Thread: Inspection Question.

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Yesterday I went to a shop to pick up a part. I noticed that they do inspections. I told him that I have a 52 F1 Ford that needs a sticker, and said nothing more. His first question was, does it have any modifications. I told him what could be plainly seen. It was an F1 sitting on an 89 Chevy frame and has a 68 engine. He said that it would have to be inspected as an 89 vehicle because it was modified. I told him that it was not registered as a modified vehicle, it was registered as a 52 F1. He says that according to TXDOT I will need cat converters and air polution crap on the engine. I just spent seven hours pouring through TXDOT laws and can't find anything pertaining to modified vehicles. Anyone have any insight on this???

Get a second opinion from another inspection station. Do you know any street rod guys--ask them how they go about it. That sounds bogus to me.

What is on the back of the current sticker? It should say 52 Ford Truck and so it is inspected as a 52 with only the emissions required at that time. Which is none.

Kitz

Texas is a bitch for hotrodders. Read this site:

http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/vi/Misc/faq/engine.html

It's pretty scary.

In particular

The year model of a reconstructed vehicle will be the same year in which it was reconstructed and not the year of original manufacture. Therefore, the inspection requirements would be for the model year of the vehicle (same as the year of reconstruction) or the year model of the engine itself, whichever is the later model.

In fact, it seems worse than that. The year of the vehicle is the newest of a) the vehicle, b) the engine, or c) when you built it.

This may be your out, though:

However it is registered, is how DPS inspection stations will test it.

I think this means that if TEXDOT registers a vehicle as a '53 Ford, DPS must inspect it as a '53 Ford.

Obviously, there are a lot of hot rods in Texas that haven't followed these rules, so I'm not sure how they got it done.

Is RockinRod still around?

Jack, I don't think Rocknrod has been here for a while. According to the Member's list on him his last post was in October 2006. Don't know what happened to him.

It does sound as you say, if you keep your vehicle registered as the year of original manufacture, you'd only have to comply with that years rules. Strange wording in their laws.

This Texas thing bugs me. My vehicle will be registered as a replica in VA, but I'm planning to retire in Texas in 4 or 5 years. Rod had a great '32 coupe. He's a retired MCPO, so maybe he's contracting in the sandbox again.

Rod's website: http://www.geocities.com/capstain/rocknrod.html

Has Texas adopted the Street Rod licensing that many other states have?

Small world isn't. I am a retired CPO.

Originally Posted by rumrumm

Has Texas adopted the Street Rod licensing that many other states have?

Nope. Check the SEMA site for info.

http://www.sema.org/main/semaorghome.aspx?id=50721

Thanks for the input guys. After reading several threads and talking to several guys, I'm going to re-register it as an antique. As an antique, it's limited to parades, functions, and club meetings, and safety inspections are not required.
No more sticker problems. I'll just go to parades, functions, and club meetings....
Yeah, right!!!

Let's see, in this little town, 2 cars and 1 tractor is a parade. Either that or a traffic jam.

NOT FAIR...He gets a tractor in his parade...Some guys get all the luck.

Texas DOT has a new amendment called the 'Rebuilt or Restored vehicle ruling'. When you register it, if you tell them that you just spent X number of years rebuilding or restoring it, or the bill of sale states that you purchased a salvaged vehicle, they will require you to take it to a special inspection station and have it gone over with a fine tooth comb BEFORE you can register it. If it passes you are given a document and it's registered as a refurbished vehicle. Then you have to take it to a regular inspection station for an inspection sticker. It was designed to keep Katrina flood damaged cars out of Texas.