Tracing My Cars History - Help Needed

[The Rebel]

Seems I've hit a dead end and need any help or suggestions. Now that FCA has been bought is CHS even running?

I know it's a long shot but need a contact as I'm trying to find what dealership sold my car in MI.

1968 Dodge Charger VIN XP29H8B265809

Just an added note, I'm not looking to find a lost car I'm looking for the history of the car that I own.

Past Research
I reached out to the City of Livonia, where I bought my car and where the PO bought it as well. They don't keep any records, tax, DMV...etc...

I reached out to the Archives of Michigan/Michigan History Center, then the Detroit Historical Society. No dice there.

I spoke to the Sec. Of State's office (they run the DMV) and they told me they only have records going back to 2006, anything older than that is destroyed. So I said what the heck & filled out some forms to do a title search and hit some pay dirt.

I was able to get back 2 owners ago and the forms contained his full name & address. I tried using Yellow Pages + other online websites but all of them you have to pay for the info. I decided to call the operator & gave them the info I had & in no time I had his number.

Bill and I spoke and he told me the below info. If anyone has any recollections of seeing my car in Livonia, I'd love to know more from you.

1. Bill was either the 2nd or 3rd owner. He bought the car in 1984 in Livonia for about $1,225-$1,250.

2. The car was original miles, I got it with 78,***.

3. The guy he bought it from was a toolmaker, named Jim who worked at one of the Dodge plants. Apparently his son took the car out & ripped out the exhaust system going over some RR tracks. The exhaust system was redone but the pipes went under the rear axle not over it, so he took it to a place called Dave's Exhaust over on Michigan Ave to be redone correctly. Talked to Dave but no dice there either.

4. Bill had Paul Hatton do the pin stripes.

5. The car was raced at Telegraph Rd.

 

[69Coronetrt]

A suggestion to make it easier for people to help....

Put a description of the vehicle in your text as well as the VIN or other administrative info. The only info of the car is in the very small and hard to read pictures. Plus if you type it in the text, search engines will find it.

 

[Richard Cranium]

The only info of the car is in the very small and hard to read pictures.

 

[Frank Mopar]

I would pay the yellow pages if it get you what you want. Not sure it will but you never know.

 

[patrick66]

In nearly all states now, you have to be the current registered owner of a vehicle to track down title/ownership history through the government. So if you want to track down a car/truck that you HAD, you're screwed. Post-9/11 laws took most of that ability away from folks. You could go into the CA DMV and get ownership location and history easily...back in the '90s. Same with the OK Tax Commission. Not these days.

Far as dealership info, the IBM punch cards that Chrysler Historical has on pre-'68 cars/trucks, have the five-digit dealer number on it, as does the window sticker. There are places you can reference the dealer number to the dealer online, you just have to search for it.

If you get real lucky, you'll have the original tag frame (common in California, especially) or the dealer callout sticker/emblem still on the truck of the car!

I was fortunate in that I bought my '66 Coronet from the original owner in 1980. So I knew the selling dealer info (Skyline Dodge, Denver, CO) right off the top!

 

[The Rebel]

Thanks guys. I've updated to now include that info.

 

[The Rebel]

Any ideas what else I'm able to do to search my cars history?

 

[patrick66]

Other than hiring a private eye...nope. Cops, PI's, wreckers/auto scrapyards, insurance companies, repo companies, financial institutions and government entities can. They won't look it up, based on your curiosity. There has to be cause.

 

[The Rebel]

That's what I was a afraid of. I'm going to see what my insurance company can tell me. Worth a shot.

Other than hiring a private eye...nope. Cops, PI's, wreckers/auto scrapyards, insurance companies, repo companies, financial institutions and government entities can. They won't look it up, based on your curiosity. There has to be cause.

 

[kiwigtx]

I know this will meet a lot of critique here....but I reached out to Galen Govier back in 1998'ish for details on my '70 GTX. After he had reached back into my pocket, I did get a reply and I did get the details I wanted. It took 13 months, but in all fairness, I bet it took a bit of searching through all his records of accumulated knowledge and documents.

I received in return a certificate of authenticity, and also an address to the actual Dealer that my car was sold from as new. I immediately wrote to the Dealer, and sent rubbings of my VIN, and a couple of photos (in those days a letter was the only way to communicate).
It only took a few more weeks, and I received a reply back from the Dealer (Grandson of the original Salesman) and copies of the Sales Order sheet, and the actual Invoice - which showed that the GTX was bought as a Trade-in.....using a 68 Coronet as the deposit.

Thinking about that Coronet now.... @69Coronetrt - If I can dig that info out I will send you a copy and hopefully you can match that up - or someone here might even own the car.

I am sure there are more people than just Galen who can help with the search...I only mention my own personal experience to say that it is possible.
Here is what the Dealership looked like in 2013...

Imagine how it was for me when I started reading the 'latest' Mopar magazine one Saturday morning more than 18 years ago.....

 

[The Rebel]

Thanks Kiwi! I've reached out to MMC Detroit so hopefully they might help but certainly GG is an option which I will definitely pursue.

 

[kiwigtx]

Thanks Kiwi! I've reached out to MMC Detroit so hopefully they might help but certainly GG is an option which I will definitely pursue.

Keep the faith...as they say.....the answers are out there somewhere...it just takes time.

 

[The Rebel]

That's what I figure because there has got to be a paper trail especially as taxes are involved. If I can trace my family's history back into the 1800's, certainly going back 50 years can't be that hard to do, lol.

Keep the faith...as they say.....the answers are out there somewhere...it just takes time.

 

[The Rebel]

No word from MMC or GG yet, not expecting one anytime soon.

Called Hagerty to see what if any info they could give me but they say they had none, I told them I was looking for any vehicle accident reports. I told them I wasn't looking for any personal info just any history on the VIN...etc.. Kid put me on hold to ask a supervisor...ugh...

Man this is infuriating as I bet I could find it myself if I had access to some govt database.

 

[The Rebel]

Out of curiosity has anyone ever hired a PI to research their car's history seeing they have access to govt records?

 

[Richard Cranium]

PI's don't come cheap.

 

[The Rebel]

Well with all that cash, he needs socks in that pic lol.

 

[1967coronet]

Thanks guys. I've updated to now include that info.

https://www.hamtramck-historical.com/library-2.shtml
Pretty cool sight to look around in even if you do not find yours. Good luck.

 

[The Rebel]

Yep. Great site.

 

[The Rebel]

Talked to a PI in MI on Friday, turns out he's Mopar fan. He did some checking for me at no charge and wasn't able to get any other info than what I had.

"I am not finding anything beyond what you already have for your Dodge. The Secretary of State Title History is usually my go-to, but since you already have that I ran the DMV database (registration & title by VIN and plate) and only find your record of ownership and the prior owner, nothing beyond that. The SOS Title History is the search to run, and matches what I can get even with our DPPA access. At the end of the day, the records do only go back so far no matter your level of access."