General DDoyle may have saved the day, he got me pointed at Federal Code for NHTSA regs 49 CFR 571.7(c) which reads:
"c)
Military vehicles. No standard applies to a vehicle or item of equipment manufactured for, and sold directly to, the Armed Forces of the United States in conformity with contractual specifications."
Additionally, Gen. DDoyle turned me on to
TO: John M. Tolliday -- President, Dayman USA Inc. (Bedford, VA) , FROM: John Womack -- Acting Chief Counsel, NHTSA , a Letter of Interpretation where the NHTSA again says there were no standards and any restrictions (like 'off road only' wording) placed on the vehicle by the seller (US Govt.) would not bind the buyer or subsequent owners.
I've passed all this on to AL Dept Rev with the argument that if there were no Federal standars for these vehicles at manufacture then there were no "...standards in effect at the time of manufacture..." (Code of AL) to require the vehicle to conform to now. Plus, the 'no standards or restrictions' pass on to subseqent owners according to NHTSA. This is being handed on to the legal dept. of course, it could take some time for an interpretation of State Code to be revised, blah, blah, blah... Cross your finger, say a prayer, kill a chicken, whatever, maybe they will see things differently soon.
Green_Gator: I've got 8 or so A2s around here, to make one like an A3 will cost almost what I paid for the A3 in the first place. I really like this truck and am determined to make the State of Alabama behave.
saddamsnightmare: You are right, without a Federal exemption we are all subject to capricious 'interpretations' of state codes across the country. Almost everyone I've spoken to has admitted this AL law was targeting people tagging Jap mini-trucks, utility vehilces, etc. and wasn't about our hobby. But then they shrug their shoulders and say what's done by the legislature has to be undone by the legislature. The solution is the US Congress, all it would take is one line item in any bill continuing the exemption of US military road vehicles from these standards after they are sold by the government. Then states couldn't split hairs about exempt when the army bought it, exempt when the army operated it but NOT exempt when they sell it...
Deucingaround & hawkshaw: I think the old trucks that are pre- titles in 'bama are fine, my problem is a 1996 truck with a six digit VIN!!