Vehicle Code legal...?

[tamangel]

anyone run their trucks past the State Highway patrol/Police as far as seeing if your completed project meets VC requirements?

Not registration but, say headlight max height...max frame height...rear licese plate light...front plate requirements..all the fun little things...?

any problems?

Mike

 

[motorolanut]

This is a good question...I can see a 85 to 120 posts starting here shortly......It all depends on the state you are in plus a mix of a few Federal Regs....

 

[emr]

Another reply, If u are running Antique plates keep on going, If U dont have to go to inspection why offer Your self up to the wolves? U have more than an answer if ever questioned, Saying the DMV says i dont have to go to inspection? And u wont be asked anyway.To Me" Not having to go to inspection means . U dont have to go to inspection... The problem is they have to know what was legal when Your truck was new, That is what it needs running Antique plates.didnt come with seat belts it dont need em, etc..Randy

 

[m-35tom]

in maryland everything is n/a. weight, width, height, etc. plus mil vehicles are invisable to most law enforcement. i drove mine with no plates (they were in the cab) for more than 6 mths and nothing. i don't even get pulled over for speeding......

 

[Jones]

Behave, keep it pretty close to looking like military issue, don't call attention to yourself and you shouldn't have any problems. i.e. Common sense says don't put the M2HB in the ring mount for a trip to WalMart; save it for parades and MV events.

 

[ah1955]

Since your question is posted under Deuce Mod.&Hot-Roddding forum I'm thinking you might be asking more along the lines of a bobbing a deuce. If so then the best thing to do is check out your states regs. very carefully every state is going to be different, some not too tough and others could be very diffacalt to be compliant.
In Pa. to get an antique reg. and be excempt from insp. everthing must be origanal.
Pa. is also tough on bumper hgt. guys that have big lift kits on pick ups have been nailed. The bottom line simple is if you are going for modification that is changing the truck check your own state lic. and insp. regs. becouse they can be soo different .

 

[emmado22]

Jones nailed it opn the head. Remember, not many guys out there have Army vehicles, and if you dont do anything stupid to call attention to yourself, you'll probably be OK. 99% of the cops think Army trucks are in the Army, and unless you do really obviously stupid things (no brake lights, no turn signals when turning, speeding , etc) Barring that, check YOUR states vehicle laws.. What applies in one state may or may not apply in yours...

 

[Michael]

I think the question is, what can you do to your truck and still be legal. Unfortunately for this discussion, MVs aren't on the police's radar and they will leave you alone for the most part.

All I can add to the discussion is that the Mississippi antique license plate law is for cars and light trucks. I did get one for a M725 but technically it was over the limit.

From recent threads we know that you don't need to put military police on your truck in New York.

If you put your tag on your truck you probably should put a tag light on it to.

 

[IronViking]

Hey Mike ,
I have a State inspection for my truck on the 1st of next month.
They set aside an hour and have a special guy coming to inspect it
for the State.Ill let you know how it all goes down.

 

[tamangel]

Guess I'm of a different idea of inspections...some stuff even though legal at the time of manufacture, may not be legal currently. I don't have any problems with talking w/ LE re: these things..I suppose if you keep it mil stock then most officers will still think its a current mil rig. I don't know why everyone seems stand-off-ish to LE about these things..Just remember if you are stopped or questioned on something, you can always ask questions, point out the proper code and ask why your interpretation is incorrect (if it is..). Friendliness and a good attitude go along way . As far as safety items go, should you have west-coast mirrors and LED turn sigs, how about seat belts and dual master cylinders..? I would rater nip this stuff in the bud rather than it come back to haunt me later. Just because you didn't get stopped or cited doesn't mean its not illegal and you are responsible...

Mike

 

[tamangel]

IronVik, do you know what the criteria for inspection will be? What items will they look for, etc..You can always stop by the Department's office before and ask questions about specific concerns..Talk with their Commercial (if its a State Police/HP agency) inspector. He'd probably really get a kick out of it, vs the regular stuff he does..

Mike

 

[IronViking]

I had my girl do all the leg work for me from the computer( I dont have one at work) and phone. They seemed
really excited about doing the inspection. They were asking all kinds of questions ..."you payed how much?"
" Where can I get one" You dont need a CDL? Wow cool" . I think Ill need a real log book, right now I have
a binder with loose paper. Maybe a place to mount a plate? Im not sure, maybe they have a generic list
you can download. Isnt Cali pretty strict compaired to most states?

 

[Michael]

I don't have any problems with talking w/ LE re: these things..

I guess you haven't been stopped by someone fresh out of training who is having a bad day. I don't think you have to be over 18 years old to be issued a gun and sent out by yourself for a small town police dept around here. My advise for when you are pulled over is to be nice and say yes sir and no sir and answer any questions with short to the point answers. I personally hope I never have to debate the finer points of motor vehicle law on the side of the road after being pulled over by the law. I would much rather discuss it here.

 

[m-35tom]

insurance is another point. you probably cannot put any type of antique plates or historic plates on a bobbed truck, or a repowered truck. you can, but you may find that you are fooling yourself that you ae insured. if something happens it may ruin your day, and possibly life.

 

[tamangel]

Mike, I agree there are bad cops and good cops, Young ones or recently released recruits are trying to find an even ground but it takes awhile, unfortunately only experience will lead the way. Most LEO's are thick skinned to a point. They just want respect as do you. For those, red-neck, AH's, ( not only LE but civi's as well), there is little hope. In that case, the yes sir, no sir contact is in order. Later in court, you can plead your case. Chances are that the Judge won't have the proper info so, you need to bring everything with you and be sincere..If you lose, you lose. You can research it farther, get a affidavit from the State Commercial Vehicle inspector, etc..A debate on the side of the road isn't the same as questions asked per the violation..You can gauge it at the time. Guess I've been pretty lucky. The times I've been stopped, I was in the wrong (speed and equipment violations), and had pleasant contacts..of course, I still had to pay the ticket.. If you have a problem with the LEO's demeanor, take it up w/ the Department..File a complaint..make sure you know what you are talking about however..

just my 2 centavos..

Mike

 

[Cdub]

Federal Safety Inspection for all trucks over 18K......once a year.....

C'dub

 

[ptg530C]

If the basic vehicle has not been modified then it met ALL FMVSS requirements for the year that it was manufactured. If it was "bobbed" that would have NO bearing on weather or not it met all Federal Motor Vehicle Standards for its year of manufacture because there are no standards for frame length especially if it is shortened. Dueces meet all Federal requirements including noise and emmisions and cannot be rejected as far as being road worthy. If you are not using it to conduct buisness as far as transporting goods for money in the State of Michigan you do not need a CDL or any other inspection. Most states are uniform in these requirements because of the fact that at time of build, the vehicle met ALL FMVSS requirements and those take precedent over state requirements.
However, if for commercial use, diffrent story.

 

[tamangel]

FMVSS link:

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/rules/import/FMVSS/index.html

Mike

 

[m16ty]

Re: RE: Vehicle Code legal...?

Behave, keep it pretty close to looking like military issue, don't call attention to yourself and you shouldn't have any problems. i.e. Common sense says don't put the M2HB in the ring mount for a trip to WalMart; save it for parades and MV events.

If I could afford a ma-deuce I'd buy a ring mount and carry it around everwhere .

I feel sorry for you that have to have inspections. In TN you just go pay for your tags and drive away. I know about the federal inspections but I've drove a tractor-trailer for 15 years and never been asked about it. You can buy the inspection stickers on line and fill them out yourself if you like.

 

[ida34]

RE: Re: RE: Vehicle Code legal...?

That great. Get a stolen inspection sticker and see how long it takes before your vehicle is impounded and you have more scrutiny then you want. They have a serial number for a reason.