Author Topic: California license letter sequence  (Read 35854 times)

Hugger Orange 69

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 10
    • View Profile
California license letter sequence
« on: August 08, 2007, 07:27:48 PM »
I am wondering what the correct license plate letter sequence would be for my 69 Camaro? It was built in Van Nuys in October of 68 and purchased in Torrance, but I do not know the month or year of original registration. Can someone help me find this information?

The car currently has blue and yellow plates and I want to look for the correct sequence black and yellows.

Thanks, Jim

GaryL

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 538
  • Marilyn and me
    • View Profile
Re: California license letter sequence
« Reply #1 on: August 08, 2007, 07:43:16 PM »
X,Y OR Z should be the first letter. If you buy a set you will not be able have the car registered with them. Do not take them with you to DMV or they may confiscate them.
Gary

Lemans Blue X33. DZ, M20, manual steering. Only BU code rear end is original.

Hugger Orange 69

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 10
    • View Profile
Re: California license letter sequence
« Reply #2 on: August 08, 2007, 07:49:10 PM »
Thanks Gary.
I know the plates are not allowed currently, but I am hoping that will change someday and I want to have a set that I can switch to when it does.

My brother bought his 69 SS while he was in the Army in Vietnam. His begins with "Z". I think he picked the car up in San Francisco upon his return in about June of 69.

dutch

  • Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 434
  • Documented Canadian 1968 Z/28
    • View Profile
Re: California license letter sequence
« Reply #3 on: August 09, 2007, 03:00:50 AM »
Thanks Gary.
I know the plates are not allowed currently, but I am hoping that will change someday and I want to have a set that I can switch to when it does.

My brother bought his 69 SS while he was in the Army in Vietnam. His begins with "Z". I think he picked the car up in San Francisco upon his return in about June of 69.

 I have a set with 2 tags - upper left stickered in 1968 and top right last tagged in 1969. They begin with "I". How can the original date of issue be determined from the letter sequence?
 I was under the impression that these black and yellow plates were fairly valued as they could be reregistered these days if they were in presented in decent condition.
 Seems to me I read a few threads on the Yenko board in the past 6-12 months that lead me to believe that if the correct hoops were jumped through this was indeed possible at that time.
 Did something change recently to reverse the policy as the posters at that time advised that they had apparently managed to do this... Or were they just blowing smoke?  Thanks - Randy

bertfam

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4492
    • View Profile
Re: California license letter sequence
« Reply #4 on: August 09, 2007, 04:11:52 AM »
Really, there's no definable way to tell when your black plates were issued by the letters. The problem is that when California DMV's were issued black plates, large metropolitan areas went through theirs fairly quickly while rural areas were much slower. For instance, if you licensed your new 69 Camaro in Los Angeles, you would have probably received a set of plates starting with the letter "Y". Los Angeles registered hundreds of cars a day, so they went through the alphabet fairly quickly. However, if you licensed your new 69 Camaro in say, Birds Landing (California's smallest town), you would have probably received plates starting with the letter "B" or "C"! Small rural towns didn't register as many cars as the large cities, so they didn't use up their allotment as quickly. See what I mean?

I've seen original late 60's cars with original black plates, and the letters were only in the "E" and "F" ranges! No way to tell for sure...

As for YOM, here's the official text direct from the California DMV:

Quote
14.100 Year of Manufacture Model Year Date Plates (VC §5004.1)
Year of Manufacture (YOM) license plates are any officially manufactured California
license plates issued prior to 1963 that are determined to be legible and serviceable by
the DMV. YOM plates may be assigned in lieu of regular license plates to any
currently registered 1962 or older year model motor vehicle or trailer of a
corresponding model year.
Kit cars of vintage automobiles (a replica of a 1928 vehicle for example) do not
qualify for YOM plates. Vehicles with YOM plates have full operating privileges and
are not restricted to participation in historical vehicle activities.
The plates must be supplied by the vehicle owner and authenticated by DMV
personnel. Base year plates must have the appropriate year validation sticker attached
to the plate to be authenticated as other than the base year (for example, a 1956 plate
with a 1958 sticker equals a 1958 plate).

Ed
« Last Edit: August 09, 2007, 04:29:27 AM by bertfam »

67camarorsss

  • Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 37
    • View Profile
Re: California license letter sequence
« Reply #5 on: August 09, 2007, 10:39:25 PM »
I've had 2 67's with black plates. Both were in the LA area and both started with a "U" (UZX - 6a code and UTV - 4a code).
- 1967 RS/SS 396/TH400 (loaded clone restification)
- 1998 Z28 LS1/M6 (daily driver)
- 2002 Z28 LS1/4L60E (12 sec toy/bookend to the 67)

GaryL

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 538
  • Marilyn and me
    • View Profile
Re: California license letter sequence
« Reply #6 on: August 10, 2007, 12:31:15 AM »
I have seen X, Y or Z in my area. But true, depended on where the car was licensed.
Gary

Lemans Blue X33. DZ, M20, manual steering. Only BU code rear end is original.

69CONVRAT

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 8
    • View Profile
Re: California license letter sequence
« Reply #7 on: August 10, 2007, 12:38:26 AM »
Just a litle FYI, here in Kansas we can use vintage plates as long as they're Kansas issued, so it is true that some states allow it. Ours can also be from any county even if it isn't the one the car is registered in.

wtexz10

  • Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 243
    • View Profile
Re: California license letter sequence
« Reply #8 on: August 10, 2007, 01:57:24 AM »
The same is true in Texas.  I'm currently running NOS 1969 "Texas" plates.  The state of Texas will issue a small aluminum plate which is afixed to the rear plate so that the authorities no the registration is current.

Kris
69 Camaro Z10.. 72 GMC C1500
79 Mazda RX7.. 79 Trans Am WS6
06 Corvette Z06.. 10 BMW 650i

1968RSZ28

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6188
    • View Profile
Re: California license letter sequence
« Reply #9 on: August 10, 2007, 03:42:19 AM »
My 1968 RallySport Z/28 (02C) has been in the San Francisco Bay Area it's entire life.  It's original California black plates are WHTxxx.  I looked at a 1968 RallySport (04D) survivor back in February and it's original California black plates are XABxxx.  The current owner of this car states it has been in the Bay Area it's entire life too.

Paul

Farm Boy

  • Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 31
    • View Profile
Re: California license letter sequence
« Reply #10 on: August 10, 2007, 05:39:03 AM »
There are no Camaros with a legal early black plate starting with "A" through "S". Back when the Camaro was first introduced in 1966 the state was issuing “T” or “U” plates.

When these cars were sold new the plates were issued by the DMV in Sacramento and mailed to the new owner. The plate number sequence a new car received was directly dependent on the date the car was titled. It didn’t mater where in California the selling dealer or the buyer was located. The date the MSO was processed and the title issued determined the letter sequence the black plates received.

My car was first sold on 4/1/1967 and my plate number is URC 357.
Steve

bertfam

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4492
    • View Profile
Re: California license letter sequence
« Reply #11 on: August 10, 2007, 09:02:25 PM »
I'm not going to argue with you but I just wanted to give you this to chew on...

When I was 11, my father bought a brand new 1966 Pontiac LeMans. We went down to the DMV in El Cajon, California to register it. The person behind the counter handed him two new license plates wrapped up in brown paper, which I installed on the car. We didn't have to wait for them from Sacramento.

Ed

tom

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1146
    • View Profile
    • Discount Internet Services
Re: California license letter sequence
« Reply #12 on: August 10, 2007, 11:04:59 PM »
I don't know about CA, but in NJ we can transfer our plates from the old car to the new car at the first registration. If that works in CA it might throw the sequence out a bit.

Tom
69 X11 Z21 L14 glide
looking for a 69 export model (KPH) speed
o

fireZ

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 548
    • View Profile
Re: California license letter sequence
« Reply #13 on: August 11, 2007, 12:16:11 AM »
My 68 z was sold 3rd week of march in Orange California and the black plates that were on the car are VNK- - -
1968 Z28 LA Built
LIC # RPO Z28

1968RSZ28

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6188
    • View Profile
Re: California license letter sequence
« Reply #14 on: August 11, 2007, 01:32:30 AM »
When I was 11, my father bought a brand new 1966 Pontiac LeMans. We went down to the DMV in El Cajon, California to register it. The person behind the counter handed him two new license plates wrapped up in brown paper, which I installed on the car. We didn't have to wait for them from Sacramento.

Ed

Ed, any chance you remember the license plate number on your father's Pontiac?

Paul

 

anything