License plate restorers in Hemmings Motor News will make a plastic "replica" of
you original black and yellow plates. No one will know its plastic, not even
the cop that stops you. I was lucky enough to have both black and yellow plates
with my basket case, but the front one had taken a lot of abuse. The restorer
that I sent it to welded it and flattened it back into new condition. Both
plates look like new. But this comes at a price.
BTW, when I tried to change ownership on the registration here in
California, the first DMV employee told me I couldn't keep the black plates. I
just excused myself, telling her I forgot my checkbook and drove to another
DMV. The DMV employee at this DMV was very helpful and searched for the plate
numbers to see if they were being used and then issued them to me. She even
said, "don't worry about registration non-operation fee,($10.00 per year at the
time) you have a special interest vehicle, just come back after the restoration
is complete." It even depends on which employee you get, or if they are having
a bad day.
Mike MacLean-60 Sprite
James Algar wrote:
> Suppose, just suppose (you know, as in "A friend of mine has this
> problem...") that you've got a Sprite with original California black/yellow
> plates (you're the original owner), but you've got this tiny little problem:
> your plates are actually a plate (singular) because the front plate went
> missing years and years ago. Technically you're in violation, but you've
> never been stopped or ticketed for it. Now, just suppose that you'd like to
> do a little restoration and return to having two plates; original license
> number of course. California is not about to remanufacture a plate for you,
> and in fact you don't want to go anywhere near the DMV with your "little
> problem." You'd just like to get one plate made (a replica?) to stick on
> the front. I haven't seen the handy-dandy "ACME License Plate stamping kit"
> down at the local Pep Boys. Anybody been down this particular path? (You
> subversive, you!)
>
> Jim Algar
> (If you're not outraged, you're not paying attention.)
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