LocostUSA.com

Here are a couple links to an Assembly bill that could positively impact Locosters:

http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/09-10/bil ... duced.html
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/09-10/bil ... _comm.html

It would be good for any Californians to read up and consider sending your comments in. (Someone on the Yahoo list pointed to this legislation. It looks good.)

John

Pretty cool. It's not just that more than 500, it's that there would be no limit to the number of exemptions under SB100

Seems like a simple way for California to make more money - and from people glad to hand it over!

Just received this from SEMA.
California legislation (A.B. 1740) to eliminate the requirement that specially constructed vehicle registrations be limited to only the first 500 vehicles per year was not approved by the Transportation Committee on March 22. However, a modified version of the bill will be reconsidered by the committee on April 5, 2010.

Under the amendment, the registration limit would increase from 500 to 750 per year. Current law provides for the emissions-system certification and model-year designation for specially constructed vehicles, including kit cars. Under the law, vehicle owners choose whether a smog-test referee certifies the engine model year or the vehicle model year.

To determine model year, inspectors compare the vehicle to those of the era that the vehicle most closely resembles. If there is no close match, it is classified as a '60 vehicle. Only those emissions controls applicable to the model year and that can be reasonably accommodated by the vehicle are required.

The Department of Motor Vehicles provides a new registration to the first 500 specially constructed vehicles per year that meet the criteria.

Here is more information on California legislation A.B. 1740. For details, contact Steve McDonald.

For those who are following - Clickie.

Moti

Glad to see kalifornia trying to change for the better. Hope some tree hugger doesn't screw it up. If it all goes down in a hand basket I still have a '70 pinto and will weld the the frame #'s in and rivet the dash # in my Locost.
Thank You for the update. ALAN

I feel for you guys in Cali! I don't think I would even have considered starting this project had we still been living there! Way too much red tape!! I think WestCoastRon said it best... "I consider it a minor miracle in our over regulated world that a person can still build their own car and drive it on public roads."

I hope this gets passed so there's a better chance for more "fun" cars on Cali streets!!

KS

Other than the limit on the number of permits, California is one of the easiest places to get virtually anything on the road. Many other states are far more difficult, then look north to Canada and listen to what they have to go through. We have it easy.

Kurt's right. California is easy. There are two lookie-loo inspections (the CHP checks to see if your parts are stolen and the smog ref just runs a baseline test) and some forms to fill out. Big deal. Compare that to the hundreds (thousands?) of hours I spent planning, designing and constructing.

John

Kurt.. John..

I don't know what nice folks you were dealing with.. its nowhere near the experiences I had and doesn't explain why I had to jump through every hoop on record and and some that I think they were just making up to get my 1984 VW Jetta smoged in '04?

It was CIS (stock) initially, but they failed it because I couldn't meet revised specs.. not 84 specs!! The ref wouldn't pass me because he thought it should be able to pass even after VW said it needed a NLA part to even attempt to correct it and the part might not even help!

So then I swapped in a complete '90 engine with FI (all stock) so I could pass. It still had to be smoged, but because I had gone to the ref earlier the VIN was flagged and denied as a possible fraudulent action.

So I put the original block back in and went Megasquirt. I blew less emissions than some of the cars being produced today, but they still wouldn't let it pass smog because it was missing the CO screw on the CIS system they were looking for!! They considered that the same level of offense as a missing Catalytic Converter (which happened to be hollow on the car but still passed!!).. inexcusable Oh.. and my CAI was illegal.. why? Because despite being closed off from the engine bay properly and better than the OEM, it wasn't stock and needed to be changed to stock.. but the filter was part of the CIS box which was gone.. so.. yeah, you see the circle they had me in!!

California Bureaucrats... they'll let Dino Sucker Pollution Spewing Hummers on the road all day long, but my little VW, which was cleaner than the day it left the factory was denied. Hummm.... Easy to get on the road?? I say NOT!

Oh.. the ending of the story? I bought a Diesel of the same year.. swapped all the plates from it to my car and registered it as a Diesel!! Never had to worry about smog again!! Suck on that tail pipe CA!!!

Maybe it's different coming from a kit car standpoint, but modifying a OEM car they looked at every little thing and seemed determine to make it impossible for me to get it registered, despite making fewer emissions than it came with stock!! I wasn't willing to pour my efforts into something like this and find some pencil pusher generating reasons to deny me my fun!

Either way.. I gave up on CA with their goofy rules and IOU's. May you have better luck with them than I did!!

KS

It's way different from a kit car point of view. Your situation above has nothing to do with SB100 or a car built from scratch at home... which is specifically what SB100 is all about. Hell yes, if you start screwing with an OEM vehicle in California, God help you.

The quote you noted:
I took it to mean he was thrilled and happy that it's possible, as opposed to states not allowing it at all. California probably has more "fun" cars than any other state, so they're all getting done somehow.

Is there a (slim) chance that there are SB100 sumbers left for this year?
Thanks
Martin

Yeah, but it's probably more like you mentioned about the money and those willing to give it to the state... Which one generates more money for the state??

A) a brand new $75k Hummer that is not only going to generate the initial $7000 tax, the $1000+ registration fee but tax revenue from the 10 MPG average documented for it.

or B) the 24 year old $900 (Blue Book) beater that's paid for years ago, getting better than 30 MPG and pollutes hundreds of times less for various reasons.

Yep... Just look at what Arnold drove before it looked bad!

My point was that I was making the car better for the environment and met roadblocks at every turn. No one was willing to look beyond the code book in front of them to acknowledge the benefit. What would make anyone believe it'd be different when building your own car.

I still stand by the original sentiment of my post. I hope it passes and those builders in CA catch the breaks they deserve!

We now return you to your regularly scheduled program.

KS

Just reading the parts about SVA in the original book gave me the willies

As long as you can get a SB100 number, California is right up there with Michigan with easy of registration.

At this point you could have gone to the ref station and had them smog the car as a 90 as long as you swapped everything over (fuel tank, evap system, et al). My 87 Jetta is smogged as a 95 Jetta with a VR6 engine. I used EVERYTHING from that car / engine / transmission combination except the air box (had to use a Corrado air box to fit the application).
The ref in our area is easy to deal with as long as you keep a full build record of everything and try not to fool anyone. Megasquirt is not even considered a Emmissions capable system as far as CARB or the EPA is concerned and has NEVER gone through the durability tests that all the Factory systems have to pass.