I have a '34 Ford Hot Rod that I have had difficulty registering and inspecting in New Hampshire. Town hall initially gave me a hard time with registration. They couldn't figure out if I was supposed to register as antique or go for street rod inspection. I got frustrated and just registered it with normal passenger plates. Now, for inspection they told me that I need to abide by all the same rules as "normal" cars because I have passenger plates, rather than antique or street rod plates. I have most of the items, but lacking fenders or a front bumper. Anyone else in NH able to inspect a car without fenders/bumper on normal plates? Or did you go for antique or street rod registration? Thanks, Mat
Here's the NH state regs: https://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/rules/state_agencies/saf-c3200.html. Sounds like your frustration did you in and yes, if you are a passenger registration you need to follow passenger regulations. YOU figure out if you're a street rod or antique and get the right plates. Also talk to your local AAA office. they'll know the scoop and who does inspections. If there is a car club near you, you don't say where you are, befriend them as well. Good luck.
Thanks for the insight. After the car being registered in Massachusetts for years with passenger plates I thought for sure I would be in the clear in New Hampshire!
In this case, wondering if anyone can weigh in on antique vs street rod registration. Town hall told me that a car can't be registered as an antique if modified. However, all I see in NH 259:4 is "a motor vehicle or motorcycle in its original condition or restored to original or better cocondition". Has anyone with a hot rod been able to get antique plates or is this line really a disqualification?
You might argue that it is now in better condition. Large V8 improves highway safety by allowing you to travel with the flow of the traffic. Having no fenders has reduced the weight and improved the aerodynamics increasing the fuel mileage making it more eco friendly. Anytime that type statement appears in a law there is no real way of enforcing it. What they consider better WILL differ from what you consider better. My suggestion is get the youngest DMV clerk you can find. You'll also run afowl with the cops since they will also have their own opinion of better.
Yes, exactly! This was my point when I was at Town Hall trying to get it registered. Although I forgot to mention the aeroynamic improvements haha! So sounds like it's a bit of a gray area and depends who you get. Unfortunately, with having to go to my Town Hall it's always the same 2 people.
What do "antique" and "Hot Rod" New Hampshire plates allow you to do? Here in Connecticut every rusted out 25 year old POS has "antique" plates.
I'm not totally sure. I know antique plates aren't supposed to be for a daily driver and more for shows and parades or something like that. But I guess the different types of plates affect what needs to be present for inspection. Like I was in Massachusetts before and if the car was so many years old you were exempt from certain requirements. According to the inspection station in New Hampshire, it doesn't matter that the car is from 1934, it needs the antique plates to be exempt.
Saturday, I saw two cars with antique plates and I could not accept it! One was a Camero other was a Trans Am. Both from the late 90's. I guess technically they fit the category but it is screwed up. I laughed my ass off when a 7 year old boy said, "That's not a show car, that's a Pontiac." In Texas, a car with antique plates doesn't need to be inspected. Maybe you should register it here.
If the VIN # is indeed that of a 1934, they cant hold you to a modern inspection. Only 1934 standards. You don't need turn signals or seat belts. Anything that the car was originally equipped with must be operational.
Here in Washington State the "Antique plates" get abused something terrible. the state allows anything over 20 years old to run antique plates because the plates were originally started around the mid 70's and Tri 5 Chevys were 20 years old. The horseless Carriage plates had/have a lot stricter requirements. Sad part is that every vehicle I own is old enough by at least two years including a 2002 VW Passat sedan. Still every state has their own rules and under this discussion only what goes on in New Hampshire is applicable. That includes jumping though smaller hoops some with or without flames to satisfy local regs on top of county and state. Meaning paying the tax to the city that isn't collected by the state and sent back to the city. I remember thinking that I was cutting a fat hog in Texas in 1970 when I registered my car there for about 15.00 rather than the 65 in Washington only to get a tax bill from the county, then one from the city and then one from the school district that made the total come out more than the 65 that I paid in Washington. As far as Macey's issue goes, it looks like the main difference between Antique and Street rod plates is that you have to have the car inspected to qualify it as a street rod. That may be to eliminate late model crap rods that are fenderless from getting street rod plates. Personally I would just contact the inspection station, tell them that you built it as a fenderless street rod and need to have it inspected and leave out the "when" part. Before that, make sure all of your ducks are lined up dress right dress and cover down. Go down the list in Section 266:113 and make damned sure that it complies with each line on that list that don't include fenders or hood. A lot of us have been in the been there done that when it comes to dealing with license clerks who are less than knowledgeable about anything out of the absolute norm. The license office I deal with here (15 miles away) is the best I have ever done business with, the owner is the best at knowing what is going on that I have ever met in any license office. He also knows exactly who to call in the main state office if he has an issue that he can't figure out too. Won't cut corners or cheat for anyone but he and his well trained clerks know what they are doing. The people in the city hall are often stuck with the job with little training.
Yeah I was confused by this too. They told me I needed to get seat belts and also windshield wipers. I'm like c'mon guys the car doesn't even have a roof, obviously not driving in the rain.
Yes, exactly. The problem was because they couldn't figure out antique vs street rod I just got passenger plates. Solved the registration problem but sparked the inspection problems. I think best course of action will be to go back to town hall with the actual law printed and try to change the registration type. If I can go for antique, being more than 60 years old = no inspection at all. I could go for the street rod plates, but one of the aspects of the certification process is assigning a new vin number. The car has been more or less the same for probably 50 years and has a lot of sentimental value. I really don't want to go and change any of the numbers at this point. It seems the crux of the issue is the town clerk wouldn't do antique plates because the car is modified. She told me it would need to be street rod or passenger. However, street rod rules state the car must be older than 1949. My question would be how would she handle a registration for a modified 1955 car? Makes me think the logic isn't correct. The problem is the street rod registration criteria does describe a typical hot rod. But I wonder if it's more that you have the option to register a hot rod as a street rod rather than mandatory? Curious if anyone in NH has been able to register a 30s hot rod with antique plates? I think this is my ideal solution.
You didn't frigging check the Street rod have to have list that I posted in post 11 before going for inspection? Wipers and seat belts required no if's and's or Buts clearly stated on that list. The minimum requirement is for one wiper in front of the driver. It doesn't matter if you are one of those fools who thinks he is never going to get caught in the rain in his hot rod even if it never gets pulled out of the garage if it looks like rain. Seat belt, I damned well would rather have my ass strapped down in the seat in any rig in case of a crash, I walked away from two helicopter crashes in Vietnam in 1968 because my butt stayed where it was supposed to be, I walked away from a roll over in my old OT truck because I was strapped in, I survived being ass ended by a garbage truck and shoved into a Johnson barrier because I was strapped down,, Had a hell of a bruise across my chest from the shoulder belt but I was able to get out of the car and cuss the garbage truck driver to the point he was scared shitless to get out of the truck. I don't think that fool had ever seen pissed off until he saw me standing beside that truck. He was probably still looking for his phone though. The "didn't come with" bull shit doesn't fly with me when it comes to seat belts.
Don't get me wrong, it will have seat belts. They were removed before I purchased it and I just haven't received the new ones yet. Wanted to get the inspection squared away to not worry about it. And no, that is the street rod requirement list, but the car is currently registered with standard passenger plates. So I went for standard car inspection, not street rod inspection. However, after reviewing that list there is an interesting point, 2 actually. To be a street rod, it must have 1) hydraulic brakes and 2) electric or vacuum wipers. My car is upgraded to hydraulic brakes, but being a '34 did not originally have them. It only has a single manually operated wiper. Therefore, I don't think they can tell me to go for street rod, it wouldn't qualify (going by original equipment).
Yes! My grandfather always said it was a hot rod and not a street rod. It wouldn't feel right putting street rod plates on it now
Are you for frigging real or are you a troll? after model T Ford era cars with hand operated wipers almost every American made vehicle had either a vacuum or later a electric wiper. Many up to 39 at least had one wiper as standard equipment and the passenger side wiper was "optional" That was cheap ass people bitched about paying for the extra wiper. The hydraulic brakes requirement just says that they don't want you sticking a big engine in it and staying with the mechanical brakes or in some cases just rear wheel brakes. If you don't put it down in writing some damned fool will try to cut corners on things like brakes. That list plus cycle fenders should keep you out of trouble with the law in any state let alone NH on the other hand none of those items make a hot rod a street rod, they just make it safer to drive in traffic. With all the idiots running around barely paying attention to driving Turn signal, two brake lights and two tail lights are just a good cya safety thing because that soccer mom in her mini van who is checking text messages behind you isn't looking for hand signals nor she might see one tiny brake light when you hit the brakes. That guy who hit me in the rear didn't leave a skid mark from the tires until after he hit me. There were ten rigs ahead of me on the off ramp waiting to go around the traffic circle so anyone paying attention would know that traffic wasn't moving.
I don't know what to tell you. The car is a '34 and had factory mechanical brakes. It has a single wiper on the driver's side that is manually operated. I have no idea if it came from the factory like that or not. I'm not trying to say what is right or wrong, I'm just asking if they can force you to go for a type that has specific requirements which don't coincide with a model year? For example, if it is a 1934 car with factory mechanical brakes but is channeled, can they really deny you the antique plate due to modifications and make you add all the requirements to get street rod certified?
In Virginia, antique plates means no inspection and it seems like it is easy to get for hot rods. My only experience is with a stock Model A, though.
The info you have is incorrect - in NH, you can't be held to the vehicle having seat belts or anything that it didn't have when it was originally sold. In NH, you don't even have to get an emissions and/or OBD test if the vehicle is older than 20 years. The problem Macey has is that his town clerk doesn't know the rules pertaining to this - and it looks like the inspection station doesn't either (which is common in NH).
Exactly. Thank you for the clarification. I'm stuck with the town clerk but I suppose I can just try a different shop.
Even with regular plates there is no inspection if it’s 60 or older. I’ve never inspected any of mine and never been stopped or questioned
I finally have an appointment with a state trooper the first weekend August... Recently learned that there are different types of state troopers in New Hampshire, some are basically cops... Some deal with the legality of interstate commerce vehicles such as tractor trailers and essentially specialize in making sure they are meeting all the rules of the road... then there are the AEI's those are the guys who give VIN numbers to salvage yards and such. They are specifically trained to inspect vehicles and if they meet the proper criteria, issue a VIN number on the spot. The VIN number cost $30. You can have an AEI come to your house in short time for $125 an hour with a minimum of 4 hours OR you can schedule an appointment with certain NH DMV locations and tow the vehicle there for the inspection, but appointments are about a month out right now. Cheers,
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