I was just thinking about this. I don't personally know what the laws are about these in Minnesota. In fact, I've never thought about it. Does MN have any laws in regards to chop height (windshield/rear window height), ground clearance for frames, scrub line, etc? I'm getting to the point where I can start fabbing up a mock frame, and I need to consider all the beaurocratic ******** when doing so.
I dont know about specific laws but I do know insurance companies are getting into charging more for things. I was at my insurance companies office this summer and they changed some questions they asked me since I put my old cars on. I have an old truck I drop the insurance on in winter and went in to get insurance. Now they have a form on the computer and it had a place it specifically asked if the vehichle was customized. I thought I wonder how much they can reem us for that or even if another form would pop up with about twenty more questions, I dont know. It was State Farm Insurance. I bet thats for the s10 type trucks and tuner cars but it would cover us to. Even if its an old car you just want liability on they will want you to come in and take pictures for your file. I had them do that for my 49 Ford. I even had to raise the hood. Those pics are in my file and it just has liability on it.
nothing for clearance, but for GOD sake, keep **** above the scrubline that you dont want busted off in the event of a blown tire so far as the chop goes, keep the dollar bill handy... thats a good measure.
I definitely intend to worry about the scrub line... since I am thinking of going with an underslung front for maximum "in the weedage". The dollar bill suggestion is a good one, and I'll keep that in mind too.
See, I am going to be getting a full appraisal done for insurance purposes, and I'll be alright with spending a lot on insurance. I get a great rate on my motorcycles, my housing insurance, and my daily driver right now. Spending a extra bit on insuring the rod properly seems good to me since it's a lot of money, time, and effort into it. I want a fair market value appraisal done to base the insurance on in case some ***** in an SUV cruising around doing coke in her truck decides to make my rod into a pancake.
I never had any trouble in MN with no fenders, headers sticking out or big chops. I did get a major ration of **** over in cheese land. I thought the rookie pig was going to tow my model-A, over the way my headers exited? I had full exhaust, with mufflers? This was around 93 and the ******* gave me a $175 ticket. Man I`m still pissed. I think his partner figured he had small ***** syndrome too, because he walked back to the squad car shakeing his head. I also was harrased in IA over no fenders and exhaust? WTF? MN cops have always been "thumbs up" Jason
I'd have to agree that Wi. cops are the worst. If you actually built a car to the letter of the law, it'd be called a restoration. For instance, they can nail you if your exhaust is anything other than stock. My '54 chev. rolled off of the ***embly line with an inline and one pipe. I've got a split manifold and duals now, but if the right cop wanted to be a ****, they could ding me for it. ****'s crazy. Last year at the Pile Up, I couldn't believe the number of cars rolling in with open headers! That **** would never happen up here. Worst part is, most of them are ignorant. A friend of mine got pulled over in a '74 Plymouth. The Plymouth and his '55 Victoria both have collector plates. The dip**** cop wrote out the ticket for a '55 Ford!! WTF I thought anyone could tell the difference between 50's cars and 70's cars.
I had my 34 up town today doing the hand signal bit... no fenders, open headers, a cop p***ed through the intersection I came to and waved at me. I've had trouble in Wisconsin with my shoebox... everything from blue dots to one plate to no door handles. But hot rods seem to get the same p*** has loud harleys... I think Minnesota is pretty laid back-
You know, you should have fought that ticket it WI man. Seriously. There's an apparently not too well known law of reciprocity that says that if your vehicle is okay to drive in your state and legal, they can't **** with you for it in another state. I ride cafe bikes. I build them up and beat the **** out of them. They're one of my other p***ions aside from old Volkswagens (don't ask. haha). In Minnesota we don't have to have turn signals, or a speedo/tachometer, etc. If I go through another state that requires turn signals, for example, and my bike is registered in MN legally without them... well... they can't do **** all about it. They can't ticket me for it because I'm p***ing through, not setting up residency. Things like being an "unsafe vehicle", or having a flame thrower on the back that could be construed as a safety hazard are another story... but equiptment and build regulations are not.
Yeah, our Badger bears can be *******s. A few years ago ,my brother was taking his '55 Ford p/u to Madison to store it, and got stopped by a gung ho young cop who wrote him a ticket for tinting on side windows. Hell, you see that all around you every day here. Cost him about $200......
gotta agree with Tucker on this one. . . when i got the willys to the point of "start, stop and steer" i took it for its maiden voyage round the block, and when nothing fell off the thing, stopped at the house, grabbed my cell phone and headed up Pilot Knob road (a pretty major 4-lane through the south burbs here) the thing had NO tail lights, turns, headlights. . . i was sitin on the seat riser on a chunk of plywood with no ****in door latches, only tied shut and if that dont beat all, a piece of 12 gauge wire strung through the firewall for a throttle cable i was pullin by HAND! i P***ED a MN state cop, who only smiled big, shook his finger at me, then smiled bigger and hiked up his thumb at me. (cause i KNOW damn well i was speedin, even tho i had only temp, amp and oil gauges at the time) and the exhaust pumping straight out the manifolds! no fenders, hood and a busted rear window in the cab. yea... MN is pretty ****in laid back and yea... if your ride is legal in your home state, its legal in ALL FIFTY of them
I think Minnesota has to be laid back - otherwise even more people would want to move away from there. Just kidding Gary 4T950 Chevy Guy
but . . . i DO wanna move away from here, and back to the land o cheese what can i say, WI is home aint gonna happen, but i kin dream
Over the years I've concluded that the goverment of Wisconsin does not like outsiders period. They rob you for out of state camping, watch on I90 & 94 who gets pulled over - very seldom Wi plates. And on a average trip through Wi, I normally count 12 or more state troopers enforcing their low 65 MPH speed limit on out of state people.
you're right partialy about wisconsin not likeing outsiders... but its not just the govt. . . lol as for average count of troopers "enforcing low speed limits" on out of state cars. . . i'd say thats WAY WAY high... in an average trip through wisconsin into illinois, i'd say i see about 4 to 6. . . by the way, i drive that trip 5 times every two weeks. only weekends you MIGHT see that many speed cops is high drive travel holidays, and then EVERY state has extra enforcement out personally, i'd love to hear BobK, Krooser, Bob Bleed, Louver Dude, Cliffy and some of the rest of the WI HAMBers pipe in on thier experiance with the wisconsin fuzz and thier own rods/kustoms
6" minimum windshield, rear window isn't required, drivers and p***engers mirrors are required...beyond that I don't know...really it doesn't matter since even if your truck is "legal" they'll find something to write you up for if they want to...
Tonight I drove the 34 almost 60 miles round trip... I ran into two cops, one at the gas station as I was revving the **** out of the coupe after I cleared out my water filled float bowl... and as he left he smiled and waved- the other just smiled and waved too as he p***ed by... it was like I was in a parade. We went up to Tobie's Restaurant and got a bite to eat... its 2:13 am and I'm back, the headlights, tail lights, brake lights all work dandy in the initial mock up. I RAN OUT OF GAS THOUGH... I wasn't watching my sight guage- haha... but I'm pretty stoked to be on the road. We were hoping that the rear end would quite down after it got used for a few miles... it is quieter but it needs to be changed, its on its way out. To be honest... there are no Hot Rods around here... I feel all alone. I was pulling though an intersection and one of my friends mistook me for a guy that lives around here with a 30k fibergl*** painted patina FAKE deuce... it looks like steel but its just painted to look it- He was saying to his buddy that dude has 30k in that car and then he was like WAIT thats Tuck... hahahaha...
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