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PostPosted: March 1, 2013, 7:17 pm 
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Mid-Engined Maniac

Joined: April 23, 2006, 8:26 pm
Posts: 6410
Location: SoCal
When I started my SB100 paperwork, they said that I needed three inspections: CHP, brake and light, and smog.

However, the brake and light inspector refused to do the inspection due to the registration having a blank entry under "YR MODEL." Later, the DMV confirmed that's correct, that all specially constructed cars will have that field blank, which means that the inspector was confused.

Have you found this to be true, that Locosts are entered as having no model year? In the inspector's defense, what year's rules would he use for your "1960" car which has no model year listed?

The good news is that the car did pass CHP inspection, which is the hard one.

[edit] Got hold of a brake and light guy who knows his stuff. Said to contact him after the smog check because the year of what the car is will get entered at that time. Regardless, he said to count on having side marker lights and rear reflectors

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PostPosted: March 2, 2013, 1:08 am 
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Joined: October 24, 2008, 2:13 pm
Posts: 5326
Location: Carlsbad, California, USA
Glad you're moving along, Kurt. I will check out my own DMV paperwork tomorrow and see what I entered and they entered as far as year goes.

Cheers,

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Damn! That front slip angle is way too large and the Ackerman is just a muddle.

Build Log: viewtopic.php?f=35&t=5886


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PostPosted: March 2, 2013, 2:28 am 
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Joined: April 22, 2010, 4:43 pm
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Location: Livermore, Calif.
I started the light and brake inspection this past Monday and had a right front light blow a fuse. The inspector did not charge me and said to fix the problem and return for the inspection completion.

He said a rear backup light was not needed nor was the side marker lights (I have neither).

My DMV paper work says the "year first sold" is 2012 (when I got the sequence number), but a "model year" is not listed. I have an appointment with the smog referee this Monday. We'll see how it goes.

Roy

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PostPosted: March 2, 2013, 2:38 pm 
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Joined: October 24, 2008, 2:13 pm
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Location: Carlsbad, California, USA
I confirmed this morning that the model year on my DMV paperwork (the partial registration slip, not the SPCNS certificate itself, which gets mailed from Sacramento) is blank. That is, there is no model year specified. As with you two, the "Year first sold" reflects the year of the SPCNS application.

You'll have to pass on the name and address of the 2nd brake and light guy, Kurt. It sounds like I should go to him too.

Cheers,

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Damn! That front slip angle is way too large and the Ackerman is just a muddle.

Build Log: viewtopic.php?f=35&t=5886


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PostPosted: March 2, 2013, 5:37 pm 
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Mid-Engined Maniac

Joined: April 23, 2006, 8:26 pm
Posts: 6410
Location: SoCal
Keep in mind that I haven't visited them yet, but the phone conversation was promising:

Advanced Auto Electric
127 S. Andreson
Escondido, CA

It's right behind the auto park.

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Both available from https://www.lulu.com/


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PostPosted: March 4, 2013, 1:57 pm 
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Joined: April 22, 2010, 4:43 pm
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Location: Livermore, Calif.
Follow up from an earlier comment ----
I had my meeting with the Smog referee this morning. He did not do a smog test but simply verified that the PCV was in place. He recorded the VIN and filled out some paper work. His document shows the car as a 2012 SPCNS Lotus 7 with a 1965 engine.

Again, the question came up as to where to attach the BAR label. We decided on the shelf at the back of the engine compartment.

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PostPosted: March 4, 2013, 3:22 pm 
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Mid-Engined Maniac

Joined: April 23, 2006, 8:26 pm
Posts: 6410
Location: SoCal
Yes I was just wondering about that, how the car's identity is affected by what it's smogged as. The big question that I have is: What is the car identified as on your final registration, as a "2012 Lotus 7?"

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PostPosted: March 5, 2013, 1:40 pm 
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Joined: April 22, 2010, 4:43 pm
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Location: Livermore, Calif.
Completed the brake and light inspection this morning. They checked headlgihts and taillights (of course). Did not need a reverse or backup light nor the side markers. The brake check was simply a measured stop from 20 MPH. Now back to the DMV one more time (hopefully) for the plates.

Very painless experience all the way around.

Cheers,
Roy

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Last edited by RoyzMG on March 5, 2013, 6:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: March 5, 2013, 5:00 pm 
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Joined: April 2, 2009, 6:53 pm
Posts: 51
Location: Huntington Beach, CA
I haven't done my brake and light inspection yet, so this is based on conversations with inspection techs. They indicated the inspection would follow the rules for the year of the vehicle's SPCNS registration. This is from a shop that deals with many Cobra replicas.

So in my case I have a 2011 SPCNS that follows 1959 rules for emissions and brake and light purposes.

FYI, for insurance purposes Hagerty insures the car as a 2011 model year since that is indicated on the registration.

Aaron


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PostPosted: March 5, 2013, 6:03 pm 
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Joined: October 24, 2008, 2:13 pm
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Location: Carlsbad, California, USA
mca wrote:
. . .
So in my case I have a 2011 SPCNS that follows 1959 rules for emissions and brake and light purposes.
. . .


This is where the confusion is coming in to the situation. Kurt's first brake and light guy expected to see a model year specified (what you're implying is the "inspection rule year" in your case) and there is none yet specified for Kurt and two others of us. What field or data is your shop using off the SPCNS paperwork to establish 1959 as the rule year for your tests? My paperwork does not have a model year anywhere. That is true for Kurt and Roy as well, I believe.

Cheers,

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Damn! That front slip angle is way too large and the Ackerman is just a muddle.

Build Log: viewtopic.php?f=35&t=5886


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PostPosted: March 5, 2013, 7:01 pm 
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Mid-Engined Maniac

Joined: April 23, 2006, 8:26 pm
Posts: 6410
Location: SoCal
I asked "Locost84" off-list about his experience. He said that after the smog check, his paperwork identified his car as:

Make: SPCS
Model Yr: 2012
Model: Lotus Super 7
Engine Year: 1965
Engine Make: Mazda

The second brake and light guy told me that's why I should do the smog first, as they (the smog referee) decides what year the car is. This leaves me with two questions:

1. The smog inspector doesn't write anything on the registration form, so after you leave the smog station, your "Model Yr" is still blank...
2. Given the above, it doesn't explain how you could get your lights inspected as if it's a 1950's car... unless they goofed and looked at the wrong field.

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Midlana book: Build this mid-engine Locost!, http://midlana.com/stuff/book/
Kimini book: Designing mid-engine cars using FWD drivetrains
Both available from https://www.lulu.com/


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PostPosted: March 5, 2013, 7:39 pm 
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Joined: October 24, 2008, 2:13 pm
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Location: Carlsbad, California, USA
This process appears to be highly variable. I pulled out my DMV docs again just now and looked at how the DMV clerk instructed me to proceed. It is as follows:

1) SMOG referee
2) CHP inspection
3) Brake and light check
4) All docs and results back to DMV for title/plates

Now interestingly, in the copy of the "Application for Assigned Vehicle Identification Plate" the clerk inserted 0000 (4 zeros) for the model year, which obviously is a place holder. It's in their internal docs (my copies) twice and it passed muster with the DMV on-site manager who had to review it all before the package was sent to Sacramento. I have my SPCNS certificate in hand, so it must have been OK. This is all in the clerk's handwriting by the way, not mine.

In my original application handed to the clerk, I put it in as a replica of a 1963 Lotus 7, but that never got translated into any data field in the clerk's paperwork. Hmmmm, this is a mystery. Everyone seems to end up with a model year, but nobody is sure how it gets there. Puzzling, eh what?

Cheers

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Damn! That front slip angle is way too large and the Ackerman is just a muddle.

Build Log: viewtopic.php?f=35&t=5886


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