OK All -

IIRC - with some 60% of the total 914 production coming into the USA, & 40% of the total going into California ALONE for first sale new - & with more Cali 914s surviving due to the milder climate out here ... . . .... that's a big chunk of the 914s still around today! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif)

There have been several posts with questions on how to (re-) register your 914 with expired reg. &/or old plates, etc.; as well as those who have somehow managed to hold onto their original issue plates & wondering if they can go back to them or keep them when registering their 914 for the road again.

Well, apparently Cal DMV & our illustrious Legislature have decided to clarify & expand a couple of programs for re-registering the original plates, as well as extending the date for the "Original Year of Manufacture" plates program to at least include those from 1969 build dates.

I too have an early 1973 MY 914-2.0 with its original plates, which has been out of registration & PNO for most of the time it's sat in my garage awaiting resto since 5/85 (no PNO since 12/92), so I went searching on the DMV website for more info., & found the following which may be helpful to the rest of you out there.

These are mostly hidden away in corners of the DMV website requiring some time searching, so hopefully I've saved you some time searching them out. If you've looked at them before, then please note that these were revised in mid & late 2009. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

Got your old plates? ... bringing a former Cal 914 back? ... want to get repro Black & Gold plates for your 1969 Manufactured 914-6 or 914 (-4)? ... want to try out Historical Vehicle plates? ... read on & link out!

REASSIGNMENT OF OLD PLATES:
- NEW CHANGES ALLOW VEHICLES ON DATABASE TO GO BACK TO OLD PLATES:
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/vehindustry/vin_memo...009/09vin20.pdf

YEAR OF MANUFACTURE PLATE PROGRAM:
- ONLY UP TO 1969 my FOR AUTOS, BUT IN LATER YEARS THEY MAY EXTEND THIS FURTHER OUT AGAIN:
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/about/lad/pdfs/yom/new_text.pdf
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/vehindustry/vin_memo...009/09vin09.pdf

HISTORY OF CAL PLATES & DMV:
- FOR THOSE ASKING WHEN WHICH PLATES/COLORS & NUMBERING SYSTEMS CAME IN:
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/plates/licenseplthistory.htm
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/about/profile/milestones.htm
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/about/profile/history.htm

HISTORICAL VEHICLE PLATES:
- ANOTHER OPTION FOR 914s TO THE CURRENT "WHITE PLATES":
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d03/vc5004.htm

DMV HOME PAGE:
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/

Additionally, DMV has apparently expanded what their "Business Partners" (e.g.: AAA, dealers, etc.) can now do with these areas above, because before it changed at the end of 2009, AAA had told me they couldn't do these services, but apparently now can do at least some of them in some cases. So there may be an upside to DMV's cutbacks of service with the state's budget crisis! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Cheers! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)
Tom T
Orange CA
///////

great research Tom thanks for sharing (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)

I really wish they would extend this to cover my model year '74. I'd really like to get a blue plate for my car. State is always looking for ways to make money, this wouldn't do it but it would help some. I troll ebay occaisionally in search of a nice set incase they open it up.

Kev

My dad has the yellow background black letter plates on his 57 t-bird. DMV gave him ZERO problems. Don't know about the blue ones.

Anyone want to buy a 57 Tbird? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

I hate my NEW plates. My car is 4/70 so no luck for me.

Kev, if you know or can find out what the original plate # was (should be in the past reg. records or your paperwork), then you can petition under the first one posted - which has no year limits. However, the plate no. cannot be reassigned.

The recent change in 09 was that you can do it, even with the car registered with another plate (previously that stopped you from going back to the old plates)

Can't hurt to try on your 74! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

Not so, see the first program & my reply to Kev.

Again, as I read the Reassignment of Old Plates option, you can petition for that if the original plate no. hasn't been reassigned to another vehicle. It sounds like they can reproduce the plates under the Original Year of Mfgr. program, so why not for this.

Ask DMV or at AAA.

Do you know which program he went under - Reassignment of Old (Original) Plates or Year of Manufacture?

BTW - since the latter only goes up to 69 (72 for trucks/comml' vehicles) - they were black with yellow lettering.

56 & 57 were the best Birds ever! The recent retros were nice modern renditions of them too, for those who want all the modern conveniences, but they could've used the hotter SVT or Cobra V-8's for a hot Luxe package.

Cheers! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)
Tom

He went with year, the plates were '56 and correct for the 57 year. He bought them at a swap meet, got lucky finding yellow plates, even has a 057 number on them!

Hell, that car has power windows and seats, with an autotuning radio! Very modern for an old car, adjustable steering wheel, and it's a frame up resto.

Yup - the Bird was the American Luxe sports car/cruiser of the day, while the Vettes were more non-nonsense ones, along with the Porsches & upper-end Austins, etc. Of course the Brit beasts didn't run without constant tinkering & a mechanic on retainer, & heaven forbid if you want to drive one at night - pray the lights work that time! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

Well I suppose one could "source" a "new" set of old black/yellow or blue/yellow plates off the wall of those BBQ & other themed restaurants & pubs with plates on the walls! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

good research tom, i had an experiance that may add some additional help

i went thru simular dmv battles in the early 90's. before the computor stored record days the files on non current cars were tossed after 3 years. this particular car hadn't been registered since 79'. they wanted me to register the "black plates" under Y.O.M. (year of manufacture) with an additional yearly fee. at the time smogs were required on pre 73's and it gave no exemption ect... just additional yearly cost on a car that i had proof the plates came origanally with. after pressing on they finally hooked me up with a special unit in sacramento that dealt with outside the box issues. bam, got someone with a full set of teeth (IMG:style_emoticons/default/tooth.gif) it's done no problem. at least at that time they just wanted proof that linked the plates to the car, like a past registration.

DMV is the apitomy of government run business

by the way i'm a bit of a liscense plate nut so if your interested read on. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif) california plates were yellow (49'? thru 61?), black (62? thru 69'-very few 70'), blue (70' thru 86'), white (87' on). you also can read roughly the year of the vehicle by looking at the number/letter order (only if they were origanally put on the car new in ca.). the black plates for example, "AAA111" would be the first and "999ZZZ" the last. my 67 is "TTY890". blue plates ran out of 6 digit sequences and added an extra # to the front around 81'. example "1AUU625".

hope i've encouraged C.W. liscense plate sickness (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

mike

Hell, i might even have the black yellow ones hanging up in my garage. A little bit of trivia on the Yellow/black writing ones, DMV pulled them all in about 63 and gave everyone the black/yellow ones. The yellow plates had the year stamped in them, and they wanted to switch to the stickers instead.

Mike, I recall all the changes, cuz my Grandparents came out here in 57 & had the old yellers on their 57 Ford & my Uncle on his 58 Vette, then they made them change to blackies when the changed to year stickers in 63 - as Underthetire was saying. We moved out in 63 so all ours were blackies up until my 73 914-2L.

Someone else on here awhile back was questioning the 7 digits on a 914 with blue/yellows, but that's exactly what they di was use a "1" in front up through the first years of the whites!

So I shouldn't have any trouble re-registering my blue plates?

Yup - I remember my uncle fought them for a year plus on his 58 Vette, then he took it off the road, & made it into a dragster & hung the yellows in their Santa Ana garage - may still be in there! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

He held speed/time in class for several years at OC Raceway (next to former El Toro Marine Field), then he sold it & started on a Rail!

Come on Rob - you KNOW it's the MV & they LIVE for making the public's life difficult! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/chair.gif)

However, if that no. was on the car originally & hasn't been reassigned, then you should be able to use their process! ... as for "any trouble" - that depends on who you get at DMV, & - as Mike said - how many teeth they've got, or grey cells still active! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

Tom,
From what I've read its not enough to know the original plate number, you have to actually have BOTH plates as well and the sticker. I've read on threads on other forums the DMV is very adept at spotting reproductions of plates as well as stickers. Fakes are immediately tossed out. I believe you have to surrender the plates and Year/Month sticker to the DMV. They review it make sure everything is in place then return them to you to use IF you meet all the requirements. They then send the old plates back for you to put on your car. On top of that you have to have your car registered as a "collector car" which means no modifications.
I'm boned. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

Mike, mine was put in the garage on blocks in 5/85 & I kept it active registered through 89+/- until the next smog was due, then I went to PNO realizing that with 2 little ones the repair/resto was NOT in the near future, as I'd hoped.

DMV then failed to send me a PNO renewal in 92, which I din't catch until Dec. - but after the renewal date 12/26 with all the holidays hullaballoo. So I contacted them in Jan 93 & they blamed it on me, and wanted me to bring it back in for a fresh smog & & full registration - not PNO, plus wanted $1600+ in fees, penalties, late charges (bribes?) etc.!!!! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/mad.gif)

So since it hadn't run in 5 years at that point, & it was $5 vs. $1600 - I said screw it & let it sit. I won't give a run at re-registering it again, until I'm done with the repairs & resto!



(IMG:style_emoticons/default/sawzall-smiley.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smash.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/welder.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/stirthepot.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wacko.gif)

on yearly reg. didn't they give yellow plates new year stamped corner pieces to bolt under the upper left corner?

extra trivia (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif) the sought after white "sunset plates" were the first 2 years only i believe

Kev - IIRC it says you don't surrender them unless they deny & issue new plates, & that the "Collector Car" is any over 25 years old by MY. You've got it made by both counts. Check your 914's records for the original plates, & see if it's not there on the old reg cards.

If not, then put in an Information Request form with DMV, where they'll pull the records as far back as they go on their database (for a fee of course). If it has changed plates but not fallen out of registration, then they may have it all the way back.

If you want the old blue plates back on it, then it's worth some time & effort & fees. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)