And that brings us to this year and our PPG / STREET RODDER Road Tour '34 Chevy. Over the past few years, the fires of vehicle registration have burned brightly when dealing with specially constructed vehicles. Street rods can fall into this category when built from a combination of new or new and used parts. With this in mind, I thought it would be a good idea to "suck it up," as the saying goes, and follow each and every procedure to the letter of the law on how to register a car legally within the state of California-the theory being if you can do it here you surely can do it anywhere. Without question, there are no less than 14 states where registering a street rod is embarrassingly simple, and they readily recognize street rods, kit cars, and special construction vehicles for what they are: small numbers of hobbyists who are pursuing a passion wrapped around the automobile. Our cars aren't gross polluters, we are not ransacking towns, and the vast majority of us have spent very little time in jail! We can't-we have mortgages and grandkids, and retirement thoughts are creeping up more quickly than any of us would like to admit. In other words, if there was ever a hobby that reflected the American way of entrepreneurialism and the rugged cowboy spirit of the Old West, it is the world of street rodding. We solve our problems ourselves, or with the help of our friends, and pretty much stay out of the way of the rest.
I started the procedure by going to the DMV to pick up the required paperwork. Two hours later and a phone call to Sacramento-the seat of government for the state of California-and I was somewhat in business. There's always someone at your local DMV who can help you with registering a street rod or a specially constructed vehicle, it's just you don't know who that person is and it's virtually impossible (at least in California) to get to that person. When you walk into our DMV, you are handed a number, and you begin the wait. From here you are assigned a window to work at and at this point, let the games begin. (Yes, you can make an appointment, which I did each and every time, but that is fodder for another editorial.) It took four trips to the DMV, two trips to the CHP, one trip to a Brake and Lamp Inspection Station, and one trip to the Bureau of Auto Repair (BAR), and this was by far the "scarcest" of all, as they have the final say and a sense of humor apparently isn't part of their job description. Viola! Our '34 Chevy has a VIN number, license plates, and a vehicle registration, along with a Certificate of Ownership (pink slip).
Here's what I should have done. I should have started the process at my local California Highway Patrol-for me that would be Officer Scott Smith, the VIN officer at the Santa Ana branch. He is not only the keeper of the blue tags (assigned vehicle identification number plate, which consist of one for the body and one for the frame), but he can direct you to DMVs where he knows there are individuals who can help you through the process. While my exploits took over three months, the fact remains I could have done all of this in two weeks with appointments made ahead of time, forms downloaded from the state of California Web site (except one you must get from the DMV in person: Reg. 124 Application for Assigned Vehicle identification Number Plate), and street rod in hand.
The moral to this story: Yes, you can legally register a brand-new street rod in the state of California (or any state). Yes, there are regulations you must follow. Yes, there are a handful of forms to fill out, and, yes, California did "lighten" our corporate wallet. In the end, we are driving a fully legal street rod, and that is the point.