I was at the coast a couple months ago and saw an older car with yellow and black plates...thing is the plates were newer style plates...I asked at the DMV if they had some specialty plates that looked like old plates...they said no. so I am assuming the guy painted them to look older at a glance...I am also assuming this is illegal as all hell too...right? Have any of you seen anything like this? is it common? and no...I am not considering doing it...I get stressed enough when cops get behind me. I don't need the added pressure of having illegal plates.
what exactly do you mean by newer style..?? technically it is illegal to paint your plates a different color, but if you search, this was brought up, in detail, not too very long ago... like 2 or 3 months tops..???
saw the one older post about restoring a plate...this was a newer plate...the one with california in cursive...painted yellow with black lettering...to me this just screams pull me over...
I'd have to say it would be illegal. I think you could get away with it if it was the very early blue style, with three letters and three numbers and painted it to look like the 60's black plates. I may do that to mine because I've been SOL finding a '52 plate for less then $150. But I wouldn't mess with the new ones, I'm sure it'd be defacing gov'ment property, because I think they technicly own the plates?
I restored my original '49 plates, but I can't imagine why anyone would want to paint the new plates in the old colors???? In Texas, the new plates are even a different size than the old plates.... HC
Most of the new Texas plates are not even stamped, they are painted...When they first came out a few years ago, I started pulling cars over cuz I thought they had fake plates...We learn something everyday... JP
i ran this one on my 50 Chevy a couple years ago. never got hassled. a friend of mine has painted his plates to mach his hot rods for YEARS and never had anyone say a thing about it. they were usually old plates the same year as whatever car it was on though. mine was a new plate. it prolly depends on your area and the cop that stops you.
Some states don't require a front plate, but Texas does. In other states, you can put whatever you want on the front, as long as the rear plate is legit...I personally wouldn't stop any kind of rod for just a LP violation(other than to check out the ride)... JP
Yes it is illegal in california to paint your plates. But there are people that do it. I have never heard of anyone personally getting into any trouble, but it is not smart. Main reason I believe they are so strict on using older plates and painting new ones is because the newer plates are refectorized, safety..... Yes someone else is always worried about your safety. And its easier for them to read if they want to give you a hard time or send you a ticket via snail mail.
Since we're on the topic, if by some freak chance I find a decent set of 51 plates, can I make a 52 tag for it? Or does that have to be origional too?
Oh yeah, heres an action for two of them Lotus, how much you think his reserve is for? Probably more then we'd want to know. But if you bought them, depending on his price, I'd buy the other one. But I figure he probably wants more then either of us can afford. eGay plates
HC, did you hand paint the numbers? I tried using a shallow pan of paint and pressing the plate into it to pick out the letters, but so far that hasn't worked. Any tips? Gotcha, I wish you'd have a chat with the Highway patrol around Meridian and clifton. I must have gotten pulled over 5-6 times for no front plate. Never a ticket though.
here's a tip: let's say you've got a plate with black numbers on a yellow field. paint the entire plate black, let it dry for a week or so, then shoot it with yellow. before it hardens, wipe off each number/letter with paint thinner, mineral spirits, etc. with a Q-Tip, exposing the black underneath. done.
thanks I'll try those methods out. Unfortunately I probably can't get away with running the plates but they were original '68 plates from when the car was last registered.
i painted the entire paint with my red/orange/yellow fade. let it dry a couple days then put masking tape over the letters. then i tok my exacto knife and cut around the letters. remove the tape thats not on the letters and paint your background color. a little tedius on the small letters but it turned out great.
First, I painted the entire plate Krylon School Bus Yellow. Then, I actually did the letters/numbers with a black paint pen. Took about 3 minutes to spray... 30 minutes to dry and about 15 minutes to do the letters... Finish it all off with a couple of coats of clear.. Fo shizzle.... HC
[ QUOTE ] Since we're on the topic, if by some freak chance I find a decent set of 51 plates, can I make a 52 tag for it? Or does that have to be origional too? [/ QUOTE ] Check out Pomona and the Long Beach Vet's Swapmeets. they always have a few guys selling both restored and unrestored plate for just about every year of car. they have been cleared to register as well. though they are not cheap, they are usually cheaper than e-bay
With the exception of Cali, every place I'v lived did'nt bother the hot rod guys....unless of course you get stupid while driving!
[ QUOTE ] Check out Pomona and the Long Beach Vet's Swapmeets. they always have a few guys selling both restored and unrestored plate for just about every year of car. they have been cleared to register as well. though they are not cheap, they are usually cheaper than e-bay [/ QUOTE ] Thanks, I will, but if I ever own a 56, man I'd be in luck, I seem find them everywhere for pretty reasonable!
REV...In the 4 years I've been doing my job, I only wrote 1 hard copy for no front tag, and that was cuz the guy was a jack ass...It's kinda a stupid law, and only for good PC in the middle of the night... JP
I've been driving the car with out a front plate for as long as I've had it. It only had one plate, and I wasn't about to tell the DMV that so they would give me the new ones. At least I can just tell the officer I bought it this way, and play blonde. But I've only been puled over once, in Oceanside, which is the crime capital of north San Diego county. And the the offense, you ask...... dice hanging from the rear view mirror!! Didn't get a ticket, but I thought it was kinda fucked.
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