Vintage License Plates

[lonetreesteve]

I have a set of a '71 and '72 plates (for both Zs) that my Mom gave me last year. They were originally on our family car back in the day. My late father started a collection of our license plates in the garage that goes all the back to the 1950's. I believe in Colorado it is illegal to drive on the public streets with these old plates, but they sure are fun to put on to take pictures of the car, etc. I put them on the '71 at the Colorado Shine & Show last September, but I forgot to bring a camera with me; however, Dan and some others did and here are a couple pics of the '71 with the old plates, along with a couple pics of the plates.

[george71z]

Here in Florida, we have a process known as Year of Manufacture for old plates. You can buy a Fla. plate from a plate vendor that matches the year of your car; if the car is over 25 yrs, old; and send it to the state capitol DMV office. They will validate that it is authentic; i.e. not restored and still pass the reflectivity standards; it is sent back ; and it is your plate forever. Each county in Fla. at one time had a code number that led off the plate number based on the population of the county in the 1930 census. My county code is 19. I have a 70-71 code 19 plate on my 71 240.

[Arne]

I would not recommend you do that.

FIRST, check the local laws to see if you can do to them. You probably have a very limited number of things you can do, like washing, and maybe just touch up the numbers. Most people I talked to thought they would strip it to bare metal, and repaint with modern paint, which you can't do, because then they wouldn't be authentic antique license plates.

That's why the best condition antique plates coats a lot.

Here in Oregon (where Mike, ZSaint and myself all live), the DMV has an "administrative rule" that repainted or restored plates are not supposed to be allowed. But since it is just a "rule" and not the law, the local DMV office staff who actually have to inspect the plates have some latitude. If they have been restored well (like those pictured at the link to Oregonplates.com above) I don't think you'd have any problems registering them as vanity or especially Special Interest. (In fact, they guarantee their plates will pass Oregon DMV muster.)

On the other hand, I had a set restored in Florida by a prominent Hemmings advertiser for my old MG, and while the plate itself was great, the color of the yellow numbers was just plain wrong. Luckily, I didn't have to get that set approved because they were already registered to the car prior to the restoration.

[a7dz]

I still have the original plates on my 70 but, there is a program here in Washington that has been changing plates on a regular basis. Both of my other cars, truck and trailers have been swapped out at the time I renewed the plates over the past couple of years

The back plate on my car is good but the front is toast.

[nwcubsman]

Does anyone know where I can obtain a set of vintage Oregon license plates? I'm looking to get two of them for the correct year my car was built (1971).

Mike,

Don at Oregon License Plates sells plate in varying conditions. He does sell legally restored plates, but he will admit that they are for show cars due to the price. He will guarantee the the DMV will accept them.

There is also a guy in Gresham that sells vintage plates much cheaper. I cannot find his name right now, as I must have deleted our e-mail conversation from a couple of years ago. They both can tell you which plate is correct for your car. If I can come up with his name, I'll repost.

A couple of sources can get you a number you prefer. I did buy a set on ebay for $10 and that is what I am using on my silver car. Got them from a guy in Condon, OR. I have vintage plates on both cars. You should expect to pay around $175 to license your car with them the first time around. It most likely won't be for 2 years as the plates are embossed with the month and that will become your renewal month. It will cost $104 thereafter to renew. As Arne says, they are then vanity plates. ( I just renewed last week )

I would caution you about licensing your car as Special Interest. You are only allowed to drive your car to an event. The police here in Gresham are pretty wise to it and after all, your car is "arrest me" yellow.

[Arne]

There is also a guy in Gresham that sells vintage plates much cheaper. I cannot find his name right now, as I must have deleted our e-mail conversation from a couple of years ago. They both can tell you which plate is correct for your car. If I can come up with his name, I'll repost.

If you find his name, I'd be interested too, Bryan.

I would caution you about licensing your car as Special Interest. You are only allowed to drive your car to an event. The police here in Gresham are pretty wise to it and after all, your car is "arrest me" yellow.

Things are a bit more lax here in the Eugene area, you can get away with SI plates if they are vintage. At least some of the time. My parts car had a single blue plate on the back with the SI sticker. I know it was being driven fairly regularly prior to the previous owner's son wrecking it. But I won't go SI, I don't want to be limited.

[TomoHawk]

\What's the general rule for swapping your license plates for a car show? so as long as you put the real one back on for the street, IMO, it shouldn't matter what's on the back for show or judging.

[nwcubsman]

\What's the general rule for swapping your license plates for a car show?

My guess is that where DMV is concerned, plates stay on the appropriate car, no exceptions. But I've never asked, nor would I if I were planning on switching them.

The gent I bought my silver car from had a CA plate that said ULTIM8Z. This was a blue plate. He went and had them reissued in the newer white plates, but he never put tags on them and he continued to run with the blue plate. I now own the white plates, but he would not give up the blue plate. I suppose he would try and apply it to another Z if he ever gets another.

[Travel'n Man]

Thread resurrection and update:

http://www.licenseplates.tv/usa-state-plates.html

[bpilati]

I found some 71 Virginia plates many years ago on ebay, but haven't used them yet. They were still wrapped in the original paper inside a large envelope.

[Arne]

Thread resurrection and update:

http://www.licenseplates.tv/usa-state-plates.html

As noted above, the plates offered in this link will not pass DMV inspection here in Oregon.

I did add period correct Oregon plates to my 240Z while I had it. They weren't actually '71 vintage, the sequence I got was actually issued in early August '73. The same sequence was also correct for August '72. But they were close enough to look right on the car. I did keep them when I shipped the car off to Norway, just in case I get another pre-74 car in the future.

[Bonzi Lon]

I was told by the State of Kansas it 'must of been a legally issued tag', they require a photo copy of the plate being used before the plate is given an OK. The company offering the repo plates above have the wrong color for the 73 Kansas plate.

Bonzi Lon