[TR] CA Black Plates

[Randall]

YOM will not work for you, Bill.  Black plates didn't start until 1963, so
there is no black plate for your "year of manufacture".

However, there is another provision in the law that should work.  I used it
to keep my black plates.  Unfortunately I can't think of the name offhand;
but my local DMV basically knew nothing about the law.  I had to print out
the rules from the DMV web site, then fill out my own "statement of facts"
(a DMV form) stating that I met every requirement of the rules.  The clerk
still did not think it would work, but she agreed to ship the papers off to
Sacramento, where it was approved.

You will need some sort of DMV paperwork (like an old registration) showing
that those plates were assigned to your car when they were current plates.
They also need to inspect both plates, to ensure they are in "acceptable"
condition. There are also a bunch of statements about it being a collector
vehicle, you being a collector, not modifying the car and so on.  The result
is effectively an "environmental" plate, so you'll also pay an extra fee
every year (on top of the application fee).

-- Randall