Ok so I live in the People's Republic of Californistan (PRC) and they are pretty rough on anything modified.
I've been reading through the Noble forums to get an idea as to how they are able to register their cars in the PRC. According to the DMV a Specially Constructed (SPCN) vehicle application can only be made for kit cars. Any vehicle that is manufactured or resembles a car that is manufactured can not be issued a SPCN. So is a Noble a kit car in the rest of the world or is it a manufactured car?
I understand that the owners are bringing the cars over without drivetrains and installing Duratec V6s. Some are registering with a SB100 and others are just using a SPCN. To be legal they have to meet the emissions requirement of the engines as most referees won't let them slide as a 1960 build year any more.
There was someone importing R32 GT-Rs that got into big trouble for separating the drivetrain while shipping and "reconstructing" the cars here in the US. Obviously a GT-R wouldn't meet emissions requirements in California.
Your best bet is to contact your local smog ref, tell him what you're thinking about doing, and ask him how to do it. He'll have all the information for you, and he's the one who will give your car the thumbs up or thumbs down in the end.
More directly related to your question, I believe that Nobles are sold as kit-cars here, though I do beleive that if there's a way to retain all of the factory emissions equipment (including cats), you can reg the Noble as the engine donor car. Of course, that means you're gonna have to take it in for biannual emissions inspection.
No motor so it should have a MSO cert so you can do a SB100. I doubt you will be doing a SPCN as that requires a pre 7 motor. I believe all the numbers are used up for the year, but there is legislation in place to add more coming up soon.
put a flathead something or other in it and register it using that model year.
then swap something else in it once you are legit.
or move to a state that isn't such a hassle with silly stuff like this.
wearymicrobe wrote:
No motor so it should have a MSO cert so you can do a SB100. I doubt you will be doing a SPCN as that requires a pre 7 motor. I believe all the numbers are used up for the year, but there is legislation in place to add more coming up soon.
SB100s are all given out within the first few hours of the first day of January that the DMV is open. If you're not in line when they open the doors that day, you won't get one.
ReverendDexter wrote:
wearymicrobe wrote:
No motor so it should have a MSO cert so you can do a SB100. I doubt you will be doing a SPCN as that requires a pre 7 motor. I believe all the numbers are used up for the year, but there is legislation in place to add more coming up soon.
SB100s are all given out within the first few hours of the first day of January that the DMV is open. If you're not in line when they open the doors that day, you won't get one.
I keep hearing how hard they are to get - but in all my years of communicating with people about them, I have only ever heard from one (1) person who has tried to get one and failed. I've heard from a lot more who have actually done it. If you're organized and have your paperwork checked out ahead of time, it's not an insurmountable obstacle.
Also, the number of SB100s was increased from 500 to 750 (I believe) starting in 2011.
novaderrik wrote:
put a flathead something or other in it and register it using that model year.
then swap something else in it once you are legit.
It doesn't work that way in California, unfortunately.
But if it is registered as something older does it have to be smog test? If it does use some thing old like a flathead, register, swap something else in and don't get caught.
In california, it's the year of the chassis or engine, whichever is newer. It's also illegal to swap an older motor into a newer chassis.
ReverendDexter wrote:
wearymicrobe wrote:
No motor so it should have a MSO cert so you can do a SB100. I doubt you will be doing a SPCN as that requires a pre 7 motor. I believe all the numbers are used up for the year, but there is legislation in place to add more coming up soon.
SB100s are all given out within the first few hours of the first day of January that the DMV is open. If you're not in line when they open the doors that day, you won't get one.
They go quick for sure. I know that I did not get one a while back on January 3rd one year for a Laser 917 build on tube.
Ended up using vw chassis that year as it was still legal.
I seem to recall you were the exception to the rule - it was someone on the GRM forum. Like I said, everyone else I've corresponded with who's tried to get one, got one.
What was the problem with your application? Too late in the day, or a paperwork problem?
I guess my question is a little different. The law for Specially Constructed vehicles says it only applies to cars that are not manufactured or sold as such. So obviously if you can go to a Noble dealer in England and buy a turn key car the state just ignores that part of the law as long as the Duratec engine can meet CA emissions for the year of the engine. Or at least that would make sense.
A better question might be could I bring a R32 Skyline over and install a VQ56 that meets all of our emissions regs (BTW that is just an example, I don't care if it will fit or if the example gets any fanboi panties in a wad).
I will see if I can talk to a ref about it.
Keith wrote:
I seem to recall you were the exception to the rule - it was someone on the GRM forum. Like I said, everyone else I've corresponded with who's tried to get one, got one.
What was the problem with your application? Too late in the day, or a paperwork problem?
I was there on time and there were numbers available, but the clerk filed them incorrectly so by the time they corrected it ~Jan 15th or so they were all gone. You don't hear about people loosing out because they just buy a washed title or register out of state. CHP has been really heavily checking any kit cars lately, they got the training with the import crackdown stuff I had heard .
Most of my communications have been "Did you get it?" "I did! I got it!". If they're all doing it illegally, they're not being subtle about it. Between the Westfields and Locosts it's a conversation I have fairly often.
Sorry to hear the clerk screwed yours up. But the only reason you didn't get yours was a clerical error, which is pretty unusual. If it hadn't been for that, you would have been yet another success story.
ReverendDexter wrote:
In california, it's the year of the chassis or engine, whichever is newer. It's also illegal to swap an older motor into a newer chassis.
then the simple solution is to build the car off an older chassis and power it with a flathead for the inspection.
might be more complicated for a unibody car, but i'd think that almost any small car should be able to be fastened to a set of '32 ford framerails...
this is all theoretical to me, since i live in the great state of MN where they don't do any emissions or safety inspections for registration regardless of year. the only time a car ever gets inspected is if it's a new build like a kit car or if it has had a state issued vin assigned for some other reason.
