So if you are building a decent quality car you have nothing to worry about right? You have a right to build whatever you want however you want without exception. However if you want to drive this build on public roads, the public has the right to not have their safety endangered.
That is great, in an ideal world. But the reality is crap is getting on the streets everyday that you and I wouldn't be caught dead in (pun intended) - don't believe it? Look at the proliferation of Rat's on the road. Some of the stuff that used to come into my shop for repair was so poorly done, and many times by other shops, that it should be criminal! I had a guy call me about some frame repair on a 53 Chevy that had been done elsewhere and he didn't think it was right, and would I look at it. I said sure bring it on down. A few hours later I heard a crash out in font of the shop and wondered out to see what happened (it was a bad intersection so it wasn't an unusual concurrence). I was shocked to see a fairly nice 53 Chevy sitting in the middle of the street obviously having got the worse of the almost head on with an F-250 Ford. Just before the intersection, he felt a big clunk and the steering quit, well, steering. The frame had Broken where the other shop had "Modified it". Exactly!!!! I agree it is a slippery slope when you get the govt. involved on any level. But I also don't want my family or friends dying because of a bunch of crappy workmanship. I know that some states have yearly safety inspections that are mainly looking for worn out part or rust issues, but maybe they should be looking at crappy modifications as well. I don't have the answer, but I think there has to be some acceptable level .......
So a fiberglass bodied T bucket is automatically not a decent quality car, right? Because, according to the rules, you cant register one of those here in BC. I'm so relieved Big Brother is out there watching, keeping me safe from fad t's. Trust me, most government bureaucrats consider ALL home-built hot rods unsafe. This is a VERY slippery slope, and at the bottom, here lies the grave of the hot rod.
More 'crashes' come from booze/dope/cell phone/ADD. When oppressive Big Brother steps up like they are TX, you (TX) step up with that TX sized attitude and defeat the foe. Leave OUT the past/yankee/Alamo/immigrants (white boyz are ya know) and get some scholars after the code enforcers. And fo'git the 'succeed from the Union' jive......y'all ain't goin' nowhere........ signed, Damned Yankee.
Yes I do believe Canada is totally chicken shit about inspections. My friend just bought a beautiful 57 Chevrolet in Palm Springs and we drove it to Canada, Surrey BC, and went through the inspection process. First inspection failed because the U bolts holding the Axel to the spring were 1/16th of an inch to short. Supposed to be 1 full inch past the bolt and they were only 15/16ths. Second was the backup light did not work. HUGH safety issue I believe. So we had to install factory block off plates to hide the light until inspection was over. Major chicken shit if you ask me.
In CA, or any state for that matter, it's about doing a little research and making it work within the parameters of the DMV forms. I always come in with clean, typed forms and have everything lined out to make their side quick & easy. 100% success rate.
Exactly. When I worked for a storage lot, I spent a lot of time in the DMV and while in that line, I saw and over heard some of the stupidest crap EVER. A LOT of DMV problems can be eliminated before you even walk into the place. And for gods sake, STOP being so damn proud of your car, that you start giving out information that can cause problems. In a lot of cases, just shutting the hell up, will help your case.
[/QUOTE] In a lot of cases, just shutting the hell up, will help your case.[/QUOTE] They should post this over the entrance to all DMV's.
These two replies should be stickied somewhere!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We had a local guy go in w/o his shit together on a high end 46 Ford. When he started running into trouble was when he started running his mouth about how much he had in the car. So, they made him bring in all his receipts, some of which of course he did not have. Even though he paid sales tax on much of the car they double dinged him with the value of the car total and calculated his sales tax AGAIN!
Province by province, just like the states. BC sucks HARD, and I have heard Ontario is pretty bad too. Alberta is better, from what I have heard. Doesnt really matter where you are, you give those f*ckers an inch, and its just one more step down that slope. But hey, they are just trying to keep you safe, right? They are just loving and caring people, concerned about your well-being, right? This is coming from someone who has spent every day for the last 18 years working within the system. And as someone who stands on the wrong side of that counter, I couldn't agree more with the guys who say STFU. This IS NOT the time and place to brag about what you have done to your car. I cant count the number of times I have been sitting at my desk(I dont do much of the auto stuff anymore) eavesdropping and thinking "Buddy, if you know whats good for you, SHUT THE **** UP!!!!"
HAHAHAHA SCARY THING What an Idiot ,first I thought it was funny now I m pissed that some one would get on the road with such a piece of shit
Yea it's a slippery slope but its slippery on both sides. Beauro rats will choke everything without some restraint. On the other side of the slope are a bunch of mouth breathers with grocery store bought welders building cars. I think it's a fair statement that any conscientious builder likes neither side of that slope. So where's the middle ground? If its a self policed position amongst ourselves ... Well we've seen how that goes. There's a different opinion from every asshole and when you'd say "hey man, that's some scary shit" it's responded to with "who the fuck are you" and 1000s in the peanut gallery saying build what makes you happy. The bureaucrats would like to make every humans life a decision free experience. They like to get paid too so the more $ from the section of society that benefits from the bureau rats direction of choice ,,, well you know how that works. Darwin's theories and natural selection should have cleared stupidity from the face of the earth by now but they just can't keep up. I don't know much more than next to nothing about Canadian rules but they sound like they suck. Maybe there were a few low quality FG T bodies that caused trouble and instead of being selective exclusion they received a blanket exclusion. Make no mistake on my position here, I think I said it pretty clearly in my earlier post.
This is why I am so adamantly against any "Rat Rod" or any other unfinished looking car! Build something that doesn't scare John Q. Public. Getting a car registered, is not much different than getting one inspected by any other sanctioning body, you don't tell them about all the rules you've broken, you tell them about the ones you have followed!
This is the voice of experience speaking. Any time you have to deal with the DMV,(Department of Motor Vehicles) lie. Lie like a bastard!! Make sure that none of your lies can be proven to be lies. (That takes a bit of ingenuity!!) ---This car belonged to my great grandpa---He always wanted me to have it, but then when the old farmhouse burned down and poor old great grandpa was burned to death (If you can squeeze out a tear at this point you get bonus points--) The car was abandoned out on the farm, and I dragged it home to RESTORE in memory of great grandpa. If they ask about serial numbers, --"The frame was all rusted out, so I built this new frame out of rectangular tubing". If they ask you about colour, say that the great sandstorm of 1935 took all the paint off. Don't ad-lib. Practice your lies at home first. If they want a bill of sale, write one up. Have a friend sign it. Fold it up and carry it in your greasiest coverall pocket for 3 weeks, then dribble a bit of water on it where the signature is. Never, ever, under any conditions try and tell these people the truth. They all take a college course in "How to fuck somebody up who is trying to register an old car". If you are young and honest, hang around the crookedest garage in town for a while and talk to some of the deceitful old Bastards like me, until you've smartened up!!!--I know---I've been there!!!--BrianAngus----
Well, the idea was good, but all that, grandpa's favorite, burned farm. burned grandpa and the sandstorm of '35, it just goes back to, "shut the hell up". See, all that stuff leads to conversation and conversation requires thought. You don't want the DMV THINKING, you want them DOING. Like DOING the job of giving you a title like the other thousands of titles they gave out that year. Not THINKING if maybe a 50 year old car needs an inspection. THINKING leads to, "I'll need to get a supervisor."
Will any HAMBERS in New Hampshire or Alabama please call me?[/QUOTE] Hello from Alabama, luckily titles are only needed for 1975 and up vehicles. We usually get tags with only a notarized bill of sale and a vin inspection from an officer. I have got them before with bills of sale on paper bags.
Hello from Alabama, luckily titles are only needed for 1975 and up vehicles. We usually get tags with only a notarized bill of sale and a vin inspection from an officer. I have got them before with bills of sale on paper bags.[/QUOTE] That's great, but the problem is, sometimes the DMV treats that like shit in other states. I had a friend try to get a title on his '53 Chevy doing the Alabama paper shuffle and the DMV treated him like he didn't have a title. If it works, it's great, but when it doesn't, it REALLY doesn't. IMO, the only cure for all this crap, would be ONE set of rules for every state and territory. But, that would lead to more regulations and policies. As I just told someone in a PM, in about 10 years, ALL this old car stuff is going to be so regulated, you'll have to be wealthy or VERY well connected to play. So, if you're gonna git, git while the gittin's good.
Thanks again fellas...As with most subjects like this follow the money/litigation. Somewhere in the past a cobbled together "rat rod" came apart on the highway and hurt somebody. My plea to any politician that will listen is our hobby/lifestyle/driven obscession employs a lot of people and generates millions(billions?) of dollars. These people vote and pay taxes. Shouldn't every consideration be made to help this industry along?
Up here in Ontario, you have to play the game, and now the game includes emissions. When I started my T, I had, no ownership, no vin, no bill of sale. Needless to say it was an experience in the system getting things set up. First thing I learned: there is a very active/lucrative market for "Historical Documents" I did not go that route, I figured I would do it the right way and play by the rules. Second thing I learned: Start the process as soon as you get your hands on the vehicle, they will tax you at the current "value" and without a Bill of sale, well it was a fight. You will need to know someone that will do the MTO appraisal for tax purposes. Third and the most important thing I learned: Deal with the same person every time you go to the office. Even if it means leaving and coming back since she is sick. In the end it took, 6 months about 9 visits and around $100 to get my VIN, Ownership (title) and plates. It also worked to my advantage that the last time I visited was on a Friday afternoon prior to a long weekend. "Just give him what he wants and get him out of here" If you walk into the MTO and ASK what they would like to see, you will get a list of forms, items you will need to have. When you go back the next time, you will find you need more/other forms, smile, check your ego and walk out the door. Do this a couple more times, and again deal with the same person and it eventually works out!
That's great, but the problem is, sometimes the DMV treats that like shit in other states. I had a friend try to get a title on his '53 Chevy doing the Alabama paper shuffle and the DMV treated him like he didn't have a title. If it works, it's great, but when it doesn't, it REALLY doesn't. I understand completely, Not to long ago is saw a news article about California not accepting Alabama titles on older cars, there was a lot of screwy stuff run through here, especially years ago by people "cleaning up" salvage title cars.
When I read these registration threads about the states, where the guy is whining and bitching about how "hard" it is, I think, "wow, I WISH!".
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