Has anyone tried registering a street rod in Maasachusetts in 2012 yet?

The Dominators Hot Rod club will be present tonight and I believe the Mass Cruisers are attending.

A lot of HAMB folks should attend from the feed-back we've seen.

 

On the issue of the vin being too short, could you just fill out the form and add a bunch of zeros before your vin to make it the correct length so that their computer accepts it? It would technically still be the same number.

123 is the same number as 0123, and 00123, and 00000000000000123. Or is that some how illegal?

I have no idea.

 

All of the digets in a VIN indicate something ie, The tenth diget is a letter that indicates what year the vechicle is. starting with A for 1980. Changing to numbers in 2001. (1)

 

What about a vin that has less than ten digits?

 

All these short vintage VIN's on our vehicles are non compliant with the DMV's updated software as I'm told by people at the DOT department.
DOT can only read 13 and 17 digit modern VIN's.
Thats one of the reasons they want to stick an assigned VIN ( like a salvage or recoverd theft car has) onto our vehicles.
Dont you agree it's more sensible for the Mass DOT to update their software?

Like I stated earlier, you might not totally agree or even comprehend the answers they'll provide tonight.

 

A couple of the Double-Crossers will be there...

If you think this doesnt affect you, you are wrong. This IS the can-o-worms!!

 

How do we know each other tonight???

Secret hand shake, mug shot serial number tags around our necks ,club colors, name tags written in 1 shot???

 

I should say something cheesy here like:
"tonight we all stand as one" but...

Ill be the guy in the funny brown hat with a maroon "Double-Crossers" coat on.

 

Updating their software would be like admitting they made a mistake.

Isn't this where Romney comes from??

 

My rod, a 1930 Model A coupe, has an 8-character number (A plus 7 digits, just as Henry stamped it). Strictly speaking, no car before 1954 had a VIN. My title and reg uses the eight character ID. So it would be a lot simpler if the Mass Registry "updated" its software to use those old numbers.

As some have said, add a bunch of zeros as a prefix.

EDIT 4/15/2012
I was wrong here... The registry DOES recognise short, original VINs -- which are acceptable on original unmodified old cars. So short old VINs are compliant.
And BTW if you do need a Mass. applied VIN, it will be MA followed by five digits (I guess until they reach 100,000 of those registrations...).

 

No, he swooped by did his damage and moved on like most politicians

but this has nothing to do with him...

 

Btt

 

you cant pay with cash at the mass dmv?

 

At Plymouth,MA its cash or check only, no credit cards

 

wish i could go but called in to work ,

 

Well?

 

John, my thread was closed but its still up
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=684676

 

I want to personally thank everyone of the attendees for showing up at last nights meeting at Pro Bass in Foxboro.
Gorgeous facility, great function room and a lot of very valuable information was swapped back and forth between street rodders, various clubs and related automotive groups and related businesses.
WE owe a debt of gratitude also to Terry Hayes and his connection to the emission testing overseer Bob for standing up for the questions that were fired at them all night long.
These fellows are really trying to guide us thru the process that's been handed to us by SEMA and the leader(s) of the kit car industry.
Yes, it's unfair legislation in the street rodders and custom car builders minds but until legislatures amend it or Mass DOT and the State Police possibly streamline the process we are going to have to deal with it.
On the phone with Terry this morning he told me the higher ups in the DMV are already asking questions of the meeting and possibly working with the street rodders to ease the situation a bit.
Let us all attend the next meeting at Pro Bass thats tentatively is scheduled for June the twenthieth, (06/20 2012) a Wednesday night again
In the meantime, tomorrow is my date with the State Police for my inspection for an assigned serial number process.
This one will show who's really on track with the new State Police drill when they get to my street rod.
I've got lots of documentation, clean title on the car , a Henry serial number, but what else they want.............I'll have to wait and see.
I've been running ahead of the entire curve of this process for close to three weeks now and it is a challenging and very time consuming process.
I hope my example will make it easier for others to follow later.
I feel like a clay pigeon at the rifle range.

 

We should post weekly, our track record, getting our vehicles titled, plated and possibly re-VIN'ed on this thread.
We could point others in the direction of street rodder friendly DMV sites, helpful or otherwise Mass. DOT personnel, and other helpful hints to motor thru the jungle of red tape.
Hopefully by Friday night I can give a POSITIVE update on my next visit with the State Police at their Vehicle assigned VIN tag location.
Some people are choosing to fly below the radar and get them titled as ordinary vehicles.
Please keep us updated when you go thru the Mass. State yearly inspection process.
Will you become dirty or remain clean?
The big R on your inspection sticker will dictate what happens next.

 

Today, Friday the 30th I finally got my new blue colored Mass. assigned VIN sticker put on the A pillar of one of my street rods.
I'm only half way thru the process.
I still have to get an amended title form submitted, amend my registration, cancel my prior antique vanity plates and then attempt to get new normal passenger car plates (I THINK).
I'm told the Mass. DOT does not have specific street rod plates as we were promised a while back.
I'm returning to the Wilmington office of the DMV today to see what will transpire next.
So far.............this has eaten up 3 1/2 weeks of my time, countless phone calls to the State Police and a lot of help from Terry Hays in the Mass. DOT. and it's cost me well over $2300 in fees, taxes and other things.
It's still not a done deal, I'll keep everyone posted.

Ohh, after this car. I've still got 2 more street rods to amend out in the garage.................NO FUN!

 

2manyprojects, I've read a bit of this thread and have a question if you might know the answer. My 32 came with a 1959 delaware homebuilt title. I REALLY want to use this so that I can run 1959 DOM plates. do you know if the 1959 homebuilt title will be an issue with the DMV with emissions etc??? I figured it would be no different than a regular title.

 

where did they put the sticker?

 

Too Many Projects, Did they scrape off the paint to apply the sticker or did they apply it to the existing paint?

If they scraped the paint, where exactly did the install it so that I may have a place ready for them?

 

The State Policeman after a rather heated exchange of words with me finally called his boss and eventually returned with the cherished little blue sticker, the Mass assigned VIN.
He applied to upper A pillar near the top door hinge on the 47 Ford.
I thanked him but he would not shake my hand.
Then as I left he grumbled something to me about the state and the DMV being broke.
Hey, I'm feeding them enough money in fees with this car.
WTF!!!!
He was careful with my car, didn't scratch anything, just looked at it and pushed the issue of paperwork and documentation.
Very bilegerent and demanding.
I guess that's a result of Massachusetts red tape.

Next back to the DMV office for new plates and registration documents.
Bam, rejected!
Grundy Insurance didn't put their stamp on my new RMV 1 form.
Gotta get a new form and go for a retry next week.
This is a lot if pain.

 

Thanks for the update. Glad you are making progres even though painfully and slow. What kind of documentation and paperwork did you have and what was he looking for as for the same ?

 

2many...please tell me you don't have to get the new "street rod" plates if they ever make them.

Otherwise you(streetrodders) will be doing the damn paper work all over again.

Insane.

 

Beligerant and demanding? That isn't because of red tape. It is because he is a Masshole.

 

The DMV state policeman in Revere was very insistent on seeing and retaining copies of original reciepts of major items used in the construction of a street rod.
He wanted recipts for major stuff, engine transmission or frame reciepts. Big stuff, not small items.
He didnt like my reciepts too much because the were small items, brake parts. r&p setup, stereo, window glass reciepts. and thousands of dollars in other parts and labor he did not consider significant.
He complained that my reciepts stated mostly labor costs.
I reached his supervisors by phone and they put in a "pass him" for me then move on.

 

To answer your question as to proper plates they will issue conventional pass. car plates for a street rod. There are no "Street Rod plates available as of yet and they don't know if they will ever be offered.
Antique plates are no longer allowed on a vehicle title branded as a street rod.
The did tell me I can keep my antique (vanity) plates for my old Chevelle though.