My original CA Blue license plate is in need of repainting and general restoration. Has anyone done this? What paint matches the yellow and blue? What method works best, spray, brush, roller, toothbrush, crayon?
Thanks.

I have acutally been told a few years back it is not legal to repaint a license plate. Not sure if that is still true. If you do make sure it matches real well. No need to give the long arm of the law a reason to stop you.

mike

Top quality and highly recommended.
http://www.tagdr.com/

Yep, it's illegal in CA.
Krylon Chesapeake Blue Satin spray is a very good match.
Almost any yellow is OK cause it fades anyway (I'm matching my car color)
DMV or AAA will give you a new Month sticker if you ask nicely. Peel off the old stickers and put on the new Year when you receive.
Haven't done it yet, so no pix.
John, that guy does incredible work! If mine were bent I would use him.

Not sure about the blue but I redid the black and yellow plates on a '68 chevy pu I restored. The yellow was exactly the same color that they use to paint school busses.

The big busses, not the little van conversions like Aaron rides to school in...

Great resource John. Thank you!

www.licenseplates.tv

These guys make repro plates.....they won't ship to CA but you can "gift" them to someone in another state and ship them back....at least that's what "I've" heard....

Could someone point me to the section in the CVC that states that repainting license plates is illegal? I can't find it.

I believe it's under "altering"....

False Evidences and Uses of Documents, Licenses, Devices, Placards, or Plates


4463. (a) Every person who, with intent to prejudice, damage, or defraud, commits any of the following acts is guilty of a felony and upon conviction thereof shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for 16 months, two or three years, or by imprisonment in the county jail for not more than one year:

(1) Alters, forges, counterfeits, or falsifies any certificate of ownership, registration card, certificate, license, license plate, device issued pursuant to Section 4853, special plate, or permit provided for by this code or any comparable certificate of ownership, registration card, certificate, license, license plate, device comparable to that issued pursuant to Section 4853, special plate, or permit provided for by any foreign jurisdiction, or alters, forges, counterfeits, or falsifies the document, device, or plate with intent to represent it as issued by the department, or alters, forges, counterfeits, or falsifies with fraudulent intent any endorsement of transfer on a certificate of ownership or other document evidencing ownership, or with fraudulent intent displays or causes or permits to be displayed or have in his or her possession any blank, incomplete, canceled, suspended, revoked, altered, forged, counterfeit, or false certificate of ownership, registration card, certificate, license, license plate, device issued pursuant to Section 4853, special plate, or permit.

Facsimile License Plates


4463.5. (a) No person shall manufacture or sell a decorative or facsimile license plate of a size substantially similar to the license plate issued by the department.

( Notwithstanding subdivision (a), the director may authorize the manufacture and sale of decorative or facsimile license plates for special events or media productions.

© A violation of this section is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not less than five hundred dollars ($500).

4464. No person shall display upon a vehicle a license plate altered from its original markings.

Added Ch. 1478, Stats. 1959. Effective September 18, 1959.

Thanks, Mike.

I think an argument could be made that repainting isn't "altering", esp. considering the intent is to make it look exactly like it did when the DMV handed it to you in the first place. As long as the original plate is used, it's not a "facisimile", either. I note that Tag Dr. specifically states he won't make dupes. You'd need a decent lawyer, but I think you could get away with it.

As for the places that make copies out of aluminium or fiberglass, 4463.5 is pretty unequivocal. I could argue with 4464 or even 4463.1 that the plate isn't being "altered" from how it was given out originally, but 4463.5 pretty clearly rules out making duplicates.

Too bad. I have a blue plate on my car that has badly faded paint, and no front plate. Legally, I need to get all new plates.

James, don't argue with Z, he know his Penile Code
But seriously, my car came without a front plate. I scanned the rear, editied out the stickers, printed on photo paper and laminated. Can't tell from 5 feet away. Velcro'd to bumper, and have not had any problems.
Not to code, for sure, but better than getting stopped for no front plate. I believe the blue plates add value to the car as being original CA car, and don't want to replace them.

QUOTE (lapuwali @ Sep 1 2005, 09:06 AM)

Too bad. I have a blue plate on my car that has badly faded paint, and no front plate. Legally, I need to get all new plates.

I have the same situation. Unfortunatly, when you get all new plates, the reissue you new plate numbers (well, they always did before in Ca.).

I want to keep the older blue & yellow plate with the 6 digit number.

Lousy pic, but all I have here.

My 911 and 914 have blue plates....the 356 weenies "restore" them all the time...the black ones as well.....

Do what ya gotta do....

It's always nice to know what laws you're bending, though...

I've been thinking of just popping FG molds off my rear plate for awhile now...

Ya know....the PD have accepted copies of registrations for years. I don't keep my original in the glove as it gets screwed up by the fog when I leave the top off....don't see how they can bitch about a copy of a plate as long as it's the right numbers and backed up by the computer....

QUOTE (lapuwali @ Sep 1 2005, 11:54 AM)

It's always nice to know what laws you're bending, though...

True. It may be illegal to restore your plate or have it replicated but in reality how would a cop know that the plate isn't legal? I wouldn't hesitate to restore a plate or have a plate reproduced (assuming it's indistinguishable from an original). To me the risk would be miniscule.

I agree. It's all relative. I plan on "restoring" my blue plates sometime soon knowing that law enforcement and the DMV can't tell the difference if the job is done right. Can't restore the plate to make it too perfect either since these things are mass produced (by prison labor?).

Ya know....CA personalized (vanity) plates have been around since the late 70s...and were done in blue prior to the change over to white plates with blue letters.

BTW .... NO black plates were issued in vanity style....

The "pink" and the registration do not address WHEN a plate is issued only when the CAR was first registered to YOU....vanity plates ARE transferable.....a spot check by the PD would be next to impossible to know when a personalized plate was issued....get my drift?

Vanity's in blue are doable.....not that I know of anyone that has done it....