I thought I saw this here on the HAMB but I can't find it searching.. My state allows YOM plates for a one time fee. I've searched the dmv for a personalized plate combo and what I want is available. Anybody successfully pound your own digits into a plate?
Washington only allows original restored or good condition unrestored plates for YOM, so you may have issues if you try modifying a plate. As is pointed out above, it's not legal to do. Plus different years used different number/letter series, so unless your 'personal' number fits into that YOM series, you'll get busted.... Just get a personalized plate and pay the yearly fee...
the way i interpret it in mo. is that the dmv has to ok the yom plate and i think that buying one from one of those outfits that make plates is not ok. kind of like buying a vin plate. i recall something about the plate no. not being in service. it seems to me that it might be okay to buy a plate that is really roached out and having a dupe made, though. sounds expensive. i've wanted to get a yom plate for my '50--here it's treated as a personalized plate.
All cases that I ever heard about you have to submit the plates you intend to use to the DMV and they decide whether or not they are OK to use. There are people on the internet that make a business out of restoring old plates and the samples I have seen look new. They also have the reference books showing the different colors and sizes.
There was a place selling new plates online made to look like old plates, but it stated right on their website that these were for display or show purposes only and absolutely illegal for street use. You'd be better off finding real YOM plates whether they were the numbers you wanted or not.
Probably not the "best" idea I ever had but I'm still pretty sure I saw it here somewhere. I recently put plates on my '39 that are YOM and the girl at the desk at the grocery store (that's where the local agent is) took a quick peek to make sure they are the right green and yellow and signed off on them. My thought was that nobody will pay attention to what the exact sequence was on a 60-70 year old plate, and if it's not in use and checks out as acceptable (which my combo is-I've already checked) to go ahead and use it. Oh well. Can't say I won't experiment but I'm not about to make a plate in practice of a career serving 5-7 years making the real ones. Thanks
There are some cultured yahoos in Texas (not that there is anything wrong with yahoos), that make plates of their own initiative. Actually, they may well be a little "touched", with some of what they choose to disregard. Interesting read for some ... research the Republic of Texas group ... make their plates, and remain very unbothered by legislation. Rebel spirit all the way ... wooden plates and all. Brave craziness perhaps.
Correct, I had to take my restored plates to the DOL office (DMV anywhere else) and they inspected them. I had previously checked on line to see if the # was already in use. They double checked and signed off. Now in WA that number does not become the license number it becomes the "equip" number and another number is in the license plate box on the registration paper. Confusing??? Yup, so much so that even some law enforcement don't know that. So some of us carry a copy of the regulation with us.
Oregon allows restored plates and in the process of restoring more that a couple of buddies found the desired numbers in their plates. And they passed inspection.
How about getting a hold of some junk plates and doing a little cutting & splicing? If you do a good job with the paint and body work on them the bone heads at the DMV will never know. Even if they do a simple "I bought them that way at the last swap meet" should be sufficient to keep you out of trouble. If they confiscate them it wouldn't be a huge loss.
There is a way to use YOM plates without actually registering YOM plates. I had theis 1927 Colorado plate restored and then ordered a CUSTOM plate with the same numbers. This may not always work as states have different criteria for ordering custom plates. Getting caught making a custom plate and having a car impounded could be as simple as getting caught parking illegally.
The way it works in NY state is that you have to send in pictures of unrestored vintage plates for the year of your car to the DMV. The state supposedly does not allow for "restored" plates. Every one I know simply sends in the pictures and then, when the car is registered, has them restored. I would think that if you fabricated plates that were exact, in all aspects of an original plate for your state, how would your state know? I have seen vintage plates with desirable numbers such as "1932" fabricated from several "donor" numbers from cut up plates and they were legally registered by the state. Each letter was cut out and TIG welded with Silicone Bronze wire. I would try it, I don't think the state would ever know. As one already stated, several years ago there was a company selling custom vintage plates and they were shut down, but there are several cars on the road with those plates.
No that's funny! South Carolina allows year of manufacture license plates but they have to be genuine YOM and not a recreation. HRP
If you get caught making a custom plate,you might end up making plates for other people too,and i dont mean as a hobby either. Harvey
Unless a guy has his car restored to "drive it out of the showroom" stock for the year it was made I can't see the big deal about wanting YOM plates. The hassles a guy from the PNW went through in another state that made all the forums a few weeks ago is enough reason to pass on the idea too. While you see so many of them in WA that the WSP, county and city law folks usually know what's up take it out of state a few states away and the law there might not be as aware of what you have. That is where having full documentation including a copy of the law/rule for running the plates with an explanation of how to read the registration. In Washington there is one more thing with YOM plates that one might consider and that is that back in the day each county issued plates starting with a certain letter in the alphabet starting with King county with "A", Pierce with "B" Spokane with "C" ?? I think the Vancouver area with D and Yakima county with "E" In those days you looked at a guys plate to figure out where he was from in the state if you didn't recognize the car.
this reminds me of a time back in the '50s, long before mo. had personalized plates, my dad went to get new plates for his olds and noticed that the plate numbers were close to the number of our street address. he asked one of the clerks about it and the clerk called another office, which held the plate for my dad! in those days people took pride in their work.
Having too many cars makes the one time fee nice. Some of them only get taken out 2-3 times a year. I run a couple with the proper E county code, my pickup has a Truck plate that they didn't do the county codes on. Thankfully? in the last 15 years I haven't had more than 1 day off in a row and I don't do car shows so I'm not too worried about getting hassled in some other state.
We have a similar system in Alabama, only we use numbers 1 through 67 to designate which county you are from. You can legally register any county number in another county with the YOM tag. My county number is 32, I have a 34 numbered tag I have on the front of mine, not registered, currently running a Vintage Vehicle tag on rear, I would rather have one with my county number on it, but tags that old, it's hard to even find a good one, much less the correct county number.. I recently came across a 32 numbered tag from 1947, when I get it restored I am going to the court house to see if the number sequence is in use and registered. If it is available, I will turn in my Vintage tag and register the 1947 one, it is a permanent registration that goes with the car for now on, never have to pay again just like the Vintage tag is now. They do give you a sticker with a number on it to make sure it has been registered and they got their $$, that way you can't just put an old tag on there and run it without them seeing it first, and no two tags with the same number sequence would be registered, even if they were from different years, AL used the same number sequences every year, just change the color scheme and the year stamp on the tag. If they allow restoration of a tag like they do here, you might get away with cloning a very rusty one if you match it exactly. I'm not brave enough to try it though, don't want to end up making tags for the State for 5-10 years!
around here as long as the plate number matches the number your state issued Antique vehicle plate number you can display the YOM plate . I have AV vanity plates for my 50 and I had the custom plates made to match . when the PD ran the numbers they match . I carry the current state issued plates in the passenger compartment at all times .
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