CA Registration
 

I own and am just completing a Factory 5 Kit and am getting ready to begin the registration process in California. Does someone have a step-by-step process I can use?

Also - do I need proof of insurance before I go to the DMV for the first time?

I started my journey, it goes something like this;

1. Take your MSO and all of your reciepts, for the big stuff, kit, engine, tranny and rear end, to the local DMV. Tell them you want to register a "Specially Constructed Vehicle under SB100". Wait for approx. 1 hour as they scratch their heads and nether regions. Give them your reciepts, wait 1 hour while they copy said reciepts. Wait 1 more hour while they call Sacramento to get your cert #, CA allows 500 per year, there is approx 450 left to be issued. Pay exhorbinant use tax. Take all of your paper work, and the little red tag they give you so you can drive your car whilst completing the process. Slink home, consume mass quantaties of adult beverages.

2. Call the local CHP business office and set up an appointment to have a VIN# issued and attached to your "Spec. Const. Veh./SB100" car. Call the BAR and setup your smog exemption test. Wait for 1.5 months for the appointment date to arrive. Go to the CHP dude, let him glue the VIN tag to the brace under your dash, nearer to the drivers door than the center of the car. Go to the BAR and let them run your car on the dyno, testing your smog for NON COMPLIANCE, get your little bar code tag and attach it to your engine compartment. Return home, mass quantities, etc., etc.

3.Take all 22 lbs. of paperwork you have accumulated over the last 2 months BACK to the local DMV, get your plates. RUN, do not walk, out of the DVM, jump in your ride, and flee to safety. Vow to do all of your future DMV business thru the mail. Plaster semi-perm grin to face, race to adult beverage establishment and be the local hero/gearhead and enjoy all the attention directed towards you/car from hot babes.

Hope this helps.

Dirt Cowboy gives a good run down on the process. However, some DMV offices and the Sacramento office will not give you your SPCN# until your car has a VIN#. It also is really helpful to make DMV appointments through their online appt tool. https://eg.dmv.ca.gov/foAppt/Welcome.jsp Doing this also allows you to get to know that appt. clerk who will likely see you each time you go there during your process. This is so helpful!

So you may have the following experience:

#1. First DMV appt. - expect to give them a copy of your receipts and MSO and fill out the registration paperwork & pay your use taxes. They will give you a one/two month windshield registration pass so you can go to the CHP.

#2. Call and make your CHP appt. You must use the DMV station in the county you live in.

#3. Go to your CHP appt and take all your DMV paperwork with you. Get your VIN inspection and expect this appt to take 1 hour.

#4. Go back to the DMV with your VIN paperwork and all other paperwork and they will process it and call Sacramento for your SPCN #. Sacramento will fax a copy of the certified form to your DMV and they will give it to you. They will mail the original to you in less than a week.

#5. Call the BAR referee and make your appt. You must give them your SPCN# at that time.

#6. Go to your BAR appt. for your inspection and take all your paperwork with you.

#7. Go back to the DMV for your plate assignment and then go for a long drive in the country in your Cobra!

Will this get you a 1966 tag or a 2002 tag. I'd prefer a 1966 tag that matches my engine manufature date.

In good old CA. a kit car is a "constructed vehical", so what determines the year of the vehical is the MSO . Not the engine year. If your MSO states 1999, it is a 1999 in the eyes of the DMV. The engine year is what the CARB goes by for what emissons are required for the vehical. Some of the most recent legisaltion might have effected this, I am not sure.

Going through CA registration under SB100 gets you a 2002 model year stating "specially constructed vehicle". They do not allow you to use 66, 65 or even the year of the motor or MSO.

Mary,
Thanks for your outline. This really clarifies it for me. Just registered my 'gray market' Porsche that had Illinois plates on it, California forced me to reproduce all the dot/epa paperwork, visit the BAR inspector, the CHP to verify vin tag in window agreed with numbers on the car, and they still spot rivited a plate in the door jam,
and finally be allowed to pay for the plates 5 times what they cost in Illinois. Being the 4th owner of my Cobra
all what I had to do was a simply transfer. However, I have another purchase planned and have no intention of
doing a tittle wash out of state, way to dangerous for me.
Cheers, daniel

I completed registration under SB100 about a month ago. It was relatively painless experience if you have interest in watching the actual human evolution process take place at DMV. You will probably be educating the person behind the desk at the DMV. Not to worry. If the clerk is not familiar with this procedure, have that person contact Cheryl Davis at 916-657-5836. She works for the DMV Compliance office and understands the process. I never talked directly with Cheryl but she sure saved me a lot of time by instructing local DMV office through the process. If you get stuck have DMV call Cheryl.
Best of luck!

Do I need insurance to start the process??

I don't think you need insurance to start the initial process. Your insurance company will need the VIN number so until you have been to the CHP you won't have that. You may want to trailer your car to the CHP or start your insurance process and ask them to insure it so you can take it to the CHP.

Philz,

You can have your insurance carrier cover the car until you finish the registration process. It is simply a short term agreed value type thing. Call your carrier. Best of luck.

Regards,

John

My Ignorance, Jargon and acronyms.
 

Please excuse my ignorance... but is the acronym; "MSO" = the Manufacturers Statement of Origin? ...and what purpose does that document have in the process. If I build a total spaceframe in my garage, do I write a statement and provide receipts for proof of just where did the Cobra come from. Thanks.

Jim,

Yes, you are correct on the MSO. "MSO" = the Manufacturers Statement of Origin. Since I am using SB100 to register my car, I really see no need for it. The DMV is looking for receipts!!!!!!! This way they can charge an arm and a leg for registration.

I suppose if you were trying to register your car as a 1965 model, an MSO stating 1965 would be of help. In your scenario, I have no idea what they would request. Hope some of this helps.

Regards,

John

CA Registration
 

Previous info is dead on. Two notes...

1) Cheryl Davis is a true gem - I have talked to her (nice sultry voice).

2) If the DMV'ers are scratchin for too long, have them refer to internal memo VR-2001-43. Don't ask how I got that... This memo will describe in excrutiating detail the keys they are to hit to make the whole thing work.

Dave
dshapero@houseofcobras.com

From NCKCC
 

SB-100 GIVES KIT CAR BUILDERS A BREAK

By Vern Hance

On October 13, 2001 Gov. Gray Davis approved SB-100 and was filed with the Secretary of State October 14, 2001. I believe this makes it effective immediately.

The bill gives clear authorization to register up to 500 specially constructed vehicles each year with the model-year determined, at the owners option, either by the year of the engine or the year that the car resembles. Once the model-year is established, then biannual smog tests would be required based on the model-year. That means that kit cars with a 1973 or older year model would not require a biannual smog inspection.

The place where I think it might get sticky is the part that says the Smog Referee "may require only those emission control systems that are applicable to the established model year and that the engine reasonably accommodates in its present form." I can see the possibility that some Smog Referee will insist that a 1966 Cobra replica with a 1975 engine must have catalytic mufflers and other smog gear. On the other hand Section 44017.4(a) clearly says "The owner shall have the option to choose whether the inspection is based on the engine model-year used in the vehicle or the vehicle model-year."

There will probably be some bureaucratic fighting over this new law but I see it as a great simplification to the hobby car builder. The people that won't get liberated are owners of late model Ferrari or Lamborghini replicas. I suppose it will encourage them to install older engines and it appears they can legally use this route to avoid the Smog hassle.

Anyway, it looks like a "new dawn" for Cobra builders.

We really owe a debt of gratitude to Senator Maurice Johannessen (a car-guy who drives a Viper, owns a '34 Street Rod and is building a Lone Star Cobra) for getting this legislation through the legislature in record time. The bill is essentially the same as SB-1811 that was vetoed by Gov. Davis about a year ago. The main difference is that it places a 500 car per limit on such registrations. We will have to wait and see if this 500 limit is reached.

The complete text of the bill is shown on below . See if you agree with my interpretation.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SENATE BILL NO. 100
CHAPTER 871

An act to add Section 44017.4 to the Health and Safety Code, relating to emission control.

[Approved by Governor October 13, 2001. Filed
with Secretary of State October 14, 2001.]

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1. Section 44017.4 is added to the Health and Safety Code, to read:

44017.4. (a) Upon initial registration with the Department of Motor Vehicles, a passenger vehicle or pickup truck that is a specially constructed vehicle, as defined in Section 580 of the Vehicle Code, shall
be inspected by stations authorized to perform referee functions. This inspection shall be for the purposes of determining the engine model-year used in the vehicle or the vehicle model-year, and the emission control system application. The owner shall have the option to choose whether the inspection is based on the engine model-year used in the vehicle or the vehicle model-year.

(1) In determining the engine model-year, the referee shall compare the engine to engines of the era that the engine most closely resembles. The referee shall assign the 1960 model-year to the engine in any
specially constructed vehicle that does not sufficiently resemble a previously manufactured engine. The referee shall require only those emission control systems that are applicable to the established engine model-year and that the engine reasonably accommodates in its present form.

(2) In determining the vehicle model-year, the referee shall compare the vehicle to vehicles of the era that the vehicle most closely resembles. The referee shall assign the 1960 model-year to any specially constructed vehicle that does not sufficiently resemble a previously manufactured vehicle. The referee shall require only those emission control systems that are applicable to the established model-year and that the vehicle reasonably accommodates in its present form.

(b) Upon the completion of the inspection, the referee shall affix a tamper-resistant label to the vehicle and issue a certificate that establishes the engine model-year or the vehicle model-year, and the emission control system application.

(c) The Department of Motor Vehicles shall annually provide an initial registration to no more than the first 500 vehicles that meet the criteria described in subdivision (a) that are presented to that department for registration.

Right on!
 

Additionally, there's an amended bill also sponsered by Senator Johannessen that removes the word "initial", such that subsequent registrations will be allowable until the new SB1578. If approved, this new bill will be affective 1/1/03.

Have Fun,
Randy R...

Well I started the process on Friday (4/12). I went to the DMV and presented my package of reciepts and such and I also had a paper attached on the top of the package with information I got from all you who responded to my original request. The internal memo VR-2001-43 could not be found in the books but I also included Cheryl Davis and her number and that payed off. After 2 hours I got my package back along with Red June window paper and SPCN sequence no 81.

Oh, I also got tasked with going to a Certified Brake and Light shop, which a listing can be found on the BAR web page.

Next stop is the CHP for a VIN.

Thanks all for your help
PhilZ:)

Did you know?
 

Did you guys know that Carroll Shelby played a key role in getting SB-100 going? So the same guy who hates replicas is also the same guy who helped make it easier to get your replica registered. Sort of a catch 22? ;)

Senator Johannessen also owns a very, very nice CSX4000 car.

I saw Maurice and his "new" 4000 last weekend in Redding. It was in the Kool April Nites Car show. He did have a big smile on and seemed very happy. I hope Maurice will come to breakfast some Sat. morning I'd like to treat him to breakfast.

SpecialK could you say more about Sheldy's role in SB100.

Terry

Ok, went to the smog referee today.
You DON'T need a brake & light inspection.
They ask what year the engine is, I told him my 1971 429 block was a 1966 427 which is what he put in the computor.
The title will say 2002 spcns, which is a specialty construted vehicle registared in 02' and EXEMPT. They don't give it a year like 65'-66'.

I got the print out when they sniffed the car and it is a GROSS pollluter:LOL:

Tomorrow 8:00 am I have an appointment at DMV to finish the reg and get my plates.

-Joe