Here's a couple questions for the California plate trivia buffs.

Was it possible to get a California personalized plate in 1964-69 ?
Would it have been the traditional black/yellow ?

Nate

No personal plates in 69. It was in the 70s they came out.

Thanks Harv.
sounds right.
I can't say I've ever seen a black/yellow personalized plate.

So to my next question.
Would it be a crime to restore a blue/yellow plate and make it black/yellow, (for a 1964 Chevelle)?

So to my next question.
Would it be a crime to restore a blue/yellow plate and make it black/yellow, (for a 1964 Chevelle)?
:( in a word yes ! you're not even allowed to repaint the orginal plate in Ca !!

I saw some guy in an early 70's El Camino (maybe 72, IIRC) with Black Plates...just didn't look right and I know wasn't coorect (wasn't it ~1970 when they went to Blue/Yellow 6 letter plates?)...It didn't look repainted and wondered how he got away with that; was it different for 'trucks' and is an El Camino considered a truck to the DMV? Weird...

I still have my original Blue/Yellow plates, but not on the car...wished I never re-registered for new ones :(

Not to hijack, but kind of related to this thread.

Is it possible to register a pair of CA black plates if I found some at a swap meet? Anything I need to know before I buy some? I'd like to get some for my '66 Camino.

Thanks Harv.
sounds right.
I can't say I've ever seen a black/yellow personalized plate.

So to my next question.
Would it be a crime to restore a blue/yellow plate and make it black/yellow, (for a 1964 Chevelle)?


you can now go to the dmv in cali. and get black plates. they will reisssue plates that are not active. it's like getting personal plates, you go in, throw a combination of numbers and letters in the computer, if not used, they ere yours....for a price.

you can now go to the dmv in cali. and get black plates. they will reisssue plates that are not active. it's like getting personal plates, you go in, throw a combination of numbers and letters in the computer, if not used, they ere yours....for a price.

Well then why is it that when I junked out a 68 Nova and took the 2 original black plates to the DMV and asked them directly if I could transfer them over to my 69 Nova, they said no ????

Isn't there a stipulation that the plates that you want to use have to be issued in the same year as the vehicle you want to put them on ?

Are you saying that if the vehicle had newer plates and you wanted to use the original plates that came on your car, (say you still had them), that you could do that as long as you were willing to pay the yearly fee for personalized plates ?

I have heard that the CA DMV pushes for people to get rid of the black plates because they want everyone to have the new reflective plate.

Well then why is it that when I junked out a 68 Nova and took the 2 original black plates to the DMV and asked them directly if I could transfer them over to my 69 Nova, they said no ????

Isn't there a stipulation that the plates that you want to use have to be issued in the same year as the vehicle you want to put them on ?

Are you saying that if the vehicle had newer plates and you wanted to use the original plates that came on your car, (say you still had them), that you could do that as long as you were willing to pay the yearly fee for personalized plates ?

I have heard that the CA DMV pushes for people to get rid of the black plates because they want everyone to have the new reflective plate.


Cal DMV has a YOM(year of manufacture) program for the 56-62 yellow base plates,but there is no current(or future) legislation being considered for the 63-69 black base.That's why they are worth their weight in gold-if they are on a car with current reg it stands as testament that the car has carried it's original tags in five decades.(and they look cool on any color car)Even if you have a blue base six digit plate professionally restored in black and chrome yellow the dead giveaway would be the sequence-all 63-69 plates were letters/numbers and starting with the blue base in 70 it was #'s /letters L to R .I would say if you have current tags that are blue base keep em going because they are still a quarter century old already.

I have a set of personalized with first name last initial old blue/yellow faded plates from a 1972 caddy that my grandfather owned, since I was named after him i inherited them and will run them on my chevelle... maybe even paint 'em black, they're period correct for early 70s to be possibly black/yellow

El Caminos are conisidered a truck. I have 2, one 78 and one 66 with the original black plates and both are considered comerical.

Cal DMV has a YOM(year of manufacture) program for the 56-62 yellow base plates,but there is no current(or future) legislation being considered for the 63-69 black base.That's why they are worth their weight in gold-if they are on a car with current reg it stands as testament that the car has carried it's original tags in five decades.(and they look cool on any color car)Even if you have a blue base six digit plate professionally restored in black and chrome yellow the dead giveaway would be the sequence-all 63-69 plates were letters/numbers and starting with the blue base in 70 it was #'s /letters L to R .I would say if you have current tags that are blue base keep em going because they are still a quarter century old already.

The blue/yellow personalized plate that I have for my 64 Chevelle convertible has 2 numbers, then 5 letters !
Might not look too bad black/yellow !

Nate

I was so ticked when I got my 68 for someone had changed the plates, and to make matters worse they were the last generation of white plates....yuk! So I put personized plates on, but I did have an idea a few years ago, if you were to get one of the 6 letter plate (the beach plate....etc) then it is correct letter number sequence (letter first) as the black plates. Then all you need to do is get a set of the vacuum formed set that is sold at the swap meet with the same number and put them on the car.....this is illegal though, put then the cops can't tell when they run the plate cause it doesn't tell them that they have the beach plate and you still have the real set unmolested :)

I had bought a 1970 Buick GS350, and the DMV at the time was convincing people that they had to get new plates, I was told that I had to get new ones cause my front plate was missing (which it was there and in great shape), I asked how the hell could the counter person know that "you have never even seen the car" was what I said. The next line was that the old plates were being replaced and that I would be required to pay the 100 bucks to replace, I told them to go stuff their head where the sun don't shine, and show me some legislation passed by the state saying that, the DMV person let me keep my original plates. I consider the California DMV to be the temple of the Anti-Christ......

I would be required to pay the 100 bucks to replace, I told them to go stuff their head where the sun don't shine, and show me some legislation passed by the state saying that, the DMV person let me keep my original plates. I consider the California DMV to be the temple of the Anti-Christ......

Did the fees for replacement plates go up? They have always been $10.00 as far as I can remember, and this is as recent as 1 year buying replacements for one of my cars.

:( in a word yes ! you're not even allowed to repaint the orginal plate in Ca !!

True, but have you known anyone that has been cited for it???

My friend has his personalized plates painted black/yellow on his blown Mustang... Been pulled over a few times, but they never hassled him about the plate colors. Maybe since they are "correct" colors on older Cali cars, perhaps most officers don't realize is been changed.

I have personalized plates, and I will eventually paint them black instead of blue...


There is a big problem though... The older plates had the "CALIFORNIA" in raised letters, easy to repaint yellow... BUT the newer plates are flat, with printed "CALIFORNIA"... How are you going to repaint that with the proper font/size, etc? Thats where you might really get busted... I don't think California has offered the raised "Cali" in years...

you can now go to the dmv in cali. and get black plates. they will reisssue plates that are not active. it's like getting personal plates, you go in, throw a combination of numbers and letters in the computer, if not used, they ere yours....for a price.


I don't think that is entirely true... Its true fore the earlier cars (56-62, as mentioned above), but I tried to do this with my old plate Number (I have the plates, been off the car for decades), yet still even though the numbers were not in the system, they wouldn't allow this because the sequence (ABC 123" is "reserved" for regular plates (even though they don't issue 6-digits anymore)... I also tried countless combinations, figuring I could just get the personalized numbers, and get a repro plate with THOSE numbers... No luck...

Temple of the Anti-Christ...:D I'll have to keep an eye on my neighbors (their whole family works at the DMV)... I thought they were strange...

I have a 39 F**D streetrod (it has chevy power !) in addition to my Chevelle and I bought some 39 California plates off eBay for my garage. Can these be registered for use on my streetrod in CA ? Does the YOM apply to 39's ?

Thanks !

Tom