register a homemade vehicle?

[NintendoKD]

I was wondering how to register a homemade vehicle, how to go about it, registration? smog? safety inspection? how much money does this cost? is it worth it to do this?  guys with ond skool dubs buggies may be able to chime in here.  Sandrail type frame, with a kit car style body.  Vin?  I got nothin here, not even sure how to ask google on this one.   I want to make my half spyder half turbolader diesel franken car a " KIT " car *wink wink* how to do it?  do I have to register for off road use only, and/or track use only?  I am active duty military and can register in my home state of VA, so I don't think it will be a problem with registration, just perhaps an intelectual challenge.

thanks guys,

Kevin

[truckinwagen]

registering a homemade car is very hard, even up here in AK, where there are no safety inspections.

it is best to have a "donor" vehicle, to use the vin from.
it would probably be easiest to use the vin from the car used for the motor, or the frame.
as long as the car whose vin is used never makes it to the street other than your car.

-Owen

[745 turbogreasel]

Just fill out the forms...
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/vr/spcnsreg.htm

[lovinthedeez]

when I part out cars, I usually end up selling the title and the vin plate off the dash for what I'm sure is this very reason.  works fine in a state like oregon.  you should see the stuff driving around sw oregon.   

[NintendoKD]

I don't have a vin for the vw, the engine is either from a quantum or a rabbit.  I have a vin for the spyder, however, it is a salvage title, rebuilt.  I do, however, have a 78' rabbit vin, from a dash restoration I am currently working on.  Hmm....... seems that this is easier than I thought I know some guys in the CHP, and the original frame is good, after paint and the body kit I will use the car would be almost unrecognizable.  Whe I took the badges off, most people didn't know what kind of car it was anyway.

thanks guys,

Kevin

[bajacalal]

California has a procedure to register a specially constructed custom vehicle and decide what smog regime you want to be under:

Per California Vehicle Code §4750.1, the first 500 program applicants in each calendar year may choose whether the inspection is based on the model-year of the engine used in the vehicle or the vehicle model-year. If the engine or the vehicle does not sufficiently resemble one previously manufactured, the referee will assign 1960 as the model-year.

The 500 person quota for this is usually filled on the morning of the first business day of each year.

A specially constructed vehicle (SPCNS) does not include a vehicle that has been repaired or restored to its original design by replacing parts or a vehicle modified from its original design.

Example: A Volkswagen "Beetle" with modified fenders, engine compartment lid, and front end, but still recognizable as a Volkswagen is not considered a specially constructed vehicle.

If your using a Spyder chassis that is still mostly intact and just modifying the body, suspension and replacing the engine, I think you should be fine. About the engine...
You can put a completely different engine in a car and California will be totally fine with it as long as certain criteria are met:
- The engine has to be newer than the original vehicle or from the same year. You can put something from an '83 into a '78 car, even if the manufacturers are different.
- The engine has to have all the smog reducing equipment that it came with in the original installation. It also can't have anything on it that isn't CARB approved equipment (no aftermarket high performance air intakes unless they are approved).
- The engine and car have to be from the same or lower vehicle weight class. This means you can't put a truck engine into a car. This is a car engine so you should be fine.
- This has to be a road vehicle engine, no Volvo-Penta marine engines, ok.
- I also think if it was a manual trans car you have to stick with an engine that came with manuals.
These are all federal laws btw, but only California really bothers to enforce them.
Then you get referred to a special inspector "referee" who looks at your project to verify compliance and gives you a sticker that gives the smog check stations instructions on how to check your car. This will not be relevant to a diesel but if everything is done right you will get a sticker that says what type of engine you have and that it's legit.

Or you could register it in VA since you are legally allowed to live full time in CA and register a car out of state, if you are in the military. The advantage California gives you is that they don't really care what you do to your car as long as the smog requirements are met. There are no annual safety inspections.

[catlin_cava]

I have a Title and Vin tag for a 97 VW Golf

[Rabbit on Roids]

arent you just going to put a diesel in an MR2? isnt it still going to look like an mr2? why would you have to tell the dmv anything is different if it still looks like an mr2? its not like you are putting a mr2 chassis under a rabbit or something. i just dont get what you are asking is all. why would you need to switch anything? its still going to be 99% toyota, just powered by vw.

[NintendoKD]

Salvage title bro, insurance issues are the bigget reason why I don't keep the spyder vin code.  I originally wanted to make it just a track car with a 1zzfe low static comp. motor and a twin charged setup, but gears have changed and I am going a different route.  The vin for the spyder is a salvage vin, shows up as a salvage title no matter where it is registered.  the engine is from an as of, unknown early turbo diesel 1.6 from either a quantum or rabbit.  I can use a vin tag I have from the 78' bunny that I do have, thanks .  The problem is that the engine is older and the car is newer, so I gess that I cannot register it in Cali, unless I know someone.  I really don't want it to be registered in Cali, because I am tired giving my hard earned cash to grubby handed liberals , that and he registration in cali is hella expensive.  I plan to go to VA to renew my license, it has to be done this way even for active duty because of 9-11 and new Identification security standards in the commonwealth.  Quesion?  The inspector doesn't know my car from a hole in the ground, it will be badgeless, have lambo doors, a roll cage and all sorts of aftermarket parts, "undercarriage bracing etc." so how will he know that it isn't a say "custom manufactured engine of the diesel variety "  htere has got to be a way around this, I don't want to break the law, just bend the rules a bit.  The diesel will be exempt from smog for the most part, and tht is the other reason for doing this.  The engine weighs in at about 25 lbs more dry than the other engine so the power to weight ratio shouldn't be off by much.  The setup wil no doubt have it's challenges, such as mounting, and how to do I/P mods, as the I/P will be facing the firewall "I'm thinking along the lines of adding a trap door to the firewall for adjustments.  The final piece of the puzzle is which tranny to go with still up in the air at this point, I want it to be quick, but stil suitable or "decent" fuell economy, and easy highway driving "for meets"

[bajacalal]

While helping a friend with his swap, I met the "smog referee" in my area that handles the engine swap legalization. They DO know their stuff! They are not regular DMV employees, this guy was like a retired automotive trade school teacher that did these inspections one saturday a month at the campus of a community college. He could tell you how to distinguish a between a Chevy 305 and a 350 and tell you what fuel injection system and smog equipment each engine came with in a late 80s Camaro. That said, I have heard of people that just went into the DMV and said "hey I changed my engine to the diesel model, can you change it on my registration to say "diesel." and they did it no questions asked. I have not been able corroborate any of these stories though but they were probably on pickup trucks anyway.

They will not care about any safety issues of the suspension, etc. That is the CHP. If you have to go the route of registering a "specially constructed" vehicle or register a salvage vehicle for the first time there is a one time CHP inspection but beyond that California really does not care if your car is unsafe. The police can give you a citation for driving something un-roadworthy but it is rare for them to do this compared to other states imo.

The problem with saying it is a custom manufactured engine of the diesel variety is that unless you are one of the first 500 people each year who get to decide how they want to register their specially built car, they will consider your engine to be made in 2010 and subject to all 2010 smog requirements which are stricter. You could put a newer engine in an older car or somehow your VW diesel and Toyota MR2 both turned out to be made in 1985.  My Golf has a turbo diesel engine from a Jetta swapped in. Both are from 1985 (really).

Since this isn't a daily driver anyway, why don't you just go with some low-ball insurance agency and get the cheap, highest deductable, civil liability only policy?

Or register it in VA which is probably what I would do instead of dealing with Cali bureaucrats but realize what you are doing still might be illegal, you are just getting away with it.

I also threw up in my mouth when you said you are putting a VW diesel in your MR2...

[Rabbit on Roids]

who cares if it has a salvage title? i know tons of people that drive rigs with salvage titles. does cali not license salvage vehicles again? oregon will just about license anything with 4 wheels, a horn, windshield wipers, and tail lights. where i am, there aint no such thing as smog requirements. needless to say, i have a pretty good pile of catastrophic converters behind my shop. off of every vehicle i have ever owned.

[NintendoKD]

I also threw up in my mouth when you said you are putting a VW diesel in your MR2...

  While I was a bit apprehensive myself at first, I think that the concept is exceptional.  This is on the way to doing a MR or MAWD setup"my ultimate goal "  This was a cheap alternative and unique for sure.  The rabbitwould be crazy fast andthe BHP no's would be exceptional because of the simple design and light weight and there are a lot more aftermarket parts for the spyder than for the mk1.  I got an adverse reaction from the spyder forum as well, but don't lie and tell me you wouldn't want to test drive it

[NintendoKD]

who cares if it has a salvage title? i know tons of people that drive rigs with salvage titles. does cali not license salvage vehicles again? oregon will just about license anything with 4 wheels, a horn, windshield wipers, and tail lights. where i am, there aint no such thing as smog requirements. needless to say, i have a pretty good pile of catastrophic converters behind my shop. off of every vehicle i have ever owned.

DUDE!!!   you need to get into the buisness of sellin them puppies for raw materials.  the paladium and platinum in them things is worth a bundle, not to metion it's scientific value.  "I have some science experiments where those elements would be really useful, no kidding"   I could always melt down my 950 platinum ring for that but ......... the wife would be a little less than pleased, I am sure.

[NintendoKD]

I also threw up in my mouth when you said you are putting a VW diesel in your MR2...

 While I was a bit apprehensive myself at first, I think that the concept is exceptional.  This is on the way to doing a MR or MAWD setup"my ultimate goal "  This was a cheap alternative and unique for sure.  The rabbitwould be crazy fast andthe BHP no's would be exceptional because of the simple design and light weight and there are a lot more aftermarket parts for the spyder than for the mk1.  I got an adverse reaction from the spyder forum as well, but don't lie and tell me you wouldn't want to test drive it

I guess what I'm trying to say that this is  good option for me, for the time being, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages in most respects.  A lightweight, attractive "albeit Toyota" car with loads of affordable aftermarket support, most of the parts are already possessed by me and this is a two car project completion, and saves time and makes for an excellent learning opportunity, otherwise unobtainable.