With respect to Mike and Spirit, trying to use their VIN here in Indiana will
not work-- I tried twice! I had the Spirit bill of sale, list of parts, invoice, and issued VIN tags and associated paperwork. They looked it up and said that they are not a valid manufacturer in Indiana and that I had to go through the Manufactured VIN process (MVIN). I then went to another branch and got the same answer.
Getting the MVIN was a painful experience for me as I did not have anyone to help guide me through it, and every time I went to the BMV, they had no idea what I was trying to do--most of the folks there are pretty inexperienced in anything besides renewing plates and such. The also lost my application and paperwork and it took a few months to straighten out. But I did get it done and I will tell the process or at least in my case here in Indianapolis.
First off, like Mike said above, you need to keep a copy of your receipts, at least for the big stuff. I did not and had to use an invoice from the Spirit Kit that I had purchased previous to my '27 I was registering. On current builds I am keeping all receipts and logging them in a simple spreadsheet as I go that way I know how much I'm spending, and before I go to the BMV for the title, I can edit the spreadsheet to reflect what I haven't paid Indiana tax on already and give them a copy with copies of those receipts.
Secondly, I hope you are buddies with a cop. If not, better start as you will need them to sign off on your ride--twice. First time they will need to inspect of the car and document the serial numbers of the engine, tranny, and whether the car is "street legal". This is why you want a 'buddy cop" -they won't hassle you about the little stuff that may or may not be "required by law". The second time they will be checking that you affixed the MVIN tag to your car and will run a VIN check to make sure that it is not already in the system.
OK here is the process (in my case at least):
1. Download the following forms off of the Indiana BMV site:
http://www.in.gov/bmv/2333.htm
a. Affidavit of Police Officer Form 39530
b. Application for Certificate of Title Form 44049
c. Application for Special Identification Number For Motor Vehicle... Form 12907
d. General Affidavit Form 37964
2. Once you are ready for police inspection, schedule this with your cop buddy. Have your receipts handy just in case he asks and also have the serial numbers of the engine and transmission handy because they really don't want to have to climb under your car to get it. He will need to complete form 39530. Before he leaves, make sure it is legible and he filled out everything that needs to be filled out.
3. Once you get form 39530 signed, fill out form 44049 and form 12907. Form 37964 needs to be filled out and you need to declare that "you assembled the car from parts sourced from non-titled vehicles that you own".
4. Get insurance. My advice is to get you car insured even as you are building it. Haggerty will insure your car even before you have a title. You might need it in the next step. I did mine through Haggerty and everything was done over the phone and I had to email a few pictures.
5.Now for the fun part. You get to take the completed forms, your copies of the receipts you want to declare for taxes (and spreadsheet) your photographs and stand in line at the BMV. Be prepared that the average BMV worker has no idea about this process and in my case it had to be handled by the branch supervisor. Make sure you keep a copy of all the forms you are giving them in case they lose it. They will take the paperwork and it will be sent to the state BMV office in Indianapolis for MVIN processing (In my case they 'lost' it from the BMV to the state BMV title office and it made the process much longer). While you are there ask if you can get a 30 day permit. For about $17, they will issue you a certificate that will allow you to drive your car now for 30 days which is about the time it is supposed take to get the MVIN paperwork back from the state. I found out later that they are only supposed to issue this for trailers, but I was issued 2 of them (one the first time and one after they lost my MVIN paperwork). You will be paying a few fees now for the application, but it isn't much.
6. In about two to three weeks, you should receive in the mail your MVIN paperwork back from the state. In this, they will have issued you a MVIN number and a form that needs to be signed off by your cop buddy again. The paperwork will tell you that you need to have the MVIN numbers stamped on the frame or on a tag affixed to the frame.
7. Have the a signage shop or trophy shop make you a tag with the MVIN that you will attach to the frame (I attached mine to the frame just in front of the drivers side cowl).
8. Call you copy buddy back up and he will have to complete the form they send you acknowledging that you have securely attached the MVIN number to your vehicle and he will then run the MVIN to make sure that it is not in the system (why I don't know).
9. Take these forms back down to the BMV with your receipts (and copies of your other forms just in case) and they will issue you a temporary title (permanent one will come in the mail in about a week) and your plate. You will need to pay for the title, plates and tax on the car at this time, so be prepared. In my case I didn't care...I was getting plates!
10. Go home, call your insurer and update the title status, affix your new license plate, and jump in that sucker and burn some rubber!!!
:win:
, asked where the ID number was located, which we promptly stamped into the tongue of the trailer while he stood there and he signed off on it. The affidavit he provided and an envelope of receipts to show raw material costs was all it took to register the trailer and get a plate.
So the trailer registration never changed. After just that first PITA trip across to Canada, we would simply take the plate off his S-10 to bolt onto the trailer, so it appeared both vehicles were registered here and that put an end to the border-crossing hassles.
