magnusfeuer Posted July 16, 2002 Share Posted July 16, 2002 First of all: Sorry for posting such a Californian topic on a Brittish website, but there seems to be a great deal of people here who are in the process of building a Caterham, and I thought this would help them. The initial DMV session today went well! Just one hour in the monster line. The lady behind the counter initially scratched her head and asked what a kit car was. She then called over a more experienced collegue, who said "Specially Constructed Vehicle" and went to work. The paperwork I presented was: 1. Invoice for the vehicle. 2. Invoice for the engine. This one must be from a different company than the vehicle invoice. 3. Manufacturer's statement of origin from Caterham Cars Limited. Signed by Paul Newman himself! Imagine that he takes time off from Hollywood to do this kind of charity work. 4. DMV's Application for title or registration form. http://www.dmv.ca.gov/forms/reg/reg343.htm 5. DMV's Miscellaneous statments of fact form, where I just filled out the vehicle construction statement part. http://www.dmv.ca.gov/forms/reg/reg256.htm 20 minutes later I came out with a temporary operating permit and a request to come back with the vehicle for a VIN verification, which apparently can be done by the DMV themselves. California Highway Patrol does not have to be involved. During this second visit I am, according to Doug Liedblad, supposed to get a sequence number for the smog excemption procedure. Armed with this number I will go to my local smog station to have the car checked. This is apparently the magic moment where I can state that my Zetec engine is to be registered as being built 1960 and thereby excempt from all emission laws. From the smog check I will get a sticker and some more paperwork that I bring back to the DMV for the final registration. I was a bit nervous that the DMV would backfire and say that there was no way I was going to get this one street legal, but I just sailed through the process. Currently I am waiting for AAA to get back to me so that I can insure the vehicle and finally take to the road. That's it. Please mail me at magnus.feuer@cox.net if you have any questions. /Magnus F. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Area Representative Nick Chan Posted July 16, 2002 Area Representative Share Posted July 16, 2002 If only.... but at least the British summer is just about HERE! Yellow HPC - A 2.0 VX - teeth.gif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yankeedoodoo Posted July 17, 2002 Share Posted July 17, 2002 I also visited DMV today ( 2 1/2 hours ). I was told that within 7-10 days I would receive a "sequence #" in the mail and could then begin the process. A visit to some entity(s) to certify the headlights and brakes will be required ( apparently the state will provide a list of certified shops ). My DMV type called Sacramento and seemed to think that a CHP visit was essential, perhaps to check if the motor is hot(?). After that I must get an appointment with a "referee" through the Bureau of Automotive Repair ( BAR ); contact info to be found @ the DMV website in the "specially constructed vehicles" section. The referee will ask if I choose to be registered by chassis or engine and will do a smog test for the states' records. At that point I return to DMV for the final registration. A fine lad, kctaylor, who posted a reply to "ronbo" on chitchat has been through the process and would likely accept an e-mail with the true enthusiasm an owner should have for similarly tasteful lunatic fringe car owners like us. If you discover that my understanding of the process is erroneous please let me know, and I will do the same for you. Meanwhile I'll keep you posted as I progress through the system. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Peterson Posted July 22, 2002 Share Posted July 22, 2002 Please keep us updated on the progress. In Michigan we have fewer regulations, and I had little trouble registering my Seven. Cheers! Michael No officer, the wheel is on the RIGHT side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magnusfeuer Posted July 22, 2002 Author Share Posted July 22, 2002 Ok.... Things are progressing with the Kafka registration process. I got the car insured and went back to the DMV for a VIN verification. They verified the VIN and, after some confusion, called Sacramento to get me a smog sequence number. When I left the building, I realised that the new paperwork now said that I had to go to the Californian Highway Patrol to get the VIN verified. Damn. Drove like a maniac during the weekend. Failed to kill myself. After switching places on two cooling hoses on the waterpump, the cooling system stopped overflowing as soon as I turned off the engine. No other problems apart from this. Excellent. I think an Audi tried to race me the other day, but I am not sure since he, in my eyes, was just another car to pass in the fast lane. Oh well. This morning I set up appointments with the CHP for the VIN, and with the SMOG referee office for the smog check. It turned out that I needed the sequence number certificate from Sacramento before I could do the smog check. Earlier anecdotes has it that only the number itself had to be presented. I scheduled an appointment for this Friday since I should have the papers by then. The VIN inspection is tomorrow. That's it. I'll get back to you later with the results of these two adventures. /Magnus F. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesA Posted July 22, 2002 Share Posted July 22, 2002 Magnus, I am about a month behind you on my SV build and I am using a Zetec engine, would you mind a bunch of qustions regarding your build? As you know the build manual is rather cryptic regarding a left hand drive Zetec SV! My e-mail is acjroberts@aol.com my front and rear suspension are complete and I am on Chapter 7, Miscellaneous, but it looks like to me rather than start on the miscellaneous that the engine and gearbox should go in next. That and a number of other questions come to mind and I think you probably have answers having just gone through the experience. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magnusfeuer Posted July 23, 2002 Author Share Posted July 23, 2002 Jim, I dropped you an e-mail. Please feel free to mail me any questions you have. /Magnus F. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jam Mad Posted July 23, 2002 Share Posted July 23, 2002 great to hear you guys are getting on the roads, although i'm not sure where the AAA comes into it.. isn't that alcoholics anonymous ? check here for the website of a like minded petrol head on the west coast that i have swapped some emails with.. seems to be a good guy. cheers, j Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronbo Posted July 24, 2002 Share Posted July 24, 2002 Glad to see that one can register a Caterham legitimately in CA now, although it still seems like more of a hassle than need be. I wonder if some of this could have been performed at the AAA vs. DMV. Hope I see some of you guys on the road here sometime! I'm usually out during the weekends in Topanga, Malibu, and other local canyons (mixing it up with the Ducatis ) Edited by - Ronbo on 24 Jul 2002 02:30:43 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
venom7 Posted July 24, 2002 Share Posted July 24, 2002 I'm in CA as well. I have my '92 HPC and I'm currently contemplating selling it so I can purchase an Omega. I still have my Canadian plates on it and have driven without almost any icident. There is no way it will pass anything. so I too will go for the SV status. If I do need to. Otherwise I will just keep driving it, the way I am. I'm close to Santa Barbara if you are ever in the area let me know. http://homepage.mac.com/venom7/Menu4.html Edited by - venom7 on 24 Jul 2002 08:25:26 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magnusfeuer Posted July 24, 2002 Author Share Posted July 24, 2002 Ronbo, The first thing I did was calling the AAA, but they could not help me with the SCV procedure. They only do standard registrations. Yesterday I went down to CHP for the VIN check. Total fiasco since DMV forgot to give me form 124 that they are supposed to fill out. The officer checked out the car and said that he will have to rivet a "blue tag" with the VIN somewhere visibile on the car. I'll probably go for just inside the windshield on the driver's side. Tomorrow I am off to DMV to get the 124, and later that day it's back to CHP for the VIN check... Wish me luck. When I am done with this, I'll probably post complete instructions to this site. /Magnus F. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronbo Posted July 25, 2002 Share Posted July 25, 2002 No surprise the DMV screwed-up. I remember early in my registration attempts I was at the DMV over 4 hours and never did find anyone with a clue that could provide help or guidance. I agree that posting the process would be of help to those in the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomGaval Posted July 25, 2002 Share Posted July 25, 2002 You guys have it easy. I had to fit bumpers to get mine registered in Pennsylvania. Seem to have fallen off somewhere though. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronbo Posted July 26, 2002 Share Posted July 26, 2002 Tom I'd be interested in seeing a picture of a Seven with bumpers. Must have taken some creativity! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magnusfeuer Posted July 26, 2002 Author Share Posted July 26, 2002 Progress at last! I went to the local DMV office this morning. Kind of scary that they start to greet me when I get there... 45 minutes later I came out with a form 124 partially filled out by the DMV. Off to the nice officer at the California Highway Patrol who let me skip the waiting list and come down the same day. The officer had a close look at the paperwork and the VIN stamped on the frame. He then told me that he would have to attach a "blue tag" with the VIN somewhere on the vehicle where it could be read from the outside. State or federal law I guess. At least he could reuse the Caterham VIN instead of assigning it one generated by the CHP themselves. Two VINs would drive me crazy. After some discussion, we agreed on that the best place would be on top of the dashboard just behind the windshield on the drivers side. I removed the windshield and waited up front while the officer went to work. 10 minutes later I was called over to the pit and found my car with a little metallic label with the VIN riveted to the said place. I'd rather not have it there, but it's not to much of an intrusion. It is riveted directly to the aluminium without affecting the tube that goes nearby. I still haven't received the smog sequence number certificate from Sacramento, so I had to cancel my smog referee inspection tomorrow. The waiting time is 24 hours, though, so I'll just give them a call when I get it. I will get back with the final report. The car has now been identified correctly by two out of about 20 people who has asked me about it. It feels like we have some cultural education to do over here. /Magnus F. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokin Joe Posted July 26, 2002 Share Posted July 26, 2002 In Louisiana life is easy. About to build an all American 7 V6 power based on Chevy s/10 running gear. Build car as u wish Have receipts for any salvage(scrapyard) parts notarized have receipts for all other parts (for final value and that tax was paid on them) Have State trooper inspect that it is built ok :)and assign VIN Register as 1966 Lotus 7 (as they believe anything is an exact replica, so no emmisions, wipers etc needed) get inspected as a 1966 vehicle at the local gas (petrol) station that does inspections(the equivalent of an its got 4 wheels so it passes M.O.T.) Drive and enjoy!! By way of an intro: Born in London parents in Sussex now. back in 80 built a Dutton B Type (stage 3 spitfire power) which I still own although she has not been out of the heated garage in 20 years! (its a sentimental thing!) Finally decided to build a 7 but here in the US they only offer zetec. No offense but these motors are not readily available cost a fortune and have no power. So I decided to use Chevrolet bullet proof 10 bolt rear end, 5 speed transmission and a Chevrolet V6. Motor is brand new with a 100,000 mile warranty, cost from Chevy/GM $1700. Puts out about 180 hp, but without the smog gear, a decent cam, headers, manifold and carb $600 puts out 310hp+ car weight with fluids is 1370lbs so the bhp per ton is over 500. should be a blast as projected dyno gives a flat torque curve of 180ftlbs from 2000-6000 rpm. Frame is beefed up and a little larger to handle the power and engine height. Already planning on a V8 LT1 motor in the future around 500 Hp for about $5000. Would love to have had a "real 7" but with all the cheap horsepower available here their power train makes no sense. Best wishes to all...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronbo Posted July 27, 2002 Share Posted July 27, 2002 Magnus- At least you're another step closer. I'm curious about the smog requirements. Is the car exempt? Does your car have a Zetec with a cat? By the way, who did you order your car from? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronbo Posted July 27, 2002 Share Posted July 27, 2002 Joe- How hard was it to fit the Chevy V6? Any mods needed to clear the hood? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magnusfeuer Posted July 27, 2002 Author Share Posted July 27, 2002 If all goes well I will register the car by its chassis year, which will be 1965 or something like that. I will think I get the same year as after the original the kit is modelled after. Other people who went through the process could set this year themselves. This means that the entire car must fulfill the emission rules of that year, which were none. I will be free to modify the car and the engine as I see fit. All this is a part of the 500 specially constructed vehicles that are accepted each year in California. (I have #170.) There is a cat in it today, which may or may not stay. The car was purchased from Autocourse Inc (www.autocourseinc.com) in Laguna Niguel just around the corner from where I live. /Magnus F. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronbo Posted July 27, 2002 Share Posted July 27, 2002 Interesting. When I was trying to register my car back in '93 I was able to determine that the car would have to be registered as a '93, but the big question was what to do about the motor. There was no way to determine the year of the motor (1700 x-flow), and some at the DMV felt the motor could be no older than the chassis. Of course, some also thought that it didn't matter. Lots of head-scratching going on and no final answer. Fortunately I hadn't started the registration process officially, and ended up "going through the back door" and registering as a '63 Lotus. I take it you're comfortable with Autocourse. It's good to know there is a reputable agent in So. Ca. There used to be a guy named Joe Kelley who had a shop in Santa Monica back in the early '90's who imported kits. He didn't seem to know a lot about the cars, as they were still building their first one. I remember hearing that he got in trouble with the Ca. EPA regarding the whole engine confusion, after a customer couldn't register his car. Don't know what came of it, but his shop isn't there anymore. I ended up ordering my kit from Chris Tchorznicki at Sevens & Elans. Edited by - Ronbo on 27 Jul 2002 16:52:14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
venom7 Posted July 29, 2002 Share Posted July 29, 2002 I saw Mr Kelly a couple of months ago. He showed up to a LotusLA meeting. Seemed like a nice guy. I almost bought a car from Chris 10 years ago when I lived in Canada. Was just about to fly down when a 3rd party told me the problems of bringing a 7 back to Canada. This after speaking to Chris at length about the fact that I was going to fly down and drive one of his cars back. I guess he was blinded by the potential sale, so he forgot to mention that it would be confiscated at the border. Learned a lot about life that year. Just got back from Ventura. It was a good show, an amazing Locost(totally built from scratch) and I were the only Loti in the show. A few Esprit V8's showed up from LotusLA but didn't enter. http://www.ccbcc.org/show12f.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V7 SLR Posted July 29, 2002 Share Posted July 29, 2002 Warms my heart that you are able to register Se7ens in Ca. which is, in my opinion, possibly the coolest place on earth to own such a car. Don't suppose you've found a way I can personally import my K series powered Caterham in the event that I manage to move out that way? Worcs L7 club joint AO.//Membership No. 4379//Azure Blue SLR No. 0077//Se7ens List Tours Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magnusfeuer Posted July 29, 2002 Author Share Posted July 29, 2002 Ronbo, Check out http://www.dmv.ca.gov/vr/spcns.htm . New nice law since 2002-01-01 allows us kit car fanatics to get around those pesky emission laws. I only have the smog referee left before I get my plates. /Magnus F. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magnusfeuer Posted July 29, 2002 Author Share Posted July 29, 2002 V7 SLR, I think you are kind of toast when it comes to importing a newer car to California. I managed to get my -65 porsche 356 with me from Sweden when I moved here, but that was only beacuse it was classified as a vintage car. Anything built after 1973 (I believe) is more or less impossible to get in to CA. My company (WirelessCar) brought over a Swiss Smart (www.smart.com) and failed to register it. We got a temporary registration which expired after a year, and that was that. It looks like we could get Arizona plates for it, but legally you can't drive an out-of-state car longer than 10 days if you are an CA resident. The enforcement of that law, however, seems very neglected. I've seen a bunch of very unique vehicles with out-of-state plates driving around in the LA area. /Magnus F. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyB Posted July 29, 2002 Share Posted July 29, 2002 Hi All My situation is slightly different, I have a 1963 Super Seven that had never been registered. I went to the California DMV with the car, forms #343 and 256. The car was inspected (it only took 3 minutes) and he just asked me what I wanted put on the form!! I then returned to the DMV and they issued the title and registration subject to me providing a bond. The reason is what they call "defective title". Apparently because I hadn't "proof" of its age and prior registration I had to get a bond (like insurance) to protect the DMV from issueng me a title someone else may already have. I organisd the bond ($350) and returned to the DMV the following week and everything was approved and issued. The plates (63 SUPR 7)arrived in a couple of weeeks. There were no questions about age of th engine,smog etc. Regards Tony Bates SB 1761 1963 Lotus Super Seven Cosworth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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