Projects What does a Model A weigh? Or fun at the DMV

So, before I launch into the 29 A CCPU project, I go to register it. I take my ***le to the California DMV and the girl says all trucks need a weight certificate. Even 81 year old trucks? Yes. Gotta get a certified ticket from a scale house. More weight, more money to the state. Shes asks for an estimated weight, I tell her 2200 pounds. The computer won't accept that weight, it's too low. What's the minimum weight it will take? I can't tell you. Well if that's what it weighs, why do I have to pay more just because your computer is not set up for light trucks? Trucks are not light. Have you ever seen a 29 pick-up? No. OK, I'll be back.
Going to get it weighed today. So I can go back to the DMV for another fun round of "Just give us money and go away". It will need a VIN inspection as well. The engine number matches the ***le. Somehow I think that will go poorly as well. I love projects.

 

Government ****s

 

And politicians wonder why we don't trust them. I would support a law where all politicians have to endure whatever they p*** for us. And no sending an aide to wait at the DMV.

 

TIP - Use a Certified Independent VIN Verifier. I can provide you with a contact if needed.

 

according to a couple of on line sources the curb weight for the stadard closed cab pickup was 2265. There is no way the load was half a ton back in those day, say 750. for a combined weight of 3035, add driver and p***enger to a total of 3335.
maybe 3400 combined max weight.

 

yep, skip the dmv and pay a service

 

yes pay a service,, there is a place on ventura bl its called cars , cal alternative regis, the lady is way cool and knows her old cars 818 716 8269 been there done that.....the last time i went to aaa the person was going to send me to the highway patrol cause i had 56 buick flipper caps on my 55 gmc truck she said i dont think buick made a truck ?? i said seeya

 

im a certified vin verifyer and i can not get you around getting your truck weighed .

 

l love the communist country of of Kaliforna, l visited once and l dont know how most people stand it. way to much poeple control by the state. only good thing was the hot rodders and the weather.

Later

 

I always use a registration service.

I think the last time cost me $65.00, money well spent.

The services know how to do it and when they go in to DMV they take a number of vehicle registrations applications at a time.

I am sure that the DMV employee only looks to make sure every appropriate box on the form is filled with appropriate information that the service knows will fly.

The service is your employee, not a government employee.

Many government employees aren't the brightest bulbs and when given a little power they get out of control.

We now serve the "Public Servants".

The last time I registered my Model A woodie with my service I had the registration and license plates in my hand in 3 days.

****

 

vin verifiers are the way to go. had one come out for my oldsmobile and it worked out great. only had to go to the dmv to turn in his paperwork and i got my ***le.

 

Tommy that contact info would be great as I have to reg my 51, 54, a late model truck and 3 motorcycles (1 built from scratch). All ***led back in Maine...I have been dredding the day I go to DMV to do all this plus get a CA drivers license.
Does anyone know if they need to verify VINs on both 54 car and 51 truck? What about bikes??
Thanx in advance

 

Now here in NY I would just bring in my copy of Standard Catalog of Ford, with a photocopy of the pertinent page highlighted in flourescent marker to give them.

 

California DMV verifies all out of state vehicles for registration. They mostly make sure that the VIN matches the paperwork and that it is not a stolen vehicle. At one time there was an additional fee for out of state vehicles, but i don't know if that is still in effect. On your motorcycles they will inspect both frame and engine numbers, so be sure that both are in order. Good luck. None of us likes dealing with California DMV, but we don't have a choice.

 

We have to have a weight slip on our vehicles here when we run them through the dmv. And I had to weigh my T bucket when I built it in Texas.
Pretty standard stuff to take it down to the scales, get a certified weight slip and go get the paperwork done.
The biggest h***le here is that you can't just show up at the state inspection office in Union Gap and get in line, you have to make an appointment and wait for a couple of weeks or more.

 

You only need a weight certificate if you're going to get commercial plates, otherwise, regular plates with do. DMV figures commercial vehicles are on the road more, hence the additional tax. However, if you put anything in the bed of the truck (ice chest, chairs, etc......) you can get a cite for weight fees due. It use to be $50, but that was years ago.

 

In Fla it costs $15 for the cerified weight ticket and the DMV gives you a form for the vin inspection and any,cop,deputy,Hp or game warden can check the vin and it costs nothing.You try to do anything with the DMV its best to have a good at***ude even if you are faking it.

 

Funny...... reminds me of the time I was stopped in my chopped top 68 chevy pick up, that had a GMC tail gate...cop said when we called in the plate, it said it was a Chevrolet, but the tail gate says GMC...that why we stopped you.....checked the vin to the regestation and let me go....

 

If you want some real fun -- try registering a microcar at the DMV. I knew I was going to have issues when I registered my 59 Berkeley -- so I took in some pictures and an article about the car from an old magazine. (My Berkeley weighs in at about 850 pounds.)

I still ended up with a "huddle" of managers considering what to do about the car's weight. (I'm just happy they don't ask for wheelbase. I think the Berkeley's 70 inches would freak them out.)

 

Has nothing to do with Kaleeforneea, big bad DMV, or any other conspiracy theories, has to do with commercial vehicle, so I ***ume your old ***le is a commercial one. The fees you'll pay for registration are based on the tare (unladen) weight of the truck- the heavier the truck, the more the weight fee. You pay a basic reg fee, the VLF based on the value (the part you can deduct on your income tax) and the weight fee, add them together and that's your fee for the year. If you want to register stuff like Rancheros and ElCaminos as p***enger, not commercial, yes, it's been done, but don't get caught with ANYTHING in the bed, not even an ice chest, you'll get a healthy ticket- my '69 Ranchero GT is "commercial". Anytime you change the type of bed on the truck you're also supposed to get it re-weighed, as it changes the weight of the truck which changes the weight fee- sometimes in your favor, sometimes not. For instance if you take an old dump truck and make it into a water truck, it's probably going to be lighter, and would cost you less to register- but if you don't reweigh and change the registration, get pulled over in your water tanker and the reg says dump, or flatbed, or whatever, you're in trouble again. If you take a semi tractor and put a dump body on it, it changes from a tractor to a dump, weighs more, and the fees go up. Pretty simple, not just in Kalli, no DMV conspiracies designed to ruin your day, all about collecting fees.
When I was a kid in NY and my gramps had trucks, they had a "TMT" plate (truck mileage tax) that went above your regular plate, and you had to keep a log book (not the same as the log book of hours driving) of all your loaded trips by the mile and report it, and pay a tax on the mileage- and if they checked, your reported mileage better be pretty close to at least half of what your odometer said, and if you got pulled over, your speedometer/odometer better be working, and you better have have your record book with the starting point of your load written down- we just used a spiral pad

 

Mean Gene427 - well stated and Thank You. Everyone just likes to jump on the conspiracy theory and screw the government bandwagons when things don't suit their purposes.

 

I am thankful it is not that complicated here. I think it stupid to have to get a commercial tag for a truck when all you are ever going to haul is personal junk. But I don't have to live there either.

 

also if you want , you can change to a reg plate, not commercial, and not weigh it, you just have to fill out a statement of facts stating you have a camper shell permanently attached....the girl i told you about can do this..............

 

Really, what happened? Give us some examples. And, we prefer (I mean dictate) that you kall it kommunism.

 

Register it as a historical vehicle to byp*** the DMV ********. Also if you have AAA, you can have them take care of your reg needs. The people there are more knowledgeable and courteous than those DMV gimps.

 

What's a state inspection office? Is that where you WA guys go for your communist indoctrination?

 

Indiana is pretty simple. Take in a bag of paperwork with invoices etc for parts purchased for a scratch built car (T bucket etc) and get a VIN number. Put the VIN on the vehicle (stamp frame rail, br*** tag etc) and have a friendly cop sign off on it and you are good to go.
When I plated my race hauler semi about 19 years back I had to get the ***le transferred from CA etc. Went to the local license branch and got in line. Ten minutes and I am sitting with a gal and she asks me about the value of the rig for the state tax. I give her a number for the tractor that felt about right and then low balled it on the trailer. She says "Oh, that much for a trailer" and signs off on the deal--never asked for confirmation of the purchase price which was about three times what I told her.

Roo

 

A city cop walked up and started writing me a ticket for parking in a loading zone.
I said, "Hey, waitaminnit, this is a commercial vehicle. I can park in a loading zone."
He then told me he 'knew this vehicle was a street rod', and therefore NOT a 'comm vehicle'...Commercial plates or not!
I told him to call a sergeant, or I would raise hell in court. Sure enough, a sergeant showed up, walked away from earshot, and came back and said "Nice F100, sorry about the officer's error." I said "Thanks, Sarge," and left...feathering the throttle so as not to break traction.....

 

Here in good old back wards Missouri you purchase your tags by gross vehicle weight. The tags start at 6,000 lbs and go up from there. They could actually care less what your truck actually weighs. I guess if you were in a pickup and they showed up with a portable scale they could weigh you and give you an overweight ticket if you were over the weight of your license plate.

They do have a funny thing you can actually put a car tag on a truck but if you do you are not allowed to have anything in the bed not a spare tire or even a wet bathing suite ( that is if you wear a bathing suite)

 

maybe this has been said?
can you just take it to a "certified truck scale" weigh it and use that as proof?

they did, or may still allow this in Michigan,, Ive built a few trailers and the SOS here allows this as a true weight for plates