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PostPosted: November 5, 2011, 6:47 am 
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Joined: November 5, 2011, 6:33 am
Posts: 5
Location: NorCal
Buying my neighbor's wrecked car to use as a donor, what the best way to register it with DMV? Transfer title and register Non-op? How do you "Junk" and part out a car and keep track of parts for registration as a locost?

Thanks, Erik


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PostPosted: November 5, 2011, 1:00 pm 
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Joined: April 12, 2010, 5:40 pm
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Location: san francisco bay area
Paperwork, paperwork. ..
A junk slip should be enough to show that the component parts are not stolen which is the primary reason for an inspection.
It depends to some degree on the LEO doing the inspection. .. If they're a "car nut" it's a lot easier.
In California an SB100 registration is the easiest way to get around a lot of otherwise difficult requirements like smog, energy absorbing bumpers, etc.
A Locost is, after all, a replica of a 1959 automobile :wink:
Only so many SB100 titles are issued a year, beginning the first business day in January and going until the quota for the year is used up.
I don't recall if its 500 or 750 units this year, they keep saying its going to change.
In the past the quota was usually met by mid February but with the economy as it is right now??
If you honestly expect to have the vehicle completed before the end of the year (ummmmmmm, that's a LOT of work) you could start the paperwork, otherwise I'd recommend waiting until your beast was fairly close to completion.
Life has a way of jumping in with surprises as I'm sure you're well aware. ..
Other than that, save EVERY receipt!! A 3 ring binder with pocket pages is a good idea, it helps keep everything in one place so you can find it later and after you get done will also provide a nice trip down memory lane every time you show off your shiny new toy.

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PostPosted: November 5, 2011, 3:31 pm 
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Joined: November 5, 2011, 6:33 am
Posts: 5
Location: NorCal
Good advice from a fellow taoist, I'll probably shoot for a 2013 SB100 tag if it looks like I'm getting close to getting it on the road (still cleaning out the garage to make room at this point). I'll set up a spread sheet and get a binder going. I was hoping to go the junk route to part out the rest of the donor and recoup some of the parts cost, first thing to go will be the 22" rims and gold trim :ack:
-E


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PostPosted: November 6, 2011, 12:43 am 
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Joined: April 23, 2006, 8:26 pm
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Location: SoCal
You'll be fine. People bitch and moan about California, yet the irony is that we have one of the Easiest paths to get practically anything we want on the road, via SB100.

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PostPosted: November 6, 2011, 2:57 am 
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Joined: July 6, 2008, 12:48 am
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Location: Amador County, CA
I just bought one last weekend. I knew it wouldn't smog but I was thinking about getting it running right and smogging it and driving it for a bit before junking it and tearing it down. Got to the DMV to put it straight on non-op and they told me I needed to smog BEFORE A NON-OP! What the crap?! That makes no sense. But arguing with the CA DMV also makes no sense, so instead I junked the title straight away. This cost me NOTHING at the DMV. I swear they didnt even charge me tax on the sale of the car! How crazy is that?!

So thats what I recommend, just junk it straight away. And make SURE you save the junk slip, thats your proof of ownership of the parts.

Also, SB100 is easy apart from the stressfull situation of trying to get one of the only 500 available on January 1st, but it's the best way.

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PostPosted: November 7, 2011, 5:12 pm 
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Joined: January 14, 2006, 1:06 pm
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Location: Vista (north of San Diego CA)
As long as you have a paper trail (receipts, etc.) you're in good shape. Never heard of having to smog a non-op car before - perhaps it was a bad day for that clerk? You will definitely have to pay taxes and any delinquent registration fees. Several years ago I bought an Aerostar at auction cheap just to get the engine & tranny for my Pinto. I was careful to find one that had a recent tag on the plate to avoid fines and back fees. SURPRISE!! The dirty so&so that was the previous owner had stolen the tag! The van hadn't been registered in two years. But even so, I registered it directly as a non-op and no one asked that it be smogged first. It wasn't until a year or so later that I officially scrapped it.

John


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PostPosted: November 7, 2011, 11:19 pm 
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Joined: February 5, 2010, 12:48 am
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Location: San Diego
I just completed the process and I highly recommend getting the donor car put in your name and then junking it. I had to pay tax on the purchase price but then successfully argued that applying the purchase price of the donor to the value of the new car, and then taxing that, was double-taxation, which they then refunded me for. The curious thing is the refund was applied but never recognized by their computer system, so for the months between first starting the registration process and getting the title I technically had not "paid in full" and had therefore accrued multiple late fees (which they did not communicate). I had a very understanding clerk that sorted it out for me though. There is one thing for certain - the DMV is totally inconsistent so the more you know about the process, and can show paperwork for ownership of the donor and all parts put on the vehicle, then the smoother the experience will be. I had about 3 inches deep of receipts in a folder and the clerk said they needed to take copies of the receipts - they did, but strangely did this for only 3 receipts totalling about $70!


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PostPosted: November 10, 2011, 12:47 am 
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Joined: November 5, 2011, 6:33 am
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Location: NorCal
Cool I'll transfer it and go straight to junk so I can part it out. It's a '98 Lexus LS400, going to try and go single donor all the way and see how much of the purchase price I can get back by parting out what I wont use.

It's got a new motor in it with only 30K, and lots of "bling" to sell off. I'll post some ideas in the other topics once I get things rolling.

-Erik


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PostPosted: November 10, 2011, 1:54 am 
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Joined: July 6, 2008, 12:48 am
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Location: Amador County, CA
1UZFE = my dream motor.

Erik, where in NorCal are you located?

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PostPosted: November 10, 2011, 3:32 pm 
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Joined: November 5, 2011, 6:33 am
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Location: NorCal
I'm up in Red Bluff. I have dreams of going up over Lassen, 36W out to the coast, and driving down to track days at Thunder Hills in Orland, and just generally putting around. I have 2 kids and don't want to do the 2-wheel thing anymore.

Rough sketch; sectioned '34 Edsel Ford #40 speedster with 442Eish frame, all LS400 running gear (IRS) and paddle shift on the 5 speed auto, Headers and intake ~310 HP? '98 is the 5 speed and vvti.

-Erik


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PostPosted: November 11, 2011, 3:11 am 
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Joined: July 6, 2008, 12:48 am
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Location: Amador County, CA
Start a build thread, I dont want to take this one off topic anymore. I'd like to see your donor.

And I'm not IN sac, I'm in Ione. But nobody has ever heard of Ione.

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PostPosted: November 19, 2011, 1:12 pm 
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Joined: April 22, 2010, 4:43 pm
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Location: Livermore, Calif.
Erik-
Your post above brings up an interesting scenario which I am about to experience. I am using a 2001 Miata as my donor. After stripping down the entire car and saving what I needed for the Locost, I sold most of the parts and just about broke even for the cost of the donor. I also sold the uni-body to a gentleman in Illinois who has a rusted out '01 and needed a new uni-body. Below is a picture of him driving away with the body on his trailer. Since the uni-body had the VIN plate attached I signed over the pink slip to him and sent in the sales form to the Calif. DMV. He has not registered the car in Illinois yet.

I am about ready to start the SB100 process here in Calif. and still have the original '01 Miata engine and tranny in place on the Locost with their VIN's attached. I'm sure I will have to show these VIN's to a law enforcement officer at some point to have them confirmed. I suspect that the state still has the engine, tranny and car VIN's listed in their data base somewhere.

I'll see what happens.

Roy


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PostPosted: November 19, 2011, 2:49 pm 
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Joined: February 5, 2010, 12:48 am
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Location: San Diego
For those about to undertake the SB100 route:

I followed advice of others and went to the DMV in December and explained I was coming to get an SB100 in the new year. They started the registration process since I had pictures and receipts of the build and photos of the completed car (ahem). Ask to speak with the supervisor and ask if they will be on duty on the first day in the new year - check to make sure they know what you are talking about.

They will enter the VIN as "TOBEASSIGNEDBYCHP" and will take money from you based on the value you put on the car. IF you got the donor put in your name then remind them that you paid tax on the purchase price of the donor (they should deduct this). The incomplete registration will have a temporary ID number assigned - this will show up on your SB100 certificate. The year of the vehicle will be 2011.

Once you get to finishing the car and taking it to the CHP, you just need some paperwork showing you were the owner of the engine and transmission (i.e. the VINs will match). Your donor should be officially junked if you took it apart - the junk receipt also stands as supporting paperwork. The CHP run an insurance check etc. They will give you a new VIN, and you then go back to DMV to get that married up with your incomplete registration before going to the smog referee.

That is the route I took. Others have told me they did not even start a registration and were given an SB100 certificate by just naming a type of car they were going to build, but I'm not sure on this as it does require an ID of some sort on the certificate.

Martin


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