[DeTomaso] DMV registration question for fellow Kalifornians.

Asa Jay Laughton asajay at asajay.com
Thu Apr 28 20:33:51 EDT 2011


Peter,

I think you're going to run into trouble no matter which way you go.   
CA exempts your car from the regular emission check based on year, but  
as pointed out if you get pulled over and told to go to smog nazi  
arbitration, you are screwed; you'll have to be smog legal for that  
year, make and model.  The only reason for the exemption is the  
"presumption" that the car is a collector and if on the road, it has  
been well maintained in it's original condition and should be no more  
of a smog hog than any present car on the road.  But if pulled over  
and there is suspicion it doesn't meet the intent of that law, you are  
screwed.

So here is what I say... (take it with a large grain of salt)


Make a list of all non-stock components in your engine compartment.   
Don't worry about engine internals, just list the stuff you can "see"  
on the outside.

Start looking up the parts (like at Summit maybe) and see if a CARB  
cert has been issued. If it has, print it out and start collecting them.

If you find a CARB cert for all the stuff on the car, take all the  
certs in and present them as evidence you've not broken any rules and  
all the aftermarket bling they see has been certified by the  
California Air Resource Board as OKAY to be on your car and they have  
no reason to not accept it (unless it doesn't pass the "sniff" test).

If you can't find a carb cert, consider a temporary swap to return it  
to smog legal.  Have a really good shop smog test it, then take it in  
for the smog nazis to check over.  When they pass it, KEEP that  
paperwork in the glovebox.

Then return it to "normal" <wink-wink> and go on with life.

That or start trailering it only, OR move to another state.

Asa Jay


Quoting Peter Kovacs <peter-kovacs at sbcglobal.net>:

> and would it have to be 'original' to do that?
>  
> Peter Kovacs
> 209 345-6708
> 209 436-2000 fx
>
>
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: Art Stephens <artstephens at verizon.net>
> To: Peter Kovacs <peter-kovacs at sbcglobal.net>; Pantdino <pantdino at aol.com>;
> MikeLDrew at aol.com; MACHWIL at aol.com; detomaso at realbig.com
> Sent: Thu, April 28, 2011 4:46:05 PM
> Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] DMV registration question for fellow Kalifornians.
>
> I remember when I went in to register my Pantera as a historical   
> vehicle, I was
> thinking to myself how do they know if it is or not? It seemed to me I might
> have been able to register a 1972 bug as a historical vehicle? My   
> understanding
> was that the car was supposed to have historical significance/small   
> production
> numbers? I don't remember seeing any clear definition as to what a historical
> vehicle was. So, you might be able to register any pre 1976 vehicle   
> as historic?
>
> Art
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Peter Kovacs"   
> <peter-kovacs at sbcglobal.net>
> To: "Pantdino" <pantdino at aol.com>; <MikeLDrew at aol.com>; <MACHWIL at aol.com>;
> <detomaso at realbig.com>
> Sent: Thursday, April 28, 2011 3:33 PM
> Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] DMV registration question for fellow Kalifornians.
>
>
>> Regular Reg currently. I haven't been able to locate the HV   
>> parameters yet. It
>> wasn't easily locatable on the DMV site. I was looking then 'life' happened.
>> You
>> you have info on it?
>>
>> Peter Kovacs
>> 209 345-6708
>> 209 436-2000 fx
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> ________________________________
>> From: Pantdino <pantdino at aol.com>
>> To: MikeLDrew at aol.com; MACHWIL at aol.com; peter-kovacs at sbcglobal.net;
>> detomaso at realbig.com
>> Sent: Thu, April 28, 2011 3:16:53 PM
>> Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] DMV registration question for fellow Kalifornians.
>>
>>
>> Is the car registered as an Historic Vehicle, or with regular registration?
>> You might try switching it to HV if it is not already and see if   
>> that gets the
>> Man off your back
>>
>> Jim Oddie
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: MikeLDrew at aol.com
>> To: MACHWIL at aol.com; peter-kovacs at sbcglobal.net; detomaso at realbig.com
>> Sent: Thu, Apr 28, 2011 2:35 pm
>> Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] DMV registration question for fellow Kalifornians.
>>
>>
>>   In a message dated 4/28/11 11 26 46, MACHWIL at aol.com writes:      >  > I
>> think you are in California. If that is correct your Vega was smog   
>>  > exempt 
>>
>> at the time the ticket was issued. That smog law changed years ago and I  >
>> believe it extends down to cars built before Dec. 31, 1975. I know my '73  >
>> Pantera is exempt.  >    Wrongo, Bud!    Your Pantera is exempt   
>> from periodic
>> inspection.  That is not the same as  being exempt from meeting the
>> requirements that were in place on the day it  was sold.  At any time, a cop
>> with an attitude can write you a ticket for  failing to pass his arbitrary
>> visual inspection, and then you are forced into  Referee Hell where you have
> to
>> demonstrate to a bureaucrat that your car  does, in fact, possess all the
>> required pollution control equipment that was  installed on the day it was
>> first sold.    That's the situation Peter is in now.    The Pantera's smog
>> requirements were fairly basic; a functioning PCV system  is pretty much all
>> that was there (i.e. no smog pumps, air injection  systems etc.).    
>> But if you
>> are running open breathers on your valve covers, you    are   
>> failing, and a cop
>> can legitimately write you a ticket.    Just another good reason to keep a
>> functional PCV system in place....    Mike
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-- 
Asa Jay Laughton - sent from somewhere other than home
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