of-state title (I think they also run a check to make sure it hasn't been reported stolen). Since you don't have the title, it may be different, but I would be surprised if they checked turn signals and the like. Then again, if you are trying to plate it at a certain weight or commercial, they may check everything. Not much help, but that has been my experience.

Looks like a nice truck,most of those fords were rusted out under the doors and rear corners.Looks like it has a hydraulic tilt bed also.

In Texas you have to take it to an inspection station and they verify the vin and do a safety inspection if requested. They fill out a form with the vin info on it and you take it to the tax office. Kansas very well may be different. Why don't you call them and ask, or check out the web sight?
www.ksdot.org
The link below will give you contact info.
BTW, that's a nice looking truck. Hope you get some good use out of her!
Kansas Department Of Transportation Contact Info

Yes, it does have a hydraulic tilt bed. It also has a new hyd line from the pump to the cylinder. The old one broke while dumping a load of top soil in my step sons yard last month.

I thought hydraulic cylinders would operate on hydraulic fluid. I found the owners manual for this tilt bed, and it said to use ATF.

NE just inspects the VIN. take it to county sheriff's office. call in advance to find out what day's and the fee. NE requires exact change and it's $10

Sorry to hijack this thread, but....Does NE do that even when there's no title? I've gone through lots of old vehicles with no title, and it's always a hassle...gotten salvage titles, etc, and even been told at the county courthouse "nope, sorry, we can't do anything without a title"...bout 5 years ago I tried to get a title for a 65 Chevy car that I'd got with no motor intending to fix it up but it sat for years so I decided to just sell it. Had it sold but the guy demanded a title. Courthouse ran the vin and gave me a name of a guy in SD who it was last registered to in the early 80's...that never went anywhere...finally a buddy in a different county told me they had a local county sherrif who could get me a title "under the radar" so to speak, but it'd cost me 75 bucks...I went ahead and did it just to be rid of the thing. Found out a year or so later the sherrif was fired for doing things "off the books" for his own personal gain.

My most recent deal is a great uncle sold me a pickup before he died, said the title was in the glovebox. There was a title in there, but when we went to get tags(after he'd died), the courthouse said that a replacement title had been bought a few years back and we'd need that one. Great uncle's dead, none of his family knows anything about it, and according to courthouse I'm just outta luck...

All you would need in Mississippi is the bill of sale and they will give you tag for older trucks. No inspection. Or that was the case a few years ago when I bought my '65 GMC. I went ahead and put Antique tag on it so I don't have to deal with it again.

In Pa. No Title No Plate....

Also if that truck was in Pa. all that would be
left is the seat & the tires..

I wish you Luck, also Wouldn't mind the truck
( If it had a Title )

You might be in for a long day or you might have a very easy day. The inspection done by the highway patrol (or their agent) will consist of a VIN check. They will issue you a paper that states what the VIN number was or if it appears the VIN has been tampered with. If its been tampered your screwed, you have a parts truck that you can't even sell to a salvage yard.

You take that paper to the county treasurer and apply for a title. They will run a VIN check to see if its ever been registered in Kansas. If its never been registered in Kansas they will issue you a title along with a tag and you're on your way - very easy. If the vehicle has been registered in Kansas the ONLY person that can apply for lost title is the last registered owner or their estate. If that person is dead or can not be located you own a parts truck that you can't sell to a salvage yard.

I don't know how it works for "newer" vehicles but that's how it works for vehicles that qualify for antique tag in Kansas.

If its ever been registered in Kansas (or registered as far back as their computerized records go) you're screwed. Our court house has done quick VIN checks over the phone for me in the past. They will only tell me if its been registered, they don't say by whom or when - that information is confidential. I've gotten titles for a Mustang and a Scout that way.

People that tell you "Its easy if you have a bill of sale" don't know what the **** they are talking about. Most likely they've tried to get a title and found out they couldn't and are now selling their problem to someone else.

Take it to be inspected. I would expect Kansas to be no different than Iowa as far as 'inspection' goes. If something is missing, they'll write up a warning and you can "get 'er done". Iowa USED to have an inspection system but it was so crooked (I'll give you $50.00 to pass) that it was abandoned. Heck, I got a warning right after I painted my '55 GMC pickup because I'd forgotten to put my windshiel wipers back on. That was it! Sent the warning back stating the problem had been taken care of and never heard another word.

This is Nebraska, but why not just ask the appropriate authorities?

When I was in high school, I had a '36 Ford pickup. I parked it when I joined the Marine Corps. While I was in the Corps, a neighbor did some custom work for my dad, and when they settled up the neighbor said if it was up for grabs, he'd just take the pickup. I agreed, and the neighbor took the pickup, no title, bill of sale, or any kind of paperwork.

The neighbor didn't do anything with the pickup, and about 30 years later he sold it. The man he sold it to wanted a title. By then, both of my parents were deceased, and a record search showed that the pickup had actually been titled to my dad. The County Clerk walked me through steps to obtain a title. I had to sign affidavits that I had once been in possession of the pickup, that I had administered my father's estate, and other formalities I now forget. They then wrote out a current, valid title which I transferred to the neighbor and he in turn transferred to the buyer.

What complicated it was the buyer's wife worked for the Nebraska DMV and said she could take a shortcut to getting a title. I refused, and felt better doing it the way our County Clerk laid out.

I bought an out of state '46 Ford pickup with signed title and still needed to get it inspected.

VIN is about all they are interested in checking. I was more worried about not having a trailer tag and having the KSHP look over my towing vehicle, a '49 3600 Chevy 1 ton flatbed as it had cracked door glass.

(quoted from post at 18:01:59 04/19/11) How can you get a tag without a title? A bill of sale doesn't prove ownership.

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Well, in NY, there was no such thing as a title before 1972. That truck would only require a bill of sale to register here because it's a '68.

Why not go to the source and get the straight answer?
Kansas Motor Vehicles Title registration for used vehicles bought out of state.

That site doesn't tell you how to file for a title on a vehicle you bought without a title.

Your local court house is a much better source as they are the ones you will actually deal with get a title.

It appears that just about every state is different, so Jeff Oh's answer is the right one- look at the procedure in Kansas.

Although I'll admit, its much more fun to have the other states weigh in on the question, so you can pick the one you like best. I better give you Washington's, because you're going to like it best of all.

Used to have inspection for out of state vehicles- consisted entirely of finding the VIN number. Had a '52 Hudson on a trailer, nothing worked, busted windows, hadn't run in 25 years- Trooper just grinned and said "Its a shame to call it used- Now, where's the VIN?"

As if that wasn't easy enough, now they've done away with inspections entirely- they just run the VIN on the computer. I guess they just assume you'll give them the right number.

If you don't have a title, they give you plates and a 3 year "provisional" title based on the bill of sale- if no title issues come up for 3 years, they issue an actual title.