Building a Buggy in CA - Registration / Title Info and help

Manx-Australia · Post by **Manx-Australia** » Sun Apr 01, 2012 4:26 am

Hi Guys,

I am looking at moving to the USA and high up on my list of things I will need to sort is a Manxter to cruise in. Not worried about the actual building it just looking for some help and info on how to get one registered and what rules apply.

Being from Australia we have heaps of stupid rules I have to comply with when I build but from the look of some buggies I have seen in the USA the rules are very different and much more relaxed. Stil not being from around there I still know nothing about the best one to go to get a Manxter on the road.
Any help of info would be great, please keep in mind that I am Australian so I will need everything spelled out nice and simple

Looking forward to getting out on a Manx Club Run with you all.

Cheers,.

jsturtlebuggy · Post by **jsturtlebuggy** » Sun Apr 01, 2012 5:38 am

It can depend on what State you are planning on moving too. As different States have different rules.

Manx-Australia · Post by **Manx-Australia** » Sun Apr 01, 2012 8:44 am

jsturtlebuggy wrote:It can depend on what State you are planning on moving too. As different States have different rules.

cheers, yeah I am moving to CA - California or are there differences in each state as well ?

5150bossman · Post by **5150bossman** » Sun Apr 01, 2012 3:56 pm

Be careful if you plan on shipping a vehicle to the U.S. as it may need to meet 2012 safety standards (airbags, antilock brakes etc.). You could try to get one of the 500 annual CA. DMV exemptions (beginning January 1 each year), but that is hit and miss. It works out better if you ship the body and put it on an existing U.S. chassis. A U.S. '66 VW Beetle only needs to meet the standards for 1966 etc. A chassis from 1974 and before does not need to meet smog requirements. Better yet would be to just get everything when you get here. If you already have a complete buggy, you can change the chassis once you get here to a U.S. V.W. pan and not have to worry about the safety standards (you will have to prove that the old chassis was destroyed to satisfy DMV). Below are some links to the CA. DMV for you to research exactly what you need to do.

California Department of Motor Vehicles Main Page
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/home/dmv.htm

DMV Vehicle Registration Information Page
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/vr/vr.htm

California 2012 Vehicle Code
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/vc/vc.htm

GotManx · Post by **GotManx** » Tue Apr 03, 2012 4:53 pm

As stated above, there are two routes you can go for registration in California.

One is to find a pan with a current registration or non-operational status and use that for your build. Once the pan is registered, the DMV will not look at it again.

The other way is the the Special Construction Certificate of Sequence: http://www.dmv.ca.gov/vr/spcns.htm. This is the route that I used to get my Manxter registered as I built my own chassis and did not use a pan. Right now there is not as high of a demand for the 500 certificates and they can still be obtained for this year. The process for registration is a little more involved than just getting a registered pan, but not that bad. You will need to see the CHP (Highway Patrol) with all of your receipts, the car will have to go to a smog referee just for a check, (no further smog checks), and you will need a brake and light inspection from a qualified auto mechaninc.

bhcrelaxed · Post by **bhcrelaxed** » Mon Apr 09, 2012 5:12 am

Do not go special construction it will ruin the title for any one buying the car in the future; I
have a '69 in my back yard . And they say smog it, ha! Have a house in AZ, they will do it.

FulsGld · Post by **FulsGld** » Mon Apr 09, 2012 3:35 pm

GotManx wrote: You will need to see the CHP (Highway Patrol) with all of your receipts, the car will have to go to a smog referee just for a check, (no further smog checks), and you will need a brake and light inspection from a qualified auto mechaninc.

I bought FULSGLD (the ManxVair) in 1998. My son took it and had it registered while I was at work, and it came back as a 1998 Special Construction. I though everything was OK. After 4 years the registration form said I needed to smog it. I tried and tried and tried (smog stations and referee stations) and could never get it done (69 body, 64 corvair engine). Put it on a non-op. 2003 the registration said all DMV wanted was money and proof of insurance. I took the insurance in and got it registered. Drove it for a year. 2004 the reg came and DMV wanted money and needed to be smogged. Put it on a non-op. 2005 the reg said DMV wanted money and proof of insurance so I registered it again. Moved to Washington. Can't register it in WA cause they don't know what a Special Construction is. Said I need to take it to the State Patrol for a complete inspection. So, it sits in my garage. I don't think I would do Special Construction again cause it does put you in the Smog System and that's not a very happy place to be. I'm putting a new engine into FULSGLD and will register it as a 61 corvair.

5150bossman · Post by **5150bossman** » Mon Apr 09, 2012 4:03 pm

Ours is a special construction, but it is smog exempt. It is registered as a 1966 VW spec const. Don't know about trying to register it outside of California. I have heard many people go through AAA to register their vehicles. They help you navigate through all the twists and turns of the process (more than the DMV will do for you). You would still have to get it inspected by the CHP, and that can be problematic on its own. No easy answer here.

DIESELDOOG · Post by **DIESELDOOG** » Mon Apr 09, 2012 5:02 pm

There is an interesting thread about what Scott Drolet has had to do to get a correct California registration & title on a recent purchase.

Goto: http://burrobuggies.com/topic/166/UPDAT ... Model-Year

thesandbug77 · Post by **thesandbug77** » Tue Apr 10, 2012 3:32 pm

My buggy is CA born and raised, registered as Special Construction (1973 VW Dune Buggy) and it's exempt from smog. That said, I think the struggles with DMV that others have told of in this thread are very real. So, I think 5150bossman nailed it when he said "No easy answer here!" Some good info in this thread, though, should help.

Ed-Chenal · Post by **Ed-Chenal** » Wed Apr 11, 2012 3:10 am

From all the stories I ever heard about registering a buggy with the DMV, one thing is consistent. Each DMV employee will probably give you a different answer.
I heard someone say to use the Auto Club. I think that is a good idea. There are people at the Auto Club that know the law and procedures better than many of the clerks at the DMV.
I've found the Auto Club folks to be very helpful.