texas title issues revisited

[Howard Jones]

I am just about to finish a Race Car Replicas SLC. I currently live in California but bought a little land in Texas and plan to build a house there just out of the city limits of New Braunfels.

My question is would it be better for me to wait until I am living in Texas to register my SLC or do it here in Calif, then transfer registration to Texas.

It's not the money I am most concerned about but the difficulty. I know how to do a kit car in Calif as I also have a GTD GT40 and did that here under CA SB100 several years ago.

Should I just do a SB 100 again here for my SLC and transfer when I move to Texas? Can a specially constructed vehicle legally registered in Cal be re-registered as a similar type of vehicle in Texas and keep the favorable Smog requirement rule. I currently do not do smog inspections ever on my GT40 and no specifications are made for it under SB100 here in CA.

I should add that I have a SBC (sorry Ford guys) with a Holley and a roller cam in the car and I am SURE it won't pass any smog inspection standard. This would be fine here in Calif.

What do you TX guys think.

[SSSammy]

Howard, my opinion only, on your SLC ...

TX, as a default, will go by whatever the CA title says it is. I believe you never lose your SB100 certification, if anyone ever wants to take it back there. When it is being titled in TX you will also want to register it for "Custom Vehicle" plates. This involves the prior action of getting an ASE Master Technician to execute TX form VTR-852 (ASE Safety Inspection and Application for Custom Vehicle or Street Rod License Plates). And your insurance card must reflect that you are a replica of some vintage car. Then you will never need another inspection.

If you want to wait till you move to start the process, you can do that. See the adjacent thread (Texas ASVE Title ...) for the checklist. It takes some preparation. You will be titled as "2015 Assembled Vehicle, Replica: 1968 Ferrari - or whatever" you will owe no 6.25% TX sales tax on the purchase. You will have to figure out what you are a replica of, I think. Pick something similar that existed back when

Good luck!
Sam

[Howard Jones]

I think that is perfect for my GT40 replica. It was done under SB100 several years ago and in currently on the road here.

But..........my SLC isn't a replica of anything really. Certainly not a old car from the pre smog days like my GT40 or Cobras. And that is really my question. What to do with a modern design kit car like a GTM for example with a old school engine in it that will never pass any smog rules.

I have been told that my new TX County is a "good" one for this issue but if I might talk to somebody in the kit car community in TX maybe I could figure out what to do.

Again, I am after the legal easiest way to go. Not necessarily the least expensive. I have no desire to spend my hard earned bucks on taxes if its not necessary but what ever it takes to get it done legally and with a little bureaucracy as possible is what I am after.

[SSSammy]

I share your concern about the SLC not being a replica. I think you should download the ASSEMBLED AND REBUILT VEHICLE MANUAL and read Chapters 2 and 4 very carefully. On the face of it, they make allowance for assembled vehicles that do not represent an actual make. But the fish hook is: unless you register (separate step from title) as a "Custom Vehicle" you will have to get a 2015 compliant safety and emissions inspection annually. That's why I suggested that you just pick something.

The definition from the manual of a "Custom Vehicle":

A custom vehicle is a vehicle that:
• is at least 25 years old and of a model year after 1948; or
• manufactured to resemble a vehicle that is at least 25 years old and of a model year after 1948, that has been altered from the manufacturer's original design, or has a body constructed from materials not original to the vehicle.

I suspect you may be the first SLC or GTM to come along since all these regs were published in 2014.

Sam

[ram_g]

Sam is correct, however the statement that the specific location was a "good one" for this issue caused me to dig deeper. In fact it looks like Comal County, in which New Braunfels is located, is not currently an EPA "non attainment" area so no emissions testing is required. So if that we're true, Howard could follow the process to title a non-replica assembled vehicle and simply get a safety inspection every year. Keep in mind that airbags etc. are not part of the inspection program, so the car ought to pass.

BUT - there is a catch! To wit, EPA's designations can and do vary! Specifically in the case of Comal County, a brief google search shows that it used to require emissions testing until recently, and I even found a webpage that stated that the air quality was trending in the wrong direction hence it might go into non-attainment status again.

So the bottom line is that registration without the replica status (and hence Custom Vehicle plates) seems like a risky thing to do. You might be fine but you're entirely reliant on an annual basis on factors entirely outside your control. Not where I would want to be...

[G-Pete]

Ram, county does not matter. You get a TX title issued not a county title. The next step is to register the vehicle.
The registration requirements in some counties are different. BUT, only about emissions - nothing else. If you don't have the custom vehicle brand you are required to have all safety features of the year of your title.
2015 for an example
Active seat belt restrains
Airbags in front
Collapsible steering shaft
DOT shatter windshield double layer
Side impact bars
Back up light
3rd brake light
Side and rear reflectors
Padded steering wheel

...and this is just the begin of the a long list.

[ram_g]

Originally Posted by G-Pete

Ram, county does not matter. You get a TX title issued not a county title. The next step is to register the vehicle.
The registration requirements in some counties are different. BUT, only about emissions - nothing else. If you don't have the custom vehicle brand you are required to have all safety features of the year of your title.
2015 for an example
Active seat belt restrains
Airbags in front
Collapsible steering shaft
DOT shatter windshield double layer
Side impact bars
Back up light
3rd brake light
Side and rear reflectors
Padded steering wheel

...and this is just the begin of the a long list.

G-Pete,

I may have mis-spoken about the difference between title and registration because I applied for all of them together. However the fact remains that the OP could apply for an assembled vehicle title (with no reference to a replica) and then not apply for a Custom Vehicle plate. In that case he would have to follow the standard safety and emissions inspection protocol. For emissions, as I stated, it appears that they are not required at this time where he will be. For safety, I don't know where you got your list, but it is not what is stated on the Texas DPS site. Specifically airbags are not an item of inspection no matter what year your car is, and the list does not vary by model year.

https://www.txdps.state.tx.us/RSD/VI...nCriteria.aspx

05.01 Inspect Every Passenger Car For: (Listed in suggested order of inspection)

* Check for evidence of Financial Responsibility

1. Horn
2. Windshield Wipers
3. Mirror
4. Steering
5. Seat Belts
6. Brakes (system) (Parking - beginning with 1960 models)
7. Tires
8. Wheel Assembly
9. Exhaust System
10. Exhaust Emission System (beginning with 1968 models)
11. Beam Indicator (beginning with 1948 models)
12. Tail Lamps (2); (1) if 1959 model or earlier
13. Stop Lamps (2); (1) if 1959 model or earlier
14. License Plate Lamp (1)
15. Rear Red Reflectors (2)
16. Turn Signal Lamps (beginning with 1960 models)
17. Head Lamps (2)
18. Motor, Serial, or Vehicle Identification Number
19. Gas caps on vehicles 2-24 model years old
20. Window Tint.

Furthermore I once had a Honda Accord where the SRS light came on (due, as it turns out, to a faulty seat belt electrical connector). I was told by my mechanic that it was NOT an item on the annual safety inspection and sure enough I received a sticker even with that fault indicator on.