[71SportRagtop]

Here's some interesting info for those of us who live in Pennsylvania.

For the longest time in PA if you wanted to register your car as an antique you needed to fill out an application as well as submit 4 pictures of your car to PennDOT. The pictures were to verify that your car was bone stock and all original in appearance. ANY modifications that took away from the stock or original appearance of the car were subject to the state refusing to issue you antique plates. The issue in the past is that Pennsylvania was pretty frigging anal about issuing antique plates. They wouldn't even allow for aftermarket wheels.

Many PA classic car owners found loopholes around that such as hanging hubcaps over their aftermarket rims to take pictures or even borrowing a friend's stock rims just for pics.

I run a set of Torque Thrusts on my 68 Firebird. I like them because they appear to be "period correct" for my car, plus they're cool. However they prevented me from obtaining antique tags for my car. The worst part is that all my buddy's are Chevy guys so I had no stock rims to borrow to take pics.

That has all changed as of Jan 1. The state of Pennsylvania no longer requires pictures to be submitted with the application for antique tags. Now in PA all you have to do is submit the application along with a copy of your driver's license and proof of insurance and you get your antique tags. I received my antique tags today and they are now installed on my Firebird.

So if you live in PA and ran regular tags because your car was modified, you are now good to go for antique tags.

[Icefan71]

Thats good news. What about the restriction on driving? Or is that something thats not enforced.

[GT182]

Greg, does PA put a restriction on your regristration that you can only drive the car to a shop for repairs and car shows?

They started that here in DE but we all ignor it. I'm hoping to take the GTO out and head up into NY this summer for a car show. I wonder what will happen out of state if I get stopped for some dumb reason. But gas prices need to come down a long ways first.... tho that probably won't happen.

[PRC]

Glad to hear that PennDOT is no longer requiring photographs. However, your car still must meet the definition of "antique motor vehicle" in the Pa Vehicle Code, which has not changed. Here is the defintion.

"Antique motor vehicle." A motor vehicle, but not a
reproduction thereof, manufactured more than 25 years prior to
the current year which has been maintained in or restored to a
condition which is substantially in conformance with
manufacturer specifications.

That definition is certainly open to interpretation. I have never heard of anyone being cited for modifications like wheels or exhaust but if a police officer views those modifications as not being in comformance with manufacturer specifications you could be cited. I have used aftermarked wheels on two of my antique cars for years without ever being hassled about it. Common sense should prevail. If you have a blower sticking out of your hood, a metal-flake paint job, and zoomie headers you probably should not register it as an antique. As far as restrictions on use. Here is what the vehicle code says.

(b) Use of plates.--It is unlawful for any person to operate
a motorcycle or vehicle with antique, classic or collectible
registration plates for general daily transportation. Permitted
use shall be limited to participation in club activities,
exhibits, tours, parades, occasional transportation and similar
uses. Occasional transportation shall mean no more than one day
per week.

Again, it is open to interpretation. When they say "no more than one day per week" does that mean you cannot drive your car more than once in a sun-sat. period or is it averaged? In the summer I may drive my car several days in one week during a period of nice weather then it may not get driven for several weeks. I think the only way you would get in trouble for this is if a cop sees you driving your car nearly every day.

[GT182]

I think most cops ignor the rules on driving antiques. Some of them are car guys like the rest of us. The guy that lives next door to me has a son that just retired from the County Police... he said drive it. None of them will bother us unless we're doing stupid stuff. We don't do thaaaat.

[salem1912]

Greg does the plate still have the "Tin Lizzy" on it? On I am I thinking of the Classic tag?

[Bob Hall]

Good. I tried to get the Antique Plate for my 84 SS (It has been registered as a Classic since 1999) and the pictures were denied because there was a little glare on the fender which they said they couldn't tell if it was a dent or glare. So, I waited a few months took other pictures in different lighting conditions which made the car look black instead of blue. Was denied again. I should give it a whirl again this year then.

[FrankieT/A]

I never heard so much BS in my life. Who the f*** are they to judge like that? Where do you draw the line on what's substantially in conformance? In my state they go by the frame. You can "back half" the car, have a 6-71 blower sticking out of the hood and skinnies in front an still get an antique plate. You can drive as often as you like. And to boot, the tags are cheaper after 25 years. They figure they received enough tax money for 25 years.

[68lemansman]

I tried to get antique tags on my Lemans when i first moved to pa and got the car. (rusty bumpers) I was told i needed to get four photos of it. I did that and even took all angles of it. the dumb B***H behind the counter says that she cannot except the car the way it was. I asked why not and she said that it needed to be stock as if it rolled off the assembly line. Also she said she didnt accept it because it had rust on the bumpers. I was like really? Are you freakin kidding me? Its a 40 some year old car. what car that old dont have rust? So i said screw it and got regular tags for it. I also got regular tags for my bonneville I didnt deal with that crap.

[FrankieT/A]

Here's irony, I have an antique tag for my car but I don't use it cause its blue and my car is red. Also on antique tags you cannot get personalized plates.

[Trulyvintage]

Greg,

Useful information


Thanks for posting !



Jim

[Sirrotica]

Originally Posted by FrankieT/A

I never heard so much BS in my life. Who the f*** are they to judge like that? Where do you draw the line on what's substantially in conformance? In my state they go by the frame. You can "back half" the car, have a 6-71 blower sticking out of the hood and skinnies in front an still get an antique plate. You can drive as often as you like. And to boot, the tags are cheaper after 25 years. They figure they received enough tax money for 25 years.

You obviously never lived in the great commonwealth of PA, I lived there 47 years and held a state inspection license for about 30 years. Until 1977 when the did a major revision on th PA vehicle code the exhaust had to be exactly as it came from the manufacturer, no glass packs, no headers, no side pipes, no nothing as far as modifications and it had to exit in the stock location.

At that time the state required your car to be inspected twice a year for safety and if someone thought they'd put headers on and then change it back to stock exhaust twice a year, way too much hassle,plus loud cars were a cop magnet. To be issued a ticket for loud exhaust only required 2 peace officers to listen to the car and their ears determined whether it was too loud or not. Even if the exhaust was stock from manifold to tailpipe you could still be given a ticket, ask me how I know this...........................

There's a reason I live in Ohio now, not to say Ohio is perfect because it isn't, but no where near like PA is when it come to modified vehicles and there is no safety inspection here and where I live, no smog test, yet.

In the future I want to buy an older sprintcar roller chassis and put a Stratostreak engine in it to drive on the street, that could never happen in PA because the last I knew PA required some type of fenders on all 4 wheels. Not sure if they do now, I'm assuming that law is still in effect.

PA has the attitude that driving a car is a privileged and not a right, and if you want to drive on the state roads you will do it under their terms. Actually that is the same anywhere, but PA seems to enjoy telling you how you'll drive on their roads under their terms more than most states as far as I know.

[68lemansman]

Originally Posted by Sirrotica

You obviously never lived in the great commonwealth of PA, I lived there 47 years and held a state inspection license for about 30 years. Until 1977 when the did a major revision on th PA vehicle code the exhaust had to be exactly as it came from the manufacturer, no glass packs, no headers, no side pipes, no nothing as far as modifications and it had to exit in the stock location.

At that time the state required your car to be inspected twice a year for safety and if someone thought they'd put headers on and then change it back to stock exhaust twice a year, way too much hassle,plus loud cars were a cop magnet. To be issued a ticket for loud exhaust only required 2 peace officers to listen to the car and their ears determined whether it was too loud or not. Even if the exhaust was stock from manifold to tailpipe you could still be given a ticket, ask me how I know this...........................

There's a reason I live in Ohio now, not to say Ohio is perfect because it isn't, but no where near like PA is when it come to modified vehicles and there is no safety inspection here and where I live, no smog test, yet.

In the future I want to buy an older sprintcar roller chassis and put a Stratostreak engine in it to drive on the street, that could never happen in PA because the last I knew PA required some type of fenders on all 4 wheels. Not sure if they do now, I'm assuming that law is still in effect.

PA has the attitude that driving a car is a privileged and not a right, and if you want to drive on the state roads you will do it under their terms. Actually that is the same anywhere, but PA seems to enjoy telling you how you'll drive on their roads under their terms more than most states as far as I know.

I've only been living here for 3 years and this is exactly what it seems like.

[Tonyqt]

Originally Posted by salem1912

Greg does the plate still have the "Tin Lizzy" on it? On I am I thinking of the Classic tag?

Last year Pennsylvania passed a law that Antique and Classic cars could register them with "year correct" plates instead of the regular antique/classic issued plates. I found this one on eBay and I just got the papers back from Harrisburg last month. Now I'll have a plate issued the same year my car was made. How cool is that! I wasn't sure it would go through because it's a DEALER plate, but it was no problem. This is for 1975 and older and replaces your antique/classic older style purple or tin lizzy plate as your new antique/classic plate.

[68lemansman]

I have a 1970 tag that I got from a friend That still has the 1970 sticker on it. I ran it through penndot and it is available. So I am waiting for the paperwork so I can put it on my 70 bonneville

[FrankieT/A]

Originally Posted by Tonyqt

Last year Pennsylvania passed a law that Antique and Classic cars could register them with "year correct" plates instead of the regular antique/classic issued plates. I found this one on eBay and I just got the papers back from Harrisburg last month. Now I'll have a plate issued the same year my car was made. How cool is that! I wasn't sure it would go through because it's a DEALER plate, but it was no problem. This is for 1975 and older and replaces your antique/classic older style purple or tin lizzy plate as your new antique/classic plate.

In Florida you can use plates from the vintage of the car also. You have let them check to see if its clean. I have purchased a plate my year which come in different colors depending on year. In my case it is also blue like the antique plate so to no avail on that one.

Brad, didn't you used live near Erie, PA.? I remember that cause my X wife lived(s) near there.

[Sirrotica]

Born in Erie 1953 and lived there til 1999, when I moved to Memphis (damn Yankee syndrome) and moved back north, where us damn Yankees belong, to Ohio in 2001.

[FrankieT/A]

Spent a lot of time near Stoneboro. Beautiful roads up there, in the summer time!

[GT182]

Two great things about Antique tags in Delaware.

1. Inspected at the time you get the tags and never again.

2. Pay the initial registration fee and never pay again for renewals. They be free.

[65blackplate]

in michigan you dont need any inspection for an authentic (year of manufacture plate) just a copy or picture of the plate and a prof of insurance with $30 and you are good