Hey all, this is my first post and I have a qustion that I have not been able to get an answer for. I have found a 1968 elky that I want to buy, it's a typical 307 powerglide column shift combo that needs a complete restoration. Here's where the problem is it has been sitting in a junkyard since probally the late 80's and has no title, the owner of the yard said by state law that when he gets a car he must turn the title in to the MVA. I have been to the MVA and asked what I can do to try and obtain a new title and have kind of gotten mixed answers, they said I need to find the last registered owner and have them sign over the rights of the car to me and then I apply for a salvage title after I have that I can then apply for a new state title. This 68 is surprisingly solid and complete and I would really like to save it from being stripped or crushed and put it back on the road again. Can anyone help me find a way to get a title for this elky, I live in Maryland and the laws are pretty strict on registering used cars, thanks for any help.

If the salvage yard owner actually sent the title in to the MVA, then the MVA must have the title on file, stored or archived. Ask them for a copy. The copy will show the last owner by name and address. Ain't it a pleasure dealing with burecrats? Good luck!

That's what I planned on doing except here in Maryland we have privacy laws to protect people from having other people find out personal information about them. Well if I can't find a way to get a title I will go back to the yard and strip off all the good parts before someone else does. Does anyone on here live in Maryland and have a family member or relative that works at the MVA that could possibly help a potential Elky owner out. :)

Wouldn't the last owner be the Salvage Yard? He did have to buy it from the people or they gave it to him one way or another he should have been the last owner, legally. Or it happens like that here in Texas. Junk yards will "Generally" not take a car / truck without a title. Once you surrender that title you surrender ownership of the vehicle.

If that is the case there then just a bill of sale should work. Shouldn't it?

Elky Pete you brought up a good point about the junkyard owner being the last person to have the title and that the last registered owner signed the title over to the owner of the yard and they relinquished ownership. I will try talking to the MVA and see what they have to say about that, the only thing that might be a problem would be that the owner of the junkyard might not want ot sign anything because he says he is only allowed to sell three cars per year or else the state of Maryland will require that he gets a dealers license. Maryland will not accept just a bill of sale you must also have a clear state title to be able to register a car in Maryland, our state is strict about registering old cars. Thanks again for the responses, if anyone else has a suggestion please let me know.

I live in Maryland and the laws are pretty strict on registering used cars...

Welcome to ECC Wooderson!

I'm glad I don't live in Maryland. Here in Rhode Island if a vehicle is ten years or older you don't need the title to sell it or register it.

:mrgreen:

I suggest you ask the salvage yard owner to "donate" or give you the vehicle as a "gift" and show it this way on the new title application. I have seen this done when vehicle ownership changes hands but no money is involved. I saw a guy give his brother a car this way and it sailed right through Motor Vehicles in my state. Since no profit is made or money changes hands, this is legally not a sale. Any money you give the salvage yard owner could be called a finders fee or something else that he would agree to. However, I would put it in writing and get the salvage yard owner to sign it.

Okay here's a little update, I called a different MVA and got a new answer to my question. The MVA said that there is a way for me to obtain a new title for the 68 Elky, what I need to do is ask the salvage yard owner to apply for a salvage title then with the salvage title and a bill of sale I can apply for a new state title. The salvage title will represent a title so that the junkyard owner can sell me the car and have something to show some proof of ownership, but only the salvage yard owner can apply for the salvage title. So now I have found a way to get a title for the El Camino, now all I need to do is find the money to buy it and get all the paper work done to title it. :)

Thanks for all the suggestions they helped, but there is one more thing the Elky does have a rear license plate and I don't know if it is original to the Elky or not. The tag is from Florida and expired July of 1989, the 68 was built at the Baltimore plant but that doesn't necessarily mean that it couldn't have made it to Florida over the years. Anyway I was wondering if anyone on here is from Florida and could maybe run a check on the tag and see if the tag is registered to a 1968 El Camino, it would be the last unanswered question I have.

The tag is from Florida and expired July of 1989, the number reads as follows
EJX 76A

If anyone could run this tag for me it would be a big help, Thanks.