Can anyone give me advice on painting my blue and yellow <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comffice:smarttags" /><st1lace w:st="on"><st1:State w:st="on">California</st1:State></st1lace> license plates black and yellow? What color paint/brand etc ..thanks.
should read: can anyone give me advice on painting my calif. blue and yellow license plates black and yellow? what color/brand ect...thanks.
the cops will know you altered the plates. Im pretty sure the 60's black and yellow ones had 6 digits and the 70's-80's blue and yellow had 7 digits and if you are still gonna do it... theres already a bunch of threads on that. try a search.
Can you spell JAIL..... CAUSE if the real want to that's where they can send you Then you can learn to make pkates ....Yes they have differing sequence
here ya go palouka http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=472616&highlight=custom+plates&page=4
I've painted a number of plates (both painted & reflectorized) to look 'old'. A little secret here...Caterpillar yellow is just about a dead nuts match for California Gold. My local Ace Hardware sells quarts of Ace brand CAT Rust paint (but then, I am in CAT country). Ask around. As for going to jail...well I can't be certain of that, but I can state for a fact that if you get the 'wrong' officer (one without a sense of humor, taste, inventiveness) that he will confi****e your plate(s), it was a $100 fine (back in the 90's) and, of course, the tow charge since you now can't leagally drive your vehicle since it has no plates. That's why, whenever I do a set of plates (that aren't a restoration) they come with a warning of the possible consequences.
wow, California or should I type Kalifornia has turned out to be the LAST place I would expect this kind of nit-picking... Uhm, going back to the original post, if I recall correctly, BLK/YEL plates were three letters followed by three numerals...BLU/YEL plates were three numerals followed by three letters ... pretty obvious if the two are swapped relative to the original colors of issue!!
When you consider that there are currently 11 different personalized, 9 military (5 for POW), 24 Occupational, 18 Legislative (yes, that's 62) plates available from California, and then toss in all of the YoM (Year of Manufacture), gold on blue, black on yellow & gold on black ones still legally running around the state, I don't know why they just don't let you paint them whatever color you want (and long as it meets the contrast regulation). Heck...we should be able to paint them to match our cars! It doesn't take a genius to know if the letters are stamped or if they've been altered. I mean, what else does the officer have to do while he's waiting for the Wants & Warrants results anyway?
But what if you never run them on the street? What if they are 'show-only'? Are the 'Plate Police' now going to come into your garage to see if you've modified plates to hang on your wall? Lots & lots & lots of things are illegal. Anyone here ever drive above the posted speed limit? Make a 'California Stop'? Fail to signal? Create 'audible tire friction'? And those are just the auto-related ones. The list goes on and on. My take is...if you aren't out to intentionally injure or deceive someone else then anything should be fair game. Yes...anything! I'm old enough now where I can categorically state, 'this is not the America I grew up in'. Americans are becoming a nation of sheep.
It's only been "on the books" since 1959. http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d03/vc4464.htm Any more stupid comments about California?? To answer the actual question. Why not get a pair of "Black Plates"? Is the Vehicle a '63-'69(or up to '70 for Trucks)? If not,stick with the Blue Plates...
From what I have learned, in the past, it seems that it likely is ok if you restore a real plate accurately without trying to falsely change anything, just sticking to straightening out the metal, etc, and new paint it is ok. Changing the paint color would seem to be asking for it to me. It is somewhat unclear, but even just repainting a plate perfect original colors isn't 100% clear it is technically allowed but seems allowed for the most part. I would say just get a pair of original YOM black plates for your year car. They aren't that hard to come by. Whatever you do, I wouldn't try to put black/yellow colored plates on a car that is newer than the black/yellow plates were issued. That might definitely be asking for it from a sharp cop who might know better just at a glance.
I've done several plates for friends and customers thru the years with no problems yet . the ones on my car are the new reflectorized with the script CA lettering . Stripped off the vinyl covering , powder coated it semi gloss black and re-lettered it with the original style script CA in OneShot imitation gold . I might add that I just had my ch***is inspected by the CHP and they did'nt say a word about the plate . If the truth was known probabley half of our cars are illeagle, in some way shape or form.
61TBird...partially correct. All plates were to be turned in in '63 and swapped over from the black on yellow to gold on black (the last time, I believe, that California got it right). My gold on black plates have been on my '57 since '63 and that's where they'll stay until the state says otherwise (of course, I will have 'lost' one of them when I go turn them in so that I'll still have something to hang on the wall) or I move to another state (it costs $60 to register a vehicle in Oregon for two years!) Stude_Trucks you're correct. You aren't even supposed to 'restore' an older plate. If one of your plates has somehow gotten damaged (bent, torn, whatever) you're supposed to dutifully turn them in and get new, ugly ones. Everyone's done that...correct? Law breakers! You're also, by law, supposed to run both plates (front & rear) because California is one of the states that issues two (not all of the states do). I once had an officer ask where my front plate for my '57 was. I told him it was hanging on the garage wall because I just had my one-piece bumper rechromed and I'd be damned if I was going to drill holes in it for some ugly-*** plate (I had the stock holes filled when I got it chromed). He knew it was supposed to have a front plate and yet he just shook his head and walked away. So much for applying the law equally to all, eh?
Most cops have bigger fish to fry than to bust an old guy with the wrong color plates. A friend of mine has been running around with an unregistered black on his roadster for years. If you get busted just be nice and pray.
That's real nice, but I bet if you bothered to check, there are rules in all states against altering plates in one form or another. I grew up in MD and I can pretty much guarantee if you try that there you might be looking at some jail time. The CHP are a pretty friendly bunch compared to the MD State police.
When I was into VW's,I painted the blue plates black many times. Not trying to say it's okay....just that I used to do it.
Me too,Bob. The 29 roadster I sold a couple years ago had reflectorized Ca plates--painted them black / yellow letters. I WORK for the cops--they said if they run the plates and come back OK--they don't care. NOW---if you do damb-*** **** like burn-outs up your street,etc--then painted plates are a nice addition to an already healthy ticket. By the way,my blue / yellow plates on my 56 chevy are getting the black / yellow treatment right now------
Most cities in California are broke right now and writing tickets is a revenue stream for them. I am not a cop but work with many here in the state. When I asked a couple of them what their take is on it, they indicated that if they notice it, they will cite you. Writing tickets=city revenue=preventing them from get layed off. Guess it depends on the city and the individual officer.
Course, you could order some "show plates" and accidentally forget to put the correct (ie, legal ones) back on, which you keep handily in the trunk...right?
Very well said. I mean, I'm glad to hear everyone's concerened about the law and all, but seriously, if repainted plates are the biggest outlaw thing on your car, it can't be much of a hot rod! Also, as was already posted, lots of blue plates are 6 digits, just like the black ones. You've also got to consider the old cars are not exactly the biggest thing on cops minds these days, as long as you're not driving like an ***. True rebels you guys are...
I'm only 37 and I have been running around with old unregistered CA plates on numerous cars for 20 years with only one pull over.The cop let me go.
The newer plates do have seven digits but no one really worries about that. my 68 Cougar had the newer blue and yellow plates painted black and yellow and I NEVER had a problem. There were a few people who called me on it as they didn't have the space in between the letters and numbers like older plates do. There is an awesome thred by Stroupe Design on this very site. Use the search function on the top of this page. Good Luck, Seth BTW... My dad and brothers have done this to and NEVER had a problem.
The Jalopy Journal
