['clees]

What is a California Black Plate?

 

[onovakind67]

They were issued between 1963 and 1969.

 

[phocksphyre]

That is what it is. I THINK it means the car was originally titled in California, and has only been titled in Ca.
John

 

[onovakind67]

Any car titled in California during that period got the black plates, whether or not is had been previously titled elsewhere.

 

[Bomber '67]

One other thing: to still have the black plates it has to have been continuously registered or non-op. Although you can more easily slide it past some DMV offices, if you try to register an old black plate car that has not been registered or non-op for several years, they will try to make you get new style plates in order to complete the registration. Don't do it, there are ways to keep the black plates and get it legally re-registered with them.

Both my El Caminos are black plate cars. I dig the heritage factor and the black plate factor makes any muscle era car more appealing to me.

Thomas

 

[ChevysRus]

You can put any plate on any car as long as the car model year and the year issued for the plate are the same. For example a '66 Chevelle can run any black plate tag as long as the plate has a '66 tag on it orginally registered to any other car that is no longer in the system.

I have a'39 Chevy and I bought a set of California 1939 World's Fair plates and since the plates were issued in 1939 and my car was a 1939 they allowed the registration. I was bringing my car in from Washington State at the time and I bought the 1939 California plates that were restored at a swap meet.

Good Luck and as long as everything is the same year you should be OK. Now of course I did this 7-8 years ago and maybe the rules are tighter now. I have a '66 Chevelle Convertible coming in from out of State and I will attempt to find a set of 1966 black plates to put on it when it gets here and I have to register it in California. Wish me luck as well.

 

[Bomber '67]

Crazy as it may seem, California law is different on '62 and earlier vs. '63 and newer. Technically only '62 and earlier are eligible for swaps of YOM plates.

Thomas

 

[1966_L78]

[QUOTE='clees]What is a California Black Plate?[/QUOTE]

So now you know...

But WHY do so many people advertise their cars as such? And WHY do buyers seem to care so much? I have heard its not only because of the "vintage" factor, but that a "California car" implies a nice, rust-free car...

Funny to me (I guess because I am in California), but I have seen many cars with major body/frame rot, even though they had always spent their lives in California (mostly those were near the ocean). Look like those east coast/mid-west cars with the quarter panels flapping as they drive down the highway...

Does it "really" add any value to a car?

 

[bisjoe]

I guess it's really only valuable to a CA resident that wants to have the original looking plate on it. As for rust, I too used to be in CA and saw a lot of cars from the foothill areas and Sierras that were really badly rusted from road salt. I doubt they salt anymore though, because it was killing the trees. Just because it's a CA car does not mean no rust. Better to find out where it has been in CA. My EC was a southern CA car originally and the first owner moved to Everett, WA (I'm the 3rd) in 1985 and even in our really wet climate I'm just now getting some on the rocker panels and I drive it every day except in snow.

Check this out - "100% Genuine" Fake Plates!

http://www.cr8apl8.com/samples.html

 

['clees]

I'm near the FL coast, and see the rust here too. Alot from those nice salty beach drives....Lots of frame and fender corner rust.
I am checking to see if FL has a similar law about using a vintage plate, as long as the original car is not in the system. I had some paperwork on it yeas ago, but have misplaced it I have a real nice '68 plate in my garage, that had been used as late as '96.(Florida has a mandatory plate change every few years)

 

[ChevysRus]

Bomber 67...thanks for the clarification, didn't realize there was a distinction or cutoff on the same year plates. Guess I am out of luck on my '66 Convertible getting a black plate.

I might still try a backdoor way to hopefully get it done. Will let you guys know what happens soon as the car will be here next week and I have to re-register/Vin check it here in CA.

In answer to the original question, the Black CA. plate is just a little more desirable to some. Probably because it is unique and hard to get and a challenge to obtain and register. It's certainly not necessary, but like everything else elusive, it becomes more desirable and the prices go up accordingly.


Merry Christmas

 

[Paul Lower SoCal]

I wonder if there's any law that says you can't take your California plates (no matter what color) and send them to a license plate re-finisher and have them painted the black and whatever the yellowish/gold color is? What's it going to hurt? They still have the California name, numbers, and fees on them.

 

[John_Muha]

I wonder if there's any law that says you can't take your California plates (no matter what color) and send them to a license plate re-finisher and have them painted the black and whatever the yellowish/gold color is? What's it going to hurt? They still have the California name, numbers, and fees on them.

There is but can't quote the VC against it. The same law covers putting on the anti-reflective coating to screw around with the intersection cameras.

 

[396driver]

I wonder if there's any law that says you can't take your California plates (no matter what color) and send them to a license plate re-finisher and have them painted the black and whatever the yellowish/gold color is? What's it going to hurt? They still have the California name, numbers, and fees on them.

I would use the below link, instead of trying to refinish plates.

Two of my friends used this company for new plates:
http://www.licenseplates.tv/index.php/cPath/1_147

One friend had his existing rusted black plate reproduced with his existing black plate numbers; it looked like a brand new plate, but identical to his old rusted plate.

The other friend has a 69 trans am that had been re-plated with the CA white reflective plate. In 69, CA blue and yellow plates were just beginning to be issued (although black plates were still being issued into early 70), so he ordered a personalized plate from the DMV, then had it recreated at the above link into the blue and yellow plate, then simply put the registration stickers on the new re-manufactured plate. Looks vintage.

 

[Rowdy]

ChevysRus,
I have bought two '66 that came with Ca. black plates. The '66 that I am currently reincarnating was bought in Las Vegas 9/10/05 from a fellow TCer, GSOUPME, the black plate is still attached to the front bumper, RSP 731 '63, I don't know the significance of it being a 1963 plate on a '66 Chevelle, but it never mattered much to me here in Nevada. Any car is far less likely to rust here than anywhere in California, except maybe Death Valley.

In 1990 I purchased a '66 Chevelle in Phelan, Ca. I kept the then current Ca. black plates to drive it back to Vegas. After swapping out the drive train and misc. parts from my previously totalled '66, I left the black plates sitting on the porch of my mom's house. I think they are still sitting there. If I remember correctly, the date stamp on that plate was '69. I just phoned her, she is going to look as soon as she gets home from returning Christmas gifts.

I'll follow up shortly, should any of you be interested in either plate, let it be known.

 

[Late BrakeU2]

So now you know...

But WHY do so many people advertise their cars as such? And WHY do buyers seem to care so much? I have heard its not only because of the "vintage" factor, but that a "California car" implies a nice, rust-free car...

Funny to me (I guess because I am in California), but I have seen many cars with major body/frame rot, even though they had always spent their lives in California (mostly those were near the ocean). Look like those east coast/mid-west cars with the quarter panels flapping as they drive down the highway...

Does it "really" add any value to a car?

I think a lot of the mystique of the black base plates are due in part to several reasons.The foremost would be the fact they were not transferable to another vehicle,so if you find an example with current reg rest assured the car has never left the state.Most all of the motion picture/TV stock was filmed in CA,(Bullitt/Adam 12 etc)as well as buff magazine road tests with new cars sporting Cal dealer/mfg plates..the manufacturers also used a heavy"Cal dreamin"approach in their print ads as well.As mentioned earlier the DMV is hip to all the"creative" approaches to getting them on a car(including ordering a vanity plate that matches the tags you want to put on)and has no plans to make a YOM legislative program like they have for the 56-62 yellow base. Grey and Arnold do not like collector cars apparentely

 

[troposcuba]

I think a lot of the mystique of the black base plates are due in part to several reasons.The foremost would be the fact they were not transferable to another vehicle,so if you find an example with current reg rest assured the car has never left the state.Most all of the motion picture/TV stock was filmed in CA,(Bullitt/Adam 12 etc)as well as buff magazine road tests with new cars sporting Cal dealer/mfg plates..the manufacturers also used a heavy"Cal dreamin"approach in their print ads as well.As mentioned earlier the DMV is hip to all the"creative" approaches to getting them on a car(including ordering a vanity plate that matches the tags you want to put on)and has no plans to make a YOM legislative program like they have for the 56-62 yellow base. Grey and Arnold do not like collector cars apparentely

not entirely true though. my black plated '65 lives in north carolina now but is still registered in cali (i can do this since i am in the military). so there is your exception.

 

[Bomber '67]

I do believe that all the '63 to '69 Cali black plates were stamped '63; as in plate series beginning in '63. I believe the next prior series of '56 to '62 were all marked '56. The '55 and earlier plates were larger.

Thomas

 

[troposcuba]

I do believe that all the '63 to '69 Cali black plates were stamped '63; as in plate series beginning in '63. I believe the next prior series of '56 to '62 were all marked '56. The '55 and earlier plates were larger.

Thomas

what do you mean by "stamped '63... series beginning in '63" if you mean the actual licence plate # mine are different. is there a marking somewhere on the plate other than the actual #'s on the plate?

 

[Chuck]

Too bad I can't just take my personalized plate number and have it stamped into a new black and yellow plate and put it on my '67. If they looked it up on the police computer, it would still come up as me but it would have the old original plates. It would be nice to take the same current plate number and register it with the DMV on the black plate. They didn't have personalized plates back then so there would be no registration conflict.

They should do that instead of offering that silly "Historical Vehicle" plate that no one buys here in California.

Chuck