OT: WI HAMBers Collector Plates??

Many years ago, a guy I went to high school with became a state trooper. A year later he quit. He said if you aren't an asshole when you take the job, they try to turn you into one and he said he's too nice of a guy to be an asshole.

 

I've been struggling with this same issue. I have my '38 registered with collector plates...I bought the truck back in 1980 when the collector plates could go on basically anything.....over the years I taken the truck from bone stock to a 327, 10 bolt rear, lifted front end, non-stock interior... so now I'v been worrying about my collector status, and the hassle i will no doubt get from a certain Wausau area Super Trooper with an "asshole" complex (he is a "car guy" too, but still an ass-whole)...

I'm considering just going with truck plates with a "a" load rating, and be done with it...just pay an annual....

Sure as hell if i get stopped I will be having the plates pulled....what to do?

 

The last time I applied for collectors plates I remember I had to sign an affidavit stating the vehicle wasn't altered from stock. Some of you guys are trying to register greatly modified vehicles and then whine because you feel your getting a raw deal. It's the guys who register cars with narrowed rear ends and engines with blowers sticking through your hood who screw things up for the rest of us. A collector vehicle doesn't have a 50 year newer engine and air suspension.

I do agree a lot of this more restricted rules and enforcement is a way for the state to get more money but every time someone pushes the rules it hurts all of us.

 

It's a pretty simple deal really. The only advantage a collector or hobbyist plate offers is substantial savings for a multiple car owner. The vehicle(s) will still need to meet the standards of the given year of manufacture. If you have 3 vehicles and pay $500 to register them for life, it would only take 3 years of ownership to make it worthwhile. These are plates for the long haul.

I think I can see why people abuse the collector plate status. If you register your 1967 Mustang fastback as a Hobbyist vehicle because of a motor swap, wheel change, etc the title is going to be permanently branded "Hobbyist - Street Modified". I don't believe you can go back from this, and anyone who might buy the car after you would be required then to purchase hobbyist plates. The potential buyer could see this title branding and in their eye view the car as having a reduced resale value.

These are great systems, but I can see how they have been abused. I don't believe it is right that just because a vehicle is 20 years old someone should be able to slap a collector plate on it. I've seen quite a few shit boxes driving around with collector plates that honestly I don't believe should have them. In theory this shouldn't matter because the state is still getting the cut from the 1 regularly licensed vehicle, but I can't help but feel this has played a tremendous role in the change up of the restrictions.

**Another paranoia about the hobbyist plate is since they started demanding a written list of modifications, I feel that in the future this will be used to start cracking down on modifications that fall out of favor. There are already places in Wisconsin that require emissions testing on late models, this could snowball. All of a sudden that motor swap isn't so minor. And don't even think about telling them you modified your suspension. Bad move. Forget about modifying exhaust as well, that could raise a red flag.

Safe bets are custom paint jobs, wheels, interiors, electrical system upgrades, gear ratio changes for fuel economy (Ha, right). I can't see how these could come back to bite you in the ass.

 

Hey Curt , it's up to $95.00 in Milwaukee due to a auto and light truck collection on behalf of the city. Funny how that extra $20.00 doesn't seem to be fixing the roads any.

 

Be honest with yourself about what you have for a car ( modified/stock ) and most of the issues besides the wait for plates go away.

 

I've seen many abuses of the collector license plate. Just a few, a '57 Chevy with narrowed rear end and blower sticking through it's hood, I don't think any tri-5 came with a blower or 24" wide tires. A two ton late '50s dump trunk hauling a load of rocks, trucks with collector plates are restricted to 500 pounds. A rusted out piece of crap I won't drive across the street being driven in the middle of December, I saw this crate used daily, obviously from it's condition it was a winter beater. All a couple of state troopers would have to do is sit on I-94 during Jefferson and pull half the over modified "collector" cars. They wouldn't even have guess, it would be the proverbial shooting fish in the barrel.

 

Registering the car with regular plates is not legal in Wisconsin if the car has been modified. Wisconsin law states that anything that is not stock on a registered car is illegal. A few years ago I got stopped by the state patrol with a 65 GTO that had Cragers, tires, headers and Etc. I was given equipment violations for all infractions AND a ticket for improper registration PLUS was forced to call a flat bed to take the car home. I was not even allowed to move the car as they deemed it as improperly registered. I had to get hobbiest plates for the car. If you register a modified car with regular plates you are leaving yourself open to all kinds of problems. Also any insurance company will tell you if you get into an acident and recieve a ticket for improper registration, they CAN and most likely will refuse you coverage.

 

After posting the other day i got to thinking about what is stock and modified.I know a guy here in town that owns a yenko nova,can anyone tell me is it stock or modified?It didn't come from the factory that way but it was purchased new like this. How would a clerk at dmv know? The way it was explained to me when i got my first collector plate in the 80's if it is a simple bolt on ie wheels or gauges it was ok.Is a rebuilt engine stock if it has .030 over pistons.

 

I have been down this road with the Wisconsin DMV, too. I can tell you that they are getting tough on Hobbyist plates too. Your car must be identifiable as to what it is/was as a stock vehicle. This is done apparently by office workers who may or may not know their vehicles. I.e, if you have a 32 Ford highboy, they may decide that it doesn't look enough like the original and may refuse to issue you plates. You must send them pictures of all four sides, interior and engine and explain any mods. Then they will decide whether or not to issue Hobbyist plates. Ask me how I know.....
Tom

 

OK. Tom how do you know?

 

LOL! Well, I'm not going to implicate myself, but my first set of pictures didn't pass muster.
Tom

 

As long as you don't tell them there won't be a problem.

 

The point i was trying to make is if an engine is rebuilt it isn't stock.If you have an new ehaust put on it isn't stock.If you rebuild the suspension it isn't stock anymore.I want to know who decides what is stock and what isn't acceptable.

 

I think it is subjective. Depends on who is looking at the application. In the case of traditional hot rod, they will try to steer you into a "reconstucted" title, which will require receipts for all major parts and an inspection by the DMV. Depending on the year of parts used, you may have to meet emissions have the proper bumpers, etc. Nearly impossible on any hot rod. I don't know why they are doing this, maybe to eliminate the rats. Trouble is, they are dragging down others with them.
Tom

 

I don't know if any of guys have been following the vehicle registration rights act LRB3267/1 but there is very good info on it at www.alfaheaven.com I just checked there and it seems that the bill passed and the dot agreed that there should be some allowable mods to collector cars.There is also some emails that were available to open records law that are on there that explain what some of the dmv people think about old cars in general.

 

It does seem the person processing the paperwork makes a big difference in the outcome. My first set of collector plates were obtained when you could still get them at the counter years ago. I was going to get Hobbyist plates because the car wasn't completely stock and the clerk said the changes didn't require Hobbyist plates and gave me Collector plates. At that time vehicles getting Hobbyist plates had to be inspected. My second set of Collector plates was within the last year when I transferred the title for the Model A from my dad's name to mine. I was required to submit photos, and several showed the vehicle wasn't finished (needs top and interior), but I had no problems getting the title or plates. Being an "in family" transfer may have made the difference.
The WI Dot has a pretty good website that provides a lot of info regarding the requirements for Collector or Hobbyist plates.
http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/drivers/dmvsite-a-g.htm

 

why not put on vintage plates. the year of the car?

 

It will be of great help if, you can post on this thread the exact Wisconsin State
Statute that states and I quote your post "registering the car with regular plates
is not legal in Wisconsin if the car has been modified. Wisconsin law states that
anything that is not stock on a registered car is illegal".

If, you have any of the paperwork, tickets, list of violations etc from your encounter
with the state patrol, I will ask that you contact me and you and I will send all
the info to WisDMV for their review and then we can confront the state patrol.
If, at the time of your state patrol incident, the WisDMV agreed with the state patrol, I
will confront WisDMV about that situation.

Sounds like their is an increase in negative situations with WisDMV. When, I have
factual, substantiated instances, I will confront WisDMV with the facts and find out
WTH.

Curt R

 

Max,

have the guy that had his "collector" plates pulled, contact me. I need the
documentation with me when I meet with WisDMV.

Curt R

 

Tom,

Sounds like you have an in depth knowledge of WisDMV, their processes and how they function.

I want to speak with you, directly. Your insight may help me when I meet with
WisDMV. PM me with your phone number and I will call you, so, we can discuss.

Thanks.

Curt R.

 

It's funny that I saw this post tonight.

Just got off the phone with a friend in Cornell that had his collector plates pulled on his '63 Impala due to the car having un-polished 5 spokes.
He had to swap the wheels and tires, then take pictures of the complete car, including interior.

He's now awaiting the King's word, to see if he can drive his car on the kings highway.

This is B.S.

 

Curt, please don't take this the wrong way. What are your credentials? I'm not asking to be a smart ass. You sound like a very interesting person who really knows and cares what he is doing and has something to back yourself up with. I am just curious, maybe your information was posted before and I missed it.

Again, I'm not challenging you and not trying to be a smart ass, just would like to know some of your background with this subject and your experiences. Sounds like it would be very interesting.

Thanks.

 

My friend actually called to warn me that I need to switch the registration to hobbyist on my daily driver.

 

I guess my first question is why you got pulled over and that may have had something to do with it. In 34 years of registering old tin this has never been the case with me. The Hobbyist plate is an option and not a requirement. Every cop car on the road is also modified, I somehow think you pissed off this cop real bad and that there is more to your story. I would also argue that a regular plate is not illegal and would be willing to go to court unless otherwise proven wrong.

 

Let me help you out on behalf of Curt. Without him and a select other few that spent countless hours with WisMVD years ago you now would not have the chance to have Hobbyist plates and at the time MVD 5. He helped draft and pass the laws to create these. He has probably forgot more about this type of subject than most of us will ever know. History lesson over. Not trying to be a smart ass either.

 

Hey Curt, the guy moved out of state and I have lost contact with him.

With this case and most others it's a decision made by a state trooper according to how he interprets the laws. Most troopers don't know squat about old cars & trucks so they bluff their way through the process. Many are not up on current laws and most do not know how to interpret them correctly. If they pull you over they are more than likely going to give you a ticket and if they have to make up a rule they do it. Remember they are always right and you are always wrong! If the laws would just be written so that there would only be facts not opinions involved then they couldn't pull this stuff! Unfortunately that will probably never happen.

 

x 2

 

Alex,

I PM'd you

Curt R

 

I didn't mean to get anyone upset, I'm just a curious type of person who likes to the background on a subject. I wasn't challenging anyone with my question. I was hoping to get a history of Curt's actions so I could be more appreciative of all the work he obviously has put into this subject. Sometimes it's hard to express yourself correctly in a writing, not nearly as easy as when it's face to face.