Thread: Does this qualify as a Hot Rod?

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Time for another Tea Party!

It's amazing how politicians can be manipulated. The car hobbyist is such a small part of the automotive industry, yet environmental groups have persuaded government that hotrods and home build vehicles are such a huge menace that they need to be regulated.

Now I'm not saying that an any unsafe piece of junk should be allowed on the roads, but an individual building a single car for his own enjoyment, shouldn't have to meet the same standards as the original manufacturer that is selling tens of thousands of units to the uneducated (in automotive terms) public.

I think California's process is at least reasonable. Basic safety checks, brakes and lights, and a way to maintain some air quality without overburdening the home builder.

Originally Posted by Fauxre

...I think California's process is at least reasonable. Basic safety checks, brakes and lights, and a way to maintain some air quality without overburdening the home builder.

Having said that, I am reminded of a story conveyed to me when I did an engine swap many years ago. It illustrates the incongruity between some of the California Smog requirements.

This guy did an engine swap into a late '60 something (smog controlled at the time of the swap) Ranchero. He used the entire 5.0 power train from a '90 something Mustang GT. Smog regulations require all the original smog equipment from the 'Stang be present on the Ranchero. So he ran dual exhaust with two catalytic converters, exactly like the 'Stang. When tested it's emissions levels were way under the limits for the strict '90 something year of the engine. However, it failed the visual inspection because of the catalytic converters. Seems, smog regulations will not allow retrofitting a car with catalytic converters. Why? No one at BAR could give an answer. So the cats were removed and the Ranchero retested. It now passed the visual inspection just fine, but it pumped out multiple times more emissions. Failed, right?? Wrong!! Turns out it only had to meet the standards of the year of the Ranchero. Which it just barely did.


Go figure...

A really good looking custom.
i wouldnt call it a hotrod but who cares
that thing would make me sprain my neck looking at it at a stoplight.
especially once i heard the engine

Second trip to get the brakes inspected, ended like the first...failed. Too much travel in the brake pedal. A rebuilt vacuum booster was the remedy. Third time's the charm... she passed.
Back to DMV Thursday, then off to CHP for a vin verification.

YEP! Third times a charm! Glad to hear you're on your way! Congrats!!

Proof no job is complete till the PAPER work in done. Congrates

Way to go Wes.

Trip to CHP office was a breeze. All my paperwork was in order. The only snag occurred when I was told that the old vin plates had to come off and be surrendered. That meant a trip home to drill out the rivets. No big deal. With my old plates in hand, a new vin number was issued and a new plate affixed to the drivers door jam. The metallic tag has an adhesive backing, but two rivets are provided by CHP that must be installed by the owner. I was instructed to drill holes at the marked locations on the tag and tap the rivets into place with a hammer. The rivets act as anchors as well as anti-tamper devices.

newVin.jpg

One more hoop to jump through before DMV title and registration is complete... Smog referee inspection next week.

Originally Posted by Fauxre

One more hoop to jump through before DMV title and registration is complete... Smog referee inspection next week.

By what standards will they smog test the car - year of donor car? year of engine? whatever they feel like at the moment?

One of the many reasons I enjoy driving vehicles more than 30 years old.....no smog tests!!

Thanks guys.

Originally Posted by randyr

By what standards will they smog test the car ...

Randy, here's my understanding of what the smog ref. will do.

First he'll compare all my paperwork with the car to confirm I brought to right one for testing. Then he'll confirm visually that the car is in fact a "specially constructed vehicle" (SPCNS) and not an existing make (Ford, VW,etc) that has been repaired, restored or simply had an engine swap. Once he determines the car qualifies as a SPCNS, he'll confirm my SPCNS Certificate of Sequence number (sometimes called a smog waiver), which permanently exempts the car from bi-annual smog checks. No need to test it.
The only thing left to do is determine the year of the car for title purposes. The waiver allows the builder to choose between two options... the year of the engine or, as I prefer, the year that the body most represents. The ref will compare the car to standard models in their database. If they don't find anything similar enough, the default year is 1960. The Velo Rossa is styled after the '62 Ferrari 250 GTO. But I don't know if that car will be in the database. Even if it is, the VR's dimensions are considerable different. I should end up with a title of either a 1960 or 1962 SPCNS.
The ref will then affix a BAR sticker in the engine compartment with all that info including the smog exempt status.

Clear as mud, right?

One more?? Well. Here's hopin' it continues to go along smooth.

A newly issued/installed VIN plate is a beautiful site! Congratulations!

Made it over one more hurdle! Congrats Wes!

hang in there Wes, your almost thru the burocracy!