MoPho Posted June 2, 2012 Share Posted June 2, 2012 Finally, finally I have secured my SPCNS number! I am 204 out of 500 for the year 2012! Now just a state ref inspection and I'm legal. Congrats! That's amazing, when I did mine I had to camp out because the sequence numbers were all gone by 10am I didn't have to do any brake/light inspection Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick OTeen Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 I think I had the easiest brake/light inspection from what I hear. The guy stood in front; headlights=check, blinkers=check, horn=check... to the rear; brake lights=check, blinkers=check. Here's your paperwork. Ten minutes total. Where did you have the inspection done? At the DMV or at a CHP office? Do I need to bring the car to the DMV to begin the process or do I just go there to submit paperwork first and then take the car to the CHP and CARB? I'm trying to avoid trailering the car around needlessly. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshesh Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 If I had to do it again I would start at DMV and ask for a vin verification form and schedule with the CHP (call today for this) and ask for a vin verification inspection. Trailer your vehicle to the CHp office. Then go back to DMV and ask for a SPCNS number to be issued from Sacramento. Then wait for about one week for the official certificate to come in the mail. Make appointment with the state ref for inspection upon receiving the certificate. Trailer car to inspection and then return to DMV to submit all paperwork and get the plates and stickers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Landshark Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 You do not need to take the car to the DMV at any time. Once you get your sequence #, get a one day moving permit which allows you to drive the car to the CHP for the VIN Verification. The DMV specifically did not put a date on the one day permit allowing you to do it on your own time. I didn't fill out the date at all and drove it to both the CHP and the BAR. So, don't drive to the DMV. Drive to CHP and BAR. After BAR, return to DMV with completed paperwork and apply license plates! Good Luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MHKflyer52 Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 I'm trying to avoid trailering the car around needlessly. I would trailer the car to the inspections just to make sure you do not make someone mad or if it should not pass for some reason that has been overlooked or if the inspector is having a bad day. Just my opinion, hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mondo Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 They gave me one of those pink temps to drive around to CHP & BAR. I'm sure the temp permit is fine, that's really what it's for. Why trailer when you can drive... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 Nick, Your first step is to go to DMV with all of your paperwork and your checkbook and locate the employee who is familiar with SPCNS. If they do not have one, go to another DMV office. Where did you have the inspection done? At the DMV or at a CHP office? The VIN verification is done by the CHP. For new builds, the first step after DMV is the Brake & Light inspection, but you will probably not need this for a car that has already been legally registered in another state. Do I need to bring the car to the DMV to begin the process... No. ...or do I just go there to submit paperwork first and then take the car to the CHP and CARB? Yes. At the initial DMV visit, they will tell you what else needs to be done (visit CHP and CARB ). I'm trying to avoid trailering the car around needlessly. You should not need a trailer for any part of the process. Best of luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RGTorque Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 man, thats a lot of work to do. here in pa i just when registering i just labeled the car "lotus" and they took the manufacturers plate number with no issues. my title says "lotus" in the make, nothing in the model and the year is 2007. dmv never saw the car as it never tested for specialty title. the inspections in pa are fairly simple if you "know a guy". the only main issue i had was emissions because i had no obd2 scan port but there is a workaround for newer cars with ports that dont communicate well. after that first inspection i state that i drive less than 5000 miles a year and never need to do smog again. happy days now it if would only run... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimrankin Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 Walk in with a bill of sale for the kit, the motor and trans and a few bits of whatever you have bought and you walk out with a tin plate in your shoebox of paper before you even begin to put the parts together. Per Chad up in Wa. Josh, do not go to the authorized state brake and light inspector downtown in your home town of Santa Cruz. Thats where I went when nobody on the S.F.peninsula would do a car they could not "plug in" to their data base. It was beyond "detailed" with even measuring the rotor thickness and trying to call Wilwood to confirm the minimum thickness since it was not stamped on the disc, even thought he could see they were brand new. Even had to stop the car in a straight line with the emergency brake in a limited distance. Good thing I had adjusted the thing so tight it was squeaking or we would still be rolling down the road. Checked to see that I had a warning light on the dash for the hand brake, high beams, turn signal indicators on the dash, automatic reverse light, Checked all the suspension, on and on. Had to talk him into looking at and then beleiving the WCM site weight was under the 1500 lbs. since I had not had the car weighed at a certified weight station. Over 1500 and you start needing even more stuff, like a windshield. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshesh Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 Today I was told by the state ref that California has a new new policy for double checking all the paperwork before issuing me a certificate. So now I guess two trips to the ref is required Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mca Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 Congrats! That's amazing, when I did mine I had to camp out because the sequence numbers were all gone by 10am I didn't have to do any brake/light inspection I was able to get my sequence number on December 11 of last year. I almost got away with no Brake and Light inspection but on a subsequent visit the clerk added it to the list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mca Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 Walk in with a bill of sale for the kit, the motor and trans and a few bits of whatever you have bought and you walk out with a tin plate in your shoebox of paper before you even begin to put the parts together. Per Chad up in Wa. Josh, do not go to the authorized state brake and light inspector downtown in your home town of Santa Cruz. Thats where I went when nobody on the S.F.peninsula would do a car they could not "plug in" to their data base. It was beyond "detailed" with even measuring the rotor thickness and trying to call Wilwood to confirm the minimum thickness since it was not stamped on the disc, even thought he could see they were brand new. Even had to stop the car in a straight line with the emergency brake in a limited distance. Good thing I had adjusted the thing so tight it was squeaking or we would still be rolling down the road. Checked to see that I had a warning light on the dash for the hand brake, high beams, turn signal indicators on the dash, automatic reverse light, Checked all the suspension, on and on. Had to talk him into looking at and then beleiving the WCM site weight was under the 1500 lbs. since I had not had the car weighed at a certified weight station. Over 1500 and you start needing even more stuff, like a windshield. Jim, So you're saying vehicles under 1500lbs. do not require windshields? Do you have a reference by chance? This would help me since I only have a small aeroscreen instead of a windshield (about 4" tall across the scuttle). The officer at my first CHP inspection (didn't even give me paperwork since he was confident that I'd "never be able to drive this thing on the street.") insisted that I needed a full windshield made of FMVSS certified safety glass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mca Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 Where did you have the inspection done? At the DMV or at a CHP office? Do I need to bring the car to the DMV to begin the process or do I just go there to submit paperwork first and then take the car to the CHP and CARB? I'm trying to avoid trailering the car around needlessly. Thanks. The Factory Five Cobra guys prefer a shop out in Corona, West Auto Diagnostics. I called, they said it's $65 and they have plenty of experience in SPCNS cars, mostly Cobra replicas. Inspection takes 30-45 minutes. Plenty of references for this shop on ffcobra.com. I had my daily driver inspected (needed B&L to register as salvage title) at Townsend Foreign Auto in Long Beach for $57. It took 30 minutes: test lights for function, car up on the lift to inspect brakes, then down and done. He's not entirely familiar with SPCNS but offered to do my Locost if I brought the list of requirements for the model year. When I called around for pricing and time commitments I found most shops in Orange County wanted over $120 and about 2 hours of time. You might try the Dana Point area since there seems to be a fair amount of SPCNS Cobras down there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimrankin Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 Had this info three years ago when I was going through all this but have had a new hard drive (total crash on the old one) since then and don't have any old info. When I had it it came off the web from the CA. DMV rules and is in the same section that exempts needing fenders etc. on under 1500 weight cars. All this stuff is linked off DMV main site but it really takes some looking as nothing is really laid out where you think it will be. I'm sure someone at an old fashioned "street rod" shop will have it all, and probably has the exact link as they have to get around all the stuff that kit cars do. If I get a chance I'll go up on the site and see if what few brain cells I have left can retrace where I found it. That exemption rule is what lets some of the street rods you see go without fenders and full windscreens. I do find it amazing how one DMV and one CHP station can be so different from another one. Redwood City CHP wanted an appointment two months out for my inspection, San Jose off Zanker Rd. said "come on down" we'll take care of it whenever you get here, and they did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Landshark Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 MCA, Go to the Santa Ana CHP station on Santa Clara (Off of Tustin Ave) The inspector is a cool guy named Habegger and he's a motor head. He inspected my S2K in April. Other inspectors go to him as the answer man here in OC. All he is going to do is a VIN Verification and sign off the paperwork. Brake and light inspections vary in price from location to location. One upside, the BAR is over at Golden West College! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mca Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 MCA, Go to the Santa Ana CHP station on Santa Clara (Off of Tustin Ave) The inspector is a cool guy named Habegger and he's a motor head. He inspected my S2K in April. Other inspectors go to him as the answer man here in OC. All he is going to do is a VIN Verification and sign off the paperwork. Brake and light inspections vary in price from location to location. One upside, the BAR is over at Golden West College! Perfect. I'll visit Santa Ana for CHP inspection. The Westminster guy gave me all sorts of grief about windshields, bumpers, and was generally perturbed by my visit. Already visited the BAR Referee at Goldenwest College, no problems there. Added a crankcase vent to the intake and got my sticker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hank Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 And to think I had a few problems at DMV in Louisiana. Nothing like Kalifornia. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick OTeen Posted June 16, 2012 Share Posted June 16, 2012 (edited) MCA, Go to the Santa Ana CHP station on Santa Clara (Off of Tustin Ave) The inspector is a cool guy named Habegger and he's a motor head. He inspected my S2K in April. Other inspectors go to him as the answer man here in OC. All he is going to do is a VIN Verification and sign off the paperwork. Brake and light inspections vary in price from location to location. One upside, the BAR is over at Golden West College! Good to know, thanks! I got my sequence number at the DMV a couple of days ago. CHP and CARB visits are next on the list. http://i48.tinypic.com/nwxbfd.jpg Edited June 18, 2012 by Nick O'Teen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Landshark Posted June 16, 2012 Share Posted June 16, 2012 Looks great Nick, C & C Irvine? I was there a couple of weeks ago with my S2K. Good luck with the registration process. If you have any questions let me know. I'm in Orange. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lakeland_terrier Posted June 16, 2012 Share Posted June 16, 2012 Great looking 7 Nick. Looking forward to reading how you get on with registering it in California. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now