CRG Discussion Forum

Camaro Research Group Discussion => Originality => Topic started by: my124677n on March 22, 2009, 06:09:00 PM

Title: ? California Plates - 1967 corresponding letters ?
Post by: my124677n on March 22, 2009, 06:09:00 PM
Wondering if any California folks out there have a 1967 model year vehicle with original plates starting with a late Txx - xxx number. Most have U's and early V's. 
Title: Re: ? California Plates - 1967 corresponding letters ?
Post by: 1967RS/SS on March 24, 2009, 11:46:22 PM
My Camaro is a TYM...
Title: Re: ? California Plates - 1967 corresponding letters ?
Post by: KurtS on March 25, 2009, 03:03:46 AM
Depends on where the car was first registered. My understanding is that some area used up their letter allotments faster than others.

And yes, there are other 67's that start with T's.
Title: Re: ? California Plates - 1967 corresponding letters ?
Post by: GaryL on March 25, 2009, 03:54:32 AM
When I bought my current set of black plates, the collector/dealer I bought them from told me this. In 1963 the state sent AAA001 thru HHH999 (approximately) out to the different counties. Once they needed more plates the next in the series was sent out to the county asking. Early on a new 1963 car could have received any thing between AAA0001 and HHH999 depending where it was purchased. Just what I was told.
Title: Re: ? California Plates - 1967 corresponding letters ?
Post by: my124677n on March 25, 2009, 04:34:29 AM
Thanks for the info. Just wanted to make sure I could buy some "T" plates as well as "U" plates for the July '09 YOM rule changes.
Title: Re: ? California Plates - 1967 corresponding letters ?
Post by: kforce on March 28, 2009, 06:13:02 AM
My Camaro is a TYM...

When was your manufacture date on the trim tag??
Title: Re: ? California Plates - 1967 corresponding letters ?
Post by: my124677n on March 30, 2009, 12:08:31 AM
the car was a late 67 build, June 67, so really I should be using late U's or early V's, but a 67 is a 67, so if I find nice late T's I'll use them. Thanks.
Title: Re: ? California Plates - 1967 corresponding letters ?
Post by: 1967RS/SS on March 31, 2009, 11:32:54 PM
My Camaro is a TYM...

When was your manufacture date on the trim tag??

01C (3rd week of January)

Title: Re: ? California Plates - 1967 corresponding letters ?
Post by: fireZ on April 01, 2009, 07:10:59 PM
My 1968 Z28 with a build date of 02E has plates that start with VNK ----.This car was sold from Selman Chevrolet out of Orange California
Title: Re: ? California Plates - 1967 corresponding letters ?
Post by: plasiter on April 02, 2009, 06:46:49 PM
My 06A 67 Z was built in Los Angeles and sold new in San Bernadino, CA in June 1967.  Its original black plates started with "VDH."  I hope this helps.  Paul
Title: Re: ? California Plates - 1967 corresponding letters ?
Post by: genminmar on May 17, 2009, 12:03:05 AM
I have three blackplate Camaros #1  is a 1st week of October 66 build date with SWUxxx  #2 is a 2nd week of November 66 build date with TVRxxx and #3 is a 1st week of December build date and is UDKxxx  Take into account some cars spent a little more time on the car lot and got later Alpha letters because they were at the DMV 4,5 and 6 weeks and maybe even longer depending on when the car sold. So it will have a later sequential order. Another possibility is that an out of state transfer could take place on a 4 or 5 month old Camaro and could get a much later sequential order.
Title: Re: ? California Plates - 1967 corresponding letters ?
Post by: RS3SDL2MG on May 17, 2009, 02:58:54 AM
I don't know if this will help your delima or not but here is a vintage 1968 picture and you can read the california license number as

WQD-593

(http://www.roadsidepapergirls.com/images/J/J00246.jpg)
Title: Re: ? California Plates - 1967 corresponding letters ?
Post by: GaryL on May 17, 2009, 02:55:10 PM
I was at an all Camaro show a week ago. There were many black plate cars. The following is what I recorded for these cars.

1967
UFH = 05D
TUR = 10B
UBS =  12A
ECS = 12A

1969
YXD = 12C
YHN = 12C
YJX = 02C
YHA = 07A
XXD = 09D
YHS = 01D
YHZ = 02D
YXV = 02D (my original black plate prefix) . I have a set of YHZ to go replace my long-gone originals.

The ECS car had to have original plates. There has never been a way to get black plates registered after first issue, before July 2009.
Title: Re: ? California Plates - 1967 corresponding letters ?
Post by: genminmar on May 17, 2009, 04:22:04 PM
GaryL,  Just got to thinking. ??? There is the possibility even if the ECS=12A car had a current sticker on it, it  may not actually be a bonified registered car. Beings it was at a car show does not mean it was driven on a California road or highway to get there, could have came on a trailer. But it would look good at the show with the black plate and "assuming" a current sticker. I really do not know it to be this way, just a guess. My logic is, the sequential order for a 67 Camaro with an ECS prefix is way to early of the "E" letter to be applied to the car when in fact as was stated above the Oct 66 build car had "SWUxxx for the prefix. I also have two 64 Novas and they carry #1 car PBRxxx and #2 car has PCKxx for the prefix. So my thinking is that the cars with a prefix letter begining with "E" must be earlier than these 64 Novas and that a 67 Camaro with an "E" prefix does not allow by the timing and release of plates regarding the plates being distributed in a sequential order. Point is, "The time frame does not allow" If anyone is looking for black plates they should be certain of the approximate date windows in which the car should fall into. All the information in these post can get you close by weeding out inaccuracies. But if we had some input from people with 1963 cars we could ascertain if maybe the prefix of "E" fits in prior to 1964. You can appear at a car show in Illinois and show it with period correct California Black Plate, but then after the show reinstall the Illinois plate and drive it out of the gate. We will wait for those with 63' cars to weigh in. Great topic though.

Note: In my earlier response to this topic I incorrectly stated the #3 car build date, should have been (#3 car build date third week Jan. 1967 01C  black plate prefix UDKxxx)
Title: Re: ? California Plates - 1967 corresponding letters ?
Post by: GaryL on May 17, 2009, 07:20:44 PM
I will see that car again, I am sure. It was driven to the show. I can not say 100% it had current stickers. It is possible the owner just puts the plates on for shows. It is also posible they are original depending in which county the car was first registered. Read my post #3 above. The plates were not issued in sequential order. ???
Title: Re: ? California Plates - 1967 corresponding letters ?
Post by: CNorton on May 18, 2009, 12:00:09 AM
I will see that car again, I am sure. It was driven to the show. I can not say 100% it had current stickers. It is possible the owner just puts the plates on for shows. It is also posible they are original depending in which county the car was first registered. Read my post #3 above. The plates were not issued in sequential order.

Based on almost 50 years of casual observation it's my opinion that an "E?? ???" California black plate for a 1967 car is a real stretch for originality.  As we geezers are wont to say, "Back in the day....," I had a '62 Ford Galaxie 406 that was sold new in Los Angeles County that carried plate #FHA-0--.  My point is that, county of origin notwithstanding, to have an "E" plate on a car that was not manufactured until approximately 5 years after that would be beyond extraordinary.  I understand that anything can happen and that truth is stranger than fiction.  This particular plate number is a million-to-one shot on a '67 Camaro. 

c
Title: Re: ? California Plates - 1967 corresponding letters ?
Post by: genminmar on May 18, 2009, 03:01:30 PM
GaryL , I can understand that logic in as far as a possilble sale of a car in a county like Modoc in northeastern California and where maybe the car dealer is a small one and in that day they were selling 12 cars a month, so realistically the DMV in that county may have been sitting on older stock with earlier alpha prefixes. If and when you see the car again get down to particulars and see if the POP is with the car and find out which dealer it was sold from. My Nov. 66 car was first registered in L.A. county with high numbers of sales and my Oct. 66 car was first registered in Tulare county with low sales numbers. For being six weeks apart in build dates they are certainly following a pattern. As for getting a set of plates I can understand your concerns for aligning a build date to the three prefix letters and at the prices they are getting for them you do not want to pay and then find out that the possibility of being correct for the period is not working out. Kind of like a manifold date that follows the engine block VIN portion by four weeks. Keep studying and keep us posted when you see that ECS car again ... good luck genminmar
Title: Re: ? California Plates - 1967 corresponding letters ?
Post by: genminmar on May 21, 2009, 01:25:34 AM
Backing up  CNorton "The Veteran" on his comment and an explanation as to why. And this goes for any research you may be doing if you are going to try and apply the older black plates to a car between 1962 and 1970. You have to get it in the right window. CNorton was saying that an ECSxxx for a 67 year car is a real stretch for the sequential order. This will answer his reasoning. #1 There were a lot of cars in California in 1962. In this year they changed from yellow plates to black plates and in order for all the non commercial cars to be outfitted with black plates. For what ever was on the road plus all the new ones being sold, they had to start at AAA 001 and it ate up a lot of letters and numbers in the sequential format. #2 They then had to continue each year 63", 64", 65", 66", and to 67" with all the new cars and whatever was transferred into the state from elsewhere.  As for some of the few that have been presented in this topic we can see that a 67" car could possibly be in the area of maybe RAAxxx and forward. It appears that the earliest car in the topic is a 66 build with the SWUxxx plate. We could use more input from others with 64", 65", 66", cars, they do not have to be Camaro's.......Do not put the plates on and pay the big money unless you have got the letters and numbers close enough to work. There are hounds out there that will gladly take the money! And there will always be the wiseacre that will spot it and let you know you have egg on your face.
Title: Re: ? California Plates - 1967 corresponding letters ?
Post by: GaryL on May 21, 2009, 01:48:47 AM
..........Do not put the plates on and pay the big money unless you have got the letters and numbers close enough to work. There are hounds out there that will gladly take the money! And there will always be the wiseacre that will spot it and let you know you have egg on your face.

That has nothing to do with the YOM code. All you need is a plate with a "correct year sticker" to get it on the car. DMV does not keep track on what is the "correct" sequence. You can buy repro stickers for any year from plate dealers or from ebay. If that ECSXXX plate was never on that car originally, he can get it on legally starting July 2009.
Title: Re: ? California Plates - 1967 corresponding letters ?
Post by: genminmar on May 21, 2009, 08:06:26 PM
Thanks GaryL   Veteran,,    Yes that is true that In July 2009 it will be legal to apply black plates to any car that was built between 1962 and 1970, correct me if I am wrong on the years. No problem, a lot of people are going to do it. My point is, that getting a set of plates being close to the date of build is a task if you want to be "Correct" or "Near Correct". And some purist out there will snicker knowing all the facts and criteria. He may belittle you at the next place you show up with the car. It just happens that for at least twenty plus years now, through, Hemmings, (where I first noticed), auto traders magazines, Barret-Jackson Auction and on e-bay, people are relying heavily on advertising these vehicles as "California Black Plate Cars".  I guy will drop down an extra few dollars just to have this. Years back a guy I know was dealing on a car in Oaklahoma . When he run those plates through DMV, they told him they were from another vehicle. Bottom line is, some people will want to be spot on, when trying to put a black plate on. This by being close to letter order and build date. Others do not care, they just want a "California Black Plate Car". And then there is the scalper who will take advantage of the upcoming  law and put the plates on a vehicle he buys in Minnesota and then resell it as a bonafied "California Black Plate Car" and get the big bucks and the new owner will have to find out sooner or later he got Boned!  Anyhow it will become a hot topic after July rolls around,  good luck!    genminmar
Title: Re: ? California Plates - 1967 corresponding letters ?
Post by: KurtS on May 23, 2009, 04:28:40 AM
He could also have bought the plates and then got a custom plate of ECSxxx. Set those aside and run the black plates.
Not quite legal, but it's been done and who would ever notice.

I've never seen a 67 with anything even close to an E plate - I doubt they are originals.
Title: Re: ? California Plates - 1967 corresponding letters ?
Post by: GaryL on May 27, 2009, 04:39:14 AM
I will back to you with his story after the next time I see the car.