'66 California Black Plate Question

[Gas_Pumps]

California used to renew plates only at the first of the year. Then they started a "rolling renewal" plan to spread the payments throughout the year. After that started, you needed an month sticker on the left side of the plate and the latest renewal sticker on the right. When did they start the monthly renewal plan? Did the '66 original plate have a monthly sticker or did that happen later?

I have owned this '66 since '67, but I have forgotten. I lost the original plates due to a theft, but I now have it registered with year of manufacturer black plates that only have a 1966 sticker on the right side.

Any help appreciated.

[Boat66]

My original 66 black plates have a 63 stamped into them on the upper right corner. I'm not sure about the month sticker back then but you can see the 1969 reg sticker was on the left...

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[JEM]

Originally Posted by Gas_Pumps

California used to renew plates only at the first of the year. Then they started a "rolling renewal" plan to spread the payments throughout the year. After that started, you needed an month sticker on the left side of the plate and the latest renewal sticker on the right. When did they start the monthly renewal plan? Did the '66 original plate have a monthly sticker or did that happen later?

If I remember correctly, you used to alternate the location of the renewal sticker, so you'd put one year in one pocket and the next year in the other, lather rinse repeat. I think the month-by-month renewals started in the blue-plate era, late '70s, no earlier. A '66 would NOT have had the month sticker from new.

[Hwyman]

The change to blue plates was in 1969. I know they had month stickers by 1971, I think my 71 gt-37 had them. Can't remember before that when the change was, but in 66 don't think they had the month stickers yet.

Made me look it up. Memory is getting bad. They started issuing month stickers with the expiration of the 1976 registrations. So all registrations that expired in 1977 would have had a month sticker.

[Gas_Pumps]

Thanks, the comments helped jog my memory. I had forgotten about the left-right thing. My YOM plate has the '66 sticker on the right and nothing on the left. That should be as the car was sold.

The state (CA) sent me a SEPT sticker and a 2011 sticker along with two metal tabs that are designed to attach under the mounting screws and go above the plate. I will put them on and then put the month sticker on the left and the year sticker on the right. Actually, they will almost be hidden by the bumper.

Thanks again and have a great Christmas and New Years.

[PaulWillou]

I didn't bother with the metal tabs - I don't like the look. I just put the stickers on the plate. I don't think the DMV requires you to use the metal tabs.

paulw
1968 original Black plate CA coupe
1964 Triumph TR4 YOM plate

[ChiZ_65]

Is there any way to get these black plates if you don't have the original ones anymore? Or say, if your car wasn't originally from California?

[PaulWillou]

I got mine on ebay. You can only re-use plates that have dropped out of the DMV system. Call DMV Sacramento main office to check if they are clear before bidding.

Plates beginning with the letter A were issued in 63. Plates beginning with Z were issued in 69. I use the general rule of thumb of about 3-4 letters per year. A-D = 1963; C-F = 1964; X-Z = 1969 with exceptions and overlaps. There are more accurate webpages available if you really want to get exact.

EDIT: 12/23/10 THIS MAY NOT BE ACCURATE. PLEASE READ SUBSEQUENT POSTS. THERE IS MORE INFORMATION PRESENTED REGARDING WHICH ALPHABET LETTERS WERE ISSUED EACH YEAR. -pw

paulw
1968 Black Plate WOV999
1964 YOM Black Plate DHJ999

[67gta289]

after a google search, here is one of many links: Replica 1963 (Black Base) California License Plates -LICENSEPLATES.TV
i did not include sites that sell used plates, which also exist.
john

[ChiZ_65]

Thanks Paul. What kind of experience did you have at the DMV when you tried to register those suckers? I've read a lot of horror stories...

[Gas_Pumps]

Paul, thanks for the info. I think the real object of the YOM program in California is to allow the vehicle to display the plate as it was when the car was new. They require that the plate that you want to use have the sticker for the "year of manufacture". It took my best surgical skills and some alcohol (not vodka) to remove years of stickers and get back to the '66 sticker. That is the only way they allow you to register the car with YOM plates that were not on the car originally.

The looks of the metal tabs is a probably not the best, but they are almost completely hidden under the bumper on my '66 and the plate clearly shows only the "1966" sticker on the right side.

A friend has a 1926 Packard and probably would love to have a YOM plate that matches the year of the car.

The local DMV office took my old (much later) plates, copied the ones I wanted to register and took my money in only a couple minutes. It took almost 90 days before I got the new registration, stickers and the metal tags. I don't think the will accept repro plates in any case. Used plates and stickers are available on line and at swap meets.

I have a set of plates and serial number panels etc. that I removed from my daughters car before I scrapped it. The top sticker is from around 1998 when the car was totaled, so they are around. Next you would need the surgical skills and alcohol etc. to get back to the year you need.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

[ChiZ_65]

So, we absolutely have to have that year-appropriate sticker for whatever plates we want to register in the YOM program.... Which means, you have to buy the real and "cleared" plates if you don't have them, buy the sticker if the plates don't already have it, and then put them together and hope it flies at the DMV. This sounds like an adventure.

[Gas_Pumps]

Chiz - The plates have to be the ones (i.e.black plate) that would have been issued in the year of manufacture and they need to have the appropriate sticker showing. That is how mine were and I had no problem at DMV. It just took a while to get the registration back with the current sticker and the metal tabs so you don't have to put the stickers on the YOM plates. Not a big deal.

As long as the plates are not from a known stolen car or something, they should be "clean" at the DMV.

If you can get a set of plates with a stack of stickers, it is possible to remove them back down to the year you want, but it requires a great deal of skill and patience. Being an experienced surgeon with new scalpels would also help. Adhesive does seem to dissolve in alcohol.

Good Luck

[Hwyman]

I've heard that you can also "super freeze" the stickers, like rubbing them with dry ice, and they will pop off. Usually used by some low life that just wants to steal your good sticker without tearing it up so he can scotch tape it to his expired plate.

[Gary Scott]

I found this on another site (Letter Correct) 63-AAA-RDA, 64-RDB-SDP, 65-SDQ-TEC, 66-TED-UGD, 67-UGE-WEC, 68-WED-YCE, 69-YCF-ZZZ gary