I am having trouble making sense of all this. When I read the SEMA law I thought "Great, now Cobra's can be registered as the year they replicate, so long as they meet some safety standards as set by the law"
BUT
someone recently wrote to me the following:
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Cdog,
... I've spent a lot of time on the phone and the 'net; also talking with owners of "composite" or "special construction" automobiles. I talked with Steve McDonald, SEMA's
Director of Government Affairs, and also with another fellow here in Illinois: Gary Bohlen; referred to me by Steve. Their stories differ considerably, but, from reading the highlighted parts of the new law andtalking with both guys, it seems the purpose of the SEMA bill is, basically, to enable hot rodders to remove the bumpers and fenders from their roadsters.
This was corroborated by Gary, who agreed that the new law
really would be of little use to Cobra owners, and not usable by anybodyuntil the state has the requisite number of license plate requests.
I talked with two owners of other replicas who registered their cars. One registered his with the title from which most of the parts were taken and just isn't worrying about it. The other owner told me a horror story involving his brother and a non-matching car/title situation which had existed, unnoticed, since the car was new. The discrepancy was noticed by a police officer, the car was impounded until the mess was sorted out and the
brother was threatened with legal action. This owner went through the DMV inspection, etc., and said the inspectors are really only looking for a safe vehicle and documentation to prove the parts aren't stolen.
So...I've decided to take my chances with the DMV inspectors for now, submit the paperwork they want, pay the sales tax and accept the registration and title
as whatever they want to call the car.
Below is the info forwarded to me by Gary Bohlen. So, basically, the short version of all this is that the SEMA bill appears
to be a non-issue for Cobra owners:
THIS IS A PLAIN ENGLISH INTERPRETATION OF THE NEW STREET ROD/CUSTOM VEHICLE
LAWS IN ILLINOIS. Prepared by the Chairman of the Committee to Upgrade
Street Rod Laws in Illinois
H. B. 4344 is a number of a House Bill that was signed by the Governor of
the state of Illinois. H. B. 4344 will become law on January 1, 2003. The
new law provides unique license plates, recognizes street rods/custom
vehicles are rarely driven, meticulously maintained vehicles that should not
be held to the same equipment standards as a modern passenger vehicle. A
definition of a Street Rod and Custom vehicle is also provided. A street
rod is identified as a 1948 and older modified vehicle. A custom vehicle is
1949 and newer modified vehicle at least 25 years old.
To qualify for the street rod or custom vehicle registration you must first
send in a request for such plate. Keep in mind, this is not an official
document and is not a commitment to display such a plate. I've published
model forms for this purpose but you can simply write a note indicating you
want a street rod plate or a custom plate and indicate what you would like
the plate to read. Send it to: Illinois Secretary of State, 501 S 2nd
Street Room 312, Springfield, IL 62756, ATTN: Joyce Ballard or email her at:
jballard@ilsos.net with the same message. Joyce will send you an official
license application form when 850 requests have been received in each
category. You will then obtain and pass an NSRA safety inspection (16
required items) and send both the application and the NSRA safety inspection
back to Joyce.
The new law allows modification of these separate categories of vehicles to
the extent the vehicles can pass the National Street Rod Association (NSRA)
16 item safety check: Horn - electric only, Speed Indicator, Rear View
Mirror - one inside or outside on the driver's side, Safety Glass,
Lighting - high-beam - low-beam - tail - brake - license, Windshield Wiper -
electric or vacuum - yes-only one is required drivers side, Automatic
Transmission Lockout - neutral and/or park start only, Tires - minimum 3/32
tread, Steering - no excessive play, Throttle Linkage - must not ravel past
center, Fuel System - vented - securely mounted - no clear plastic lines -
no leaks, Exhaust System - no leaks - must pass rear edge of front door and
exit away from vehicle, Self-aligning Rod End Bearings, Shock Absorbers,
Brakes, Scrub Line - no steering suspension or chassis components should be
below this line. All are encouraged to install the items listed as
Recommended Equipment such as parking brake etc.
The NSRA Chief Inspector J. R. Heady has agreed to inspect both street rods
and custom vehicles. J. R. has over 60 inspectors throughout the state.
J. R. will publish where they will be for inspections. If you run into
trouble getting inspected, call J. R. at 217-243-2131 and he assures me,
you will get inspected. Regardless of the time of year. The new law states
you will have you vehicle inspected 3 month prior to submitting your
application for the street rod or custom license plate. Not the request for
the license plate. The request is a non official form where you indicate
your request for a street rod or custom plate. The application form is one
you will receive from Joyce Ballard after you've sent in your request form
and after 850 requests have been received by Joyce.
I get asked, "What about my present license plate expiration date?" You can
wait until the license you are using now expires or you can complete the
application form when it arrives. When you order a different plate before
the expiration of your present plate, you lose the time before the
expiration of the plate you were using.
Selecting a street rod or custom plate is not mandatory. If you chose some
other plate, be sure you're legal to use that selected plate. Or, risk
manage however you want to. If you want to take the chance on having your
vehicle towed away or risk a fine, that's your choice. No one is telling
you what to do. If you want to be legal, there is now a way to do it.