LocostUSA.com

So I've been dealing with the DMV trying to get all the info needed to register a home made vehicle and the one thing I can't get a clear answer on is emissions. The people at the DMV claim a kit car is subject to the same emission laws any other car is, and the year it's registered is the 'year of manufacture'. However, I've seen laws signed into place in 06 that say a Kit Car (any home made vehicle) is completely exempt from emissions testing.

Does anyone have any experience with this? I know there's a few CO locosters here.

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Build Log (not much there yet): http://lotus.reddeth.com
442e frame, 3.4l Camaro donor

I have no experience with Colorado, or any other state for that matter. I did some search and found..... it depends. You register a homebuilt as the year you built it. but there is a form, DR 2365, used to instruct the emissions tester to test based on the year of the engine. Cars over 25 years old are exempt. So I would think that if you are building with an old engine, you would be expemt.

This is where I found this info:

http://www.aircarecolorado.com/repair/acnews/apr00.htm

This is from the year 2000. the newer law you refer to applies to Kit Cars. I do not know if the home-built is the same as a kiit car.

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Chuck.

“Any suspension will work if you don’t let it.” - Colin Chapman

Visit my ongoing MGB Rustoration log: over HERE

Or my Wankel powered Locost log : over HERE

And don't forget my Cushman Truckster resto Locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=17766

This is actually the biggest source of my confusion, I've heard three different bits of information regarding the 'definition' of what my car would be:
1) It's a kit car, title just says "Kit". This is because a kit car is ANY car made by someone other than a licensed manufacturer.
2) It's a 'reconditioned' car, and will be registered as the year of the donor car
3) It's a kit car, but a home built one, and will be registered as the year the car is completed

If it's one or two, I'm fairly safe, I'm still not sure on what power plant to use but it will be an older motor (Leaning towards a Rotary powered car now haha). If the car will be emission-ed like a new car, I'm SOL with just about any power plant...

I'm going to just take a printout of that law down to the DMV and show it to them, see what they say, I need to go and get the registration renewed on my Supermoto anyways.

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Build Log (not much there yet): http://lotus.reddeth.com
442e frame, 3.4l Camaro donor

Here's a good starting point:
http://www.semasan.com/images/pdf/colorado.pdf

Also do lots of reading and research in the "Revised Statutes" here...Specifically Title 42:
http://www.michie.com/colorado/lpext.dl ... -h.htm&cp=

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-Justin

"Orville Wright did not have a pilots license." - Gordon MacKenzie

Keith is in CO
http://www.cheapsportscar.net/index.php

I had another question on this topic: Insurance.

What are you guys using for insurance? I currently have USAA, and they have said they WILL insure kit cars, but home made vehicles are something altogether different.

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Build Log (not much there yet): http://lotus.reddeth.com
442e frame, 3.4l Camaro donor

hey man... i am moving to colorado in june.. so hope you figure this out.. as i want to be able to register my project when i build it..i pm'd u..

This is right of the Department of Revenue's website.

Q. What vehicles are exempt?
A. Electric powered vehicles are exempt. New vehicles are exempt for the first 4 model years. Vehicles registered and plated in the categories of: horseless carriage, street rod, farm, kit cars, collector, and motorcycles are exempt from emissions testing.

I'm here in Colorado, in Boulder county even. That's the republic of Boulder here.
I'll tell you my story as it unfolds.
So far I had to make a trip to DMV where they know next to nothing about the process but gave me a number of forms to fill out. The forms have very ambiguous wording, that they, the folks at DMV are hard pressed to explain. I was sent to an inspection location, there are about four of them around Denver. You have to make an appointment to go. It was around the first of the month and two places, that were close, could only see me at the end of the month. I was trying to make the British motor conclave event so that was a bit late. I called around to other and finally got an appointment for Wednesday, all the way in Commerce City. That's 45 mile from home. It of course turned cold and raining that day. I made the trip in my very much untested seven, white knuckle all the way there and back. Both from the cold and worrying if an axle would fall off.
A patrolman, who was annoyed because I was a little late, not that anything was going on besides me, walked around my car once, asked to see the engine, looked for numbers on the block which he didn't find, looked at my folder of receipts, wanted to see the engine receipt. He then filled out his paper took $20 from me and sent me on my way. I guess it's roadworthy in Colorado if you can drive it there. There was no real inspection at all. Maybe that comes later. Back to DMV I went and we filled out all the paper work as best we could. (try to always get the same person so you don't have to reexplain every thing each time you are there.) The DMV then sends all that paper work and pictures of all four sides of the car off to the state office. Collecting a 10$ fee.
After about two weeks I got a rejection letter. They said one form was not included, I know we filled it out. And that I didn't have signed and notarized bills of sale for all major components. Now this was a point of question at the DMV, what is a major component? They didn't know.Turns out that it is like any two body parts that connect, like a fender and the front cross member to mount the radiator. or both rear fenders and a trunk lid. From an exiting car. Like a 55 chevy or something.
I said, I don't have anything like that. I made all my own parts. They looked at the pictures again and said, Oh I guess you don't need that then. write a note about our conversation and resubmit all the paperwork along with the missing form.
So I did and I'm still waiting for my vin number two weeks later. Looks like I'll have to register it as a 2011 Lotus seven.
I don't know yet if I may have to install a catalytic converter. Might be good as the car is a bit loud anyway.
I'll write more as i know more.

Thanks for the writeup Wayne, please keep us posted on the catalytic/emissions issue as I'm paranoid of having to do emissions (because I'm building the car without any provision for emissions).

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Build Log (not much there yet): http://lotus.reddeth.com
442e frame, 3.4l Camaro donor

OK, Three more weeks went by and I finely got a letter back from the State DMV. I am approved and they issued a VIN number. I just have to make an appointment at the Golden Highway Patrol office and take the car there and they will afix the plate to the car for me.
I call but no one answers the phone, it goes to message and they will get back to me. A couple days pass and I discover that they have called but I missed the call. I call again the next day I fine a message that I missed the call another time. I had the phone on me the whole morning. I took two calls from my son, a call from my sister, and a call from my wife, but I missed the call from them.
A big snow storm rolls in on Wednesday, 10 inches followed by really cold weather and then another snow storm the next Wednesday, with 8 inches. I call again, but when they call back I left my phone in my wife's car and she took it all the way to Denver. A few days later the weather turns warm so I call again I finely get a call back the next day.The weather is now not so good, but Friday is supposed to be ok, followed by rain on Saturday so I make the appointment for Friday, the latest time they have, 9:00 am.
I get up at 6:00 to leave by 7:45 for a 50 mile drive to Golden. It's 16 degrees out.
I dig out my ski hood that covers my head and lower face and wear my ski goggles, long johns, my sub zero parka and gloves for the drive. All in all it isn't bad dressed as I was. I looked like an idiot though. I drive all the way there and find the place, (no easy task,) the officer comes out and says he tried to call me earlier with the news that he can't do the tag because I don't have a wiper on the windshield. He checked the pictures to discover this. I say that it was my impression that if I didn't have roof I didn't have to have a windshield or a wiper. He says I'm wrong about that, state law clearly says I have to have a wiper. I point out that my eyes are actually above the Brooklands, doesn't matter. I'm sure that even if I could get a copy of the laws I'd have a hard time figuring it all out.
He says it can be on the drivers window only, it doesn't have to be powered just hand operated. it can clip on( and removed later, I guess.) But I have to have it to get the vin plate. I think speedway has something I can use. I'll try to make it work. So far I'm into this process about 7 weeks. I will prevail though.
More later

Call Ben @ Caterham USA..... http://www.uscaterham.com/contact/contact.html

When I talked to him several years ago.....If I remember correctly Caterhams are emissions exempt because they are considered kit cars.....Locost 7 would be considered a homemade "kit car" and therefore?

None the less he might know......really nice fella........great place to visit, very unassuming building for being the distributor for Caterhams in the USA.

Check this out also....... http://www.bipac.net/semaga/TagTitleToolbox_CO.pdf ........ They make it really difficult to comprehend the laws.

Emissions Exemptions:
Emissions inspections are conducted in the Denver Metropolitan area and surrounding counties. A two- speed idle test is required for pre-1982 MY vehicles, while an I/M 240 test is required for MY 1982 and newer vehicles. This test will expand into parts of Larimer and Weld Counties by November 2010.

Exemptions:
1. New vehicles for the newest four (4) MYs (unless there is a change in ownership in that four year period, at which time the vehicle would require an emissions test, or if the vehicle was previously registered in a part of Colorado without emissions testing or in another state, the vehicle will only be exempted for the newest three (3) MYs )
2. Pre-1976 collector-plated vehicles (or a vehicle that is MY 1976 or newer that was registered as a collector’s item prior to September 1, 2009; for these vehicles, the collector designation will not transfer upon sale or transfer of the vehicle) 3. Pre-1942 horseless carriage-plated vehicles
4. Vehicles with a two-stroke engine manufactured prior to 1980
5. Gray market vehicles (non-U.S. certified) and custom built vehicles must have components appropriate to their model year, or must present evaluation paperwork from a state Emissions Technical Center for the visual component of the test
6. Homemade “kit cars”

Regarding the windshield......

(4) a person shall not operate a motor vehicle on a highway unless the vehicle is equipped with a front windshield as provided in this section, except as provided in section 42-4-232 (1) and except for motor vehicles registered as collector's items under section 42-12-301 or 42-12-302 .

Equipment Exemptions From Colorado Revised Statutes:
42-12-403. [Formerly 42-12-104 (1) and (3)] Special equipment or modification.
(1) Unless the presence of special equipment was a prior condition for sale within Colorado at the time an historic or special interest vehicle was manufactured for first use, the presence of such equipment or device is not required as a condition for current legal use.
(2) Any safety device or safety equipment that was manufactured for and installed on a motor vehicle as original equipment must be in proper operating condition when the vehicle is operated on or for highway purposes.

A Locost 7 is a special interest vehicle is it not?

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Ahh; gitty up!

I took a printout of that law into the DMV at one point to ask them exactly that, and basically what I gathered is it depends on the DMV agent you get. Some will say "Sure, home made car, sounds good", others will say "Home kit car doesn't mean a car you made from scratch, it means a kit car you bought from a manufacturer and ASSEMBLED at home."

As with most of these things it really depends on the desk person you get.

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Build Log (not much there yet): http://lotus.reddeth.com
442e frame, 3.4l Camaro donor

Back again. I spent a couple weeks in Houston and today I got a new appointment with the State troopers to get my vin number plate attached. By putting on the windshield wiper I am in compliance now and have the plate. Tomorrow I'll go back to DMV for the title and license plates, I think. There was no mention of a catalytic converter and I'm running just a glass pack. No other inspection was made of anything except the wiper. Unless they send me for a state inspection before I can get the plates I guess I'm done. A pain but still easier than I expected.
Wayne

Ok, so to sum up my whole registration process. This took something like 6 weeks. I stuck with the same lady at DMV for the whole process and that really helped. I got three paper plates so I could drive the car while I waited.
1. The road worthiness inspection was just a patrolman looking at the car and collecting my $20 to fill out a little paperwork.
2. Getting the appointment to get the vin inspection was a pain and took a lot of time but was pretty easy once I was there. No real inspection was done, no measurements were taken, noise level was not checked, I wasn't required to prove that the lights or horn worked (they did of course, but still) I have only lap belts and no mention was made of shoulder belts, I have no catalytic converter and no mention was made of that. I'm registered as a 2011 home built auto. the only problem I had was that Co. law requires a windshield wiper, at least hand operated, and only on the driver window.
3. with the paper work in hand I returned to DMV in boulder county and paid the $250 registration cost and got my plates today. I now have a fully legal car to drive on the streets. The $250 was the worst part.
Now, this was only my experience, yours might be a little different?????? In general DMV doesn't have a clue what the state really wants so you just have to go work through it. Stay polite and patient.
Wayne