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I planning to buy a Beck (or some other) 550 Spyder in the near future. Since all replica Spyders (I believe) have a tube type frame and therefore don't have a 'VW Donor' chassis what do I need to watch out for in terms of registration and more importantly CARB or smog testing.

I heard some horror stories regarding Spyders being registered to current year regulations and therefore have to meet current smog and safety requirements.

Can anybody share w/ me the process and/or point me in direction to avoid the California pit falls.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Arnie

ps. I built an Intermeccania Speedster (when they were in So. Caliornia) back in 1979/80 and registered it as a 1967 VW since the chassis came from one. In those days it was a lot less complex and burocratic (sp). I should have kept it in hindsight.
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I planning to buy a Beck (or some other) 550 Spyder in the near future. Since all replica Spyders (I believe) have a tube type frame and therefore don't have a 'VW Donor' chassis what do I need to watch out for in terms of registration and more importantly CARB or smog testing.

I heard some horror stories regarding Spyders being registered to current year regulations and therefore have to meet current smog and safety requirements.

Can anybody share w/ me the process and/or point me in direction to avoid the California pit falls.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Arnie

ps. I built an Intermeccania Speedster (when they were in So. Caliornia) back in 1979/80 and registered it as a 1967 VW since the chassis came from one. In those days it was a lot less complex and burocratic (sp). I should have kept it in hindsight.
I bought me Beck back in October in Denver (new rolling chassi only) I live in California and I am still working on getting it regestered. This is what I have done so far:
I got one of only 500 SPCN numbers issued by the DMV each year (given out on a first come first serve basis). To do this I got an appointment for Jan 2 (first day of the new year)spent 4 hours with the wonderful DMV folks and a cool Cobra kit guy. Next was an appointment with the CHP to get a VIN number - first I had to make sure all my electrical, wipers, brakes etc was working (which they never looked at). You must visit the CHP nearest your house. The CHP was real nice and actually fun - not like the DMV. Next is a trip to the BAR for a smog check even though I have an excemption they need to see it. I am still working on getting my car running and will need another appointment for this. Then a trip to my insurance man and back to the DMV for a plate.

Make sure you understand what you are getting into.

Good Luck
Here's an informative write up by a prominent Speedster manufacturer regarding California registration and smog requirements. .

So unless you can obtain an SB100 exemption you most likely will need to pass the emissions requirements for the motor installed. It must have all the factory' installed emissions related equipment (ie cat convertor, proper intake system, etc) and of course pass the exhaust sniffing test or your doomed. If you're not 'smog exempt' you'll need to undergo smog testing every other year at registration time.


How to register a "Special Construction" Car in California.

Step one: Take the car to Department of Motor Vehicles [DMV] for a simple VIN inspection. This establishes whether the car has a VIN and if not, starts the procedure to issue one. At this inspection you will be given a temporary tag for use until the full VIN is available. At the same time you may request a Smog exemption number if any are available. Please note there are only 500 per year issued starting January 1. An exemption is not necessary to register your car. The entire process is free, takes about 15 mins and no appointment is necessary. You will be issued with a form to take to the California Highway Patrol [CHP] for further inspection and approval.

Step two: The CHP has a lift carries out a more detailed VIN inspection. They are checking to see if a car has been constructed from more than one vehicle and is carrying more than one VIN. They need to check any VIN numbers they might find. Beck use all new parts so there are no existing VIN's but the CHP still need to look. When they are satisfied they put an official VIN plate on the car and refer you to the nearest smog referee. The CHP check is free, takes about 15 mins and requires an appointment. You may need to contact Bureau of Automotive Repair - Sacramento [1-800-622-7733] to get a smog referee appointment.

Step three: If you have an exemption number the smog referee will sign off that the car needs no smog and send you on your way. If you don
Arnold - the consensus among CA folks is 'just buy a car that's already registered 'smog free' in California. The trouble of trying to register a car from out of state isn't worth what you might save. There seem to be enough Ca registered cars ready to change hands to find one. Buying new doesn't help - you go through a tough process to register it and 'line up' on January 2nd to be one of the 500 exemptions (including all cobra, etc replicas) - if you miss - you wait another year....all pretty sticky.
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I backed off buying a FL registered Spyder, found one on Craigslist 10 miles from where I work....bought it for the same price as the FL car was to be, and had it registered in a few minutes - it had gone through 'the process' and does not need to be smog inspected....]
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RickJ
Arnold,
The basic information you have collected is good, and it would be hard to argue against buying an already registered SB100 car. But I got my car registered under SB100 this January and it was not that difficult, just a fair bit of planning some running around and waiting in line. It's true that all 500 SB100 exemptions go on the first day of business in January so you have to prepare your game plan to succeed. You can get temporary driving permits (I got them for three month increments - twice) to keep you on the road while you go through the process.

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