Restore this plate?

[414TATA]

Just looking for a general opinion here if I should have this plate professionally restored or leave it as is.

Jeff K. of Colma "BUICK 22" gave me the plate (thanks again Jeff)

A friend at work blasted the rusted background and repainted the black leaving the original 1941 yellow lettering.

This plate is not DMV registered, and is just for fun.

I will not be driving the car with this plate.

What do you think?

Thanks

Wayne

Super 51

[buick4547]

Whoa, that's a good looking plate, not to mention the fine Buick attached to it! I'd leave it as it is.

Jim

[buick5563]

Leave it. The front plate gets beat up if you ever do drive with it. Looks good.

[Guest 1922 Buick]

Looks great on the car Wayne, I would leave the plate as is.

1922 Buick

Jeff Kearney

1918 E45 Original car

1918 E45 Under restoration

1922 6-49 Restored

1926 Model 20 95% Restored

[Guest Grant Magrath]

Do whatever you think would be in keeping with the level of the car's restoration Wayne.

Cheers

Grant

[michaelod]

A couple of questions:

1) Does California allow "Year of Manufacture" plates?

2) Are you required to have a matching plate for both front and rear or will a single plate on the rear suffice? Note that I lived in the SF Bay Area for 15 years and at that time they required both plates.

If they allow YOM plates I would agree with Grant and just restore the plate as is appropriate for your car and drive with it.

In North Carolina we are only required to have a single plate on the rear and can run with a YOM plate even though the car is registered with a different plate. You do need to keep the state issued plate with you in the car when driven. I obtained a 1930 NC plate and had it restored to like new condition for about $70. They did a fine job and it was money well spent in my opinion.

Thanks,

[414TATA]

Yes California requires both plates. It is possible to get YOM plates for DMV reg. however

I am looking to display only when at small local car shows etc. Since I have only one plate and use my personalized plates on the car. (My Grandson calls me TA TA so. it has to be 41 4 TA TA.

Thanks for your opinion.

Wayne

[Guest 1922 Buick]

Michael

Here is the current CA Law, ( allows one plate. When dealing with the DMV in CA hold your breath. Most DMV employees at the counter don't have a clue when dealing with old plates or the law allowing one plate. In addition, I run YOM plates on all my cars. I almost died one day when a DMV counter person started passing a set of '18 porcelain plates around the office.

V C Section 5200 Display of License Plates

Display of License Plates

5200. (a) When two license plates are issued by the department for use upon a vehicle, they shall be attached to the vehicle for which they were issued, one in the front and the other in the rear.

( When only one license plate is issued for use upon a vehicle, it shall be attached to the rear thereof , unless the license plate is issued for use upon a truck tractor, in which case the license plate shall be displayed in accordance with Section 4850.5. Amended Sec. 27, Ch. 594, Stats. 2003. Effective January 1, 2004.

1922 Buick

Jeff Kearney

Edited April 11, 2012 by 1922 Buick (see edit history)

[Grimy]

In CA, passenger cars have been issued two plates since at least 1922 (I have a pair on my '22 Paige), so the 1941 Buick in question requires TWO plates.

Subsection ( cited above appears to apply only to trailers and other vehicles originally issued only one plate.

The downside in CA to YOM plates is that if they are approved by the state, you pay full ad valorem on the car every year rather than the token $2 ad valorem if you have Historic Vehicle or Horseless Carriage plates. The minimum is currently $91/year at the $2 ad valorem for HV and HC plates. Worst case: If you have a car you purchased for $100K, you could be paying over $500 per year.

Supposedly, one can sign up a black plate or YOM plate car as a "collector car" with extremely restricted usage to have the $2 ad valorem, but I don't know anyone who has pursued that course of action.

[39BuickEight]

I agree with the idea that the condition of the plate should match the condition of the car.

[Guest 1922 Buick]

George,

You are right about two plates in CA since 1922 but, there is also an exception to the law regarding two plates in CA.

5004.1. (a) (1) An owner of a vehicle that is a 1969 or older

model-year vehicle or the owner of a commercial vehicle or a pickup

truck that is a 1972 or older model-year may, after the requirements

for the registration of the vehicle are complied with and with the

approval of the department, utilize license plates of this state with

the date of year corresponding to the model-year date when the

vehicle was manufactured, if the model-year date license plate is

legible and serviceable, as determined by the department, in lieu of

the license plates otherwise required by this code.

(2) The department may consult with an organization of old car

hobbyists in determining whether the date of year of the license

plate corresponds to the model-year date when the vehicle was

manufactured.

1922 Buick

Jeff Kearney

[Grimy]

Jeff, that's an excruciatingly fine-mesh interpretation and I hope you're right!

[FLYER15015]

Wayne,

If you are going to use the plate for shows, don't forget to add a decent amount of bugs to the plate, so they think you drove her there.

Mike in Colorado

[Guest outlaw car man]

I run classic, original plates on my car, but it has to be matching year of manufacture & my State of course. Been doing that forever. Only allowed for gatherings, shows, parades, very open interpatation.

Do keep insurance card with the car too.

Both these sets are original unused plates, came in the original paper and all. I don't touch them.

When I had Dillinger's car, the Dillinger family loaned me one of his plates . I kept a State Classic Car plate in the car, just in case. Not a problem, now, was when Dillinger had it ! haaaa-

Sandy