Titled, Registered and Plated The Jeep

Above, all the "toys" are safely in the garage. The spots on the floor are oil that I spilled a week
before and the spot under the Jeep is brake fluid I spilled. I had to devise a way to fill the brake
 system using a funnel, straw and duct tape. It got the job done. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Since the Motor Vehicle Department office in Gallup opens at 8:00, I got an early start to the day to get the Willys Jeep titled, registered and plated.

I had all my necessary forms all organized and was ready to go at about 7:20. Even though the drive was only about 19 miles, the Jeep top speed is somewhere around 50 m.p.h. I don't know exactly as it doesn't have a speedometer.

I had to take Interstate 40 west to the next exit, which is the Iyanbito exit, in order to get on Historic Route 66. Admittedly, I was a bit apprehensive about driving it to Gallup. The steering has more play than the Mustang and the braking system is, well, different. So I took my sweet time in getting there.

I arrived at MVD office at about 8:06 and waited only a few minutes before being called to a counter window. Unfortunately, after the clerk took down and entered all the necessary information, the computer wouldn't "accept" it. So I was told that they would have straighten it out and call me to return.

When I titled and registered the Mustang and The Beast last year, the clerk had to inspect each vehicles's vehicle identification numbers. Fortunately, they don't need to inspect vehicles being titled and registered if they were already titled and registered in New Mexico. They only have to inspect vehicles if they are from out-of-state. This meant can jump into "hyper-drive" in the Mustang when I returned.

After I left, I returned home on Route 66 and then three miles from Iyanbito to my exit.

I later headed down to the Flying J for our usual breakfast/coffee gathering. When I was just about to enter the Flying J, the MVD called and left a message. I tried answering the call, but somehow my phone was set to Airplane Mode. I corrected that and listened to the message. They said they are now able to register, title and plate the Jeep.

So, after a quick cup of coffee, I headed back into Gallup in the Mustang. They called me up to the counter window in about 20 minutes and we got everything done.

So I managed to get everything done (and the plate is now mounted), even though it took two round-trips into Gallup to do so.

The rest of the day was devoted to relaxing and taking a ride on the mini bike.