[CHP2RA]

The prevously titled in another state Cobra I bought arrived last week. Got the temporary tags, took it to the Firestone at NE Mall in Hurst (1233 Melbourne Rd.) for the VTR-852 form inspection. Firestone charged me $82 for a 20 minute inspection. I objected, and was told 'we have to charge that much because it's an unusual car.' Sigh. Rather like pulling up to a car dealership in a Rolls and expecting a good deal. Nowhere else in Tarrant County with a hard eight ASE master mechanic that I could find, so I wrote the check. The Firestone on Rufe Snow in N Richland Hills no longer has the ASE Master Techs.

Next day I spent Two hours at the Granbury Road Sub Courthouse, getting it registered and titled. Because I had read of my predecessors experiences on this site, I was prepared with an annotated and highlighted copy of the Assembled & Custom Vehicle Manual to show the two clerks I dealt with. Both took it back to their supervisor for long periods. I think the folks at these DMV offices get demerits for titles that Austin rejects, so they would rather take a loong time ensuring they get it right. Both clerks acted as if they had never seen a form VTR-852. 'Where is your inspection?' they both asked me. Polite, but confused. Evidently their SOFTWARE process goes more smoothly with Custom Cars if they select the license plate type FIRST, then the registration and title. Both clerks thought 'Custom Plates' meant I wanted to pay for a clever phrase to put on my license plates. Sigh....

Waiting to see what the mail brings from Austin. Thank you all for your assistance.