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Mon Jan 16, 2017 3:44 pm

I'm going for street legality with my street rod/sandrail. The following is a list of what I have done. I'm trying to stay within the law in whatever state I choose to drive it in (I'd hate to be a few hundred miles from home and have it impounded,or heavy tickets for not having something it should have.)
If anybody knows of something I should have that is not listed, for ANY state, please let me know.
It's 1973 beetle based.titled as an assembled coupe
Equipment includes.

*D.O.T. approved headlights high/low beam with high beam indicator, 22" from ground to center of bulbs
*large, D.O.T. approved turn signals at all 4 corners, with dash indicators and self cancelling switch.
*large,D.O.T. approved tail and lights at approximate height of typical passenger car
*large D.O.T. approved brake lights including high center mounted 3rd brake light
*license plate light
*Proper functioning 4 wheel disc front,drum rear brakes
*cable operated emergency/parking brake
*5 point harnesses
*Firewall between engine and seats
*D.O.T. approved safety glass windshield
*electric windshield wipers with washer
*welded in steel floorpans
*battery with master cutoff located in front of passenger compartment. In a marine style battery box, firewall between battery and passenger comp.
*rearwiew mirrors on both sides and center rearview on windshield
*fenders on all 4 wheels
*front and rear bumpers at approximate height of standard pass car
*horn
*D.O.T. approved tires (B.F. Goodrich all terrian t/a's) in like new condition
*permanently attached fixed roof
*full fiberglass body
*Quiet exhaust with Supertrapp muffler (U.S.F.S. approved spark arrestor.)
*and of course tags/title/insurance
I think that is all, if there is anything anyone recognizes I would need to remain legal in their area/ states standards please let me know

Mon Jan 16, 2017 4:45 pm

That sounds complete to me, but perhaps it is worth finding the California Vehicle Code online (since Cali has the stupidest strictest, in all likelihood), and peruse the code. You might pick up a few more subtleties like spacing of lamps (not just height), fender width, etc.

Mon Jan 16, 2017 6:19 pm

Why start another thread on this?

Mon Jan 16, 2017 8:03 pm

And why ask us instead of your own and neighboring DMVs? This was suggested in your other thread.
I'm almost certain opening a third thread will not yield different results.

Mon Jan 16, 2017 8:05 pm

Good list......Better than mine.

While may not be legal requirements, handy hints from the 50 years ago.

Two or three throttle return springs, so if one fails, throttle will not stick open. Key within reach easy enough to turn off, OR kill switch, your master switch may qualify, but it's not instinctive (not for me anyhow)

If gas tank is high enough to gravity feed to engine, have a valve you can turn off the fuel if engine end of it is on fire or came unhooked, if using stock pump. A rotary fuel pump under tank will serve this purpose, they pretty much stop flow when not powered, but needs to be shut off in accident.
I don't feel a g-force activated fuel pump shutoff is needed, but some do. In either case a little thought put into that scenario, is good.

Silly thing, but that's why VW busses burn so often. FAR too often. One a month.

Mon Jan 16, 2017 8:13 pm

Not starting another thread on it. Other thread was about actually titling and tagging, got that took care of.
And while local police may have let it scrape by,that doesn't neccesarily make it passable/legal in other jurisdictions.
More wanting to know what different states, or federal (D.O.T.) consider properly equipped. I travel a LOT...
For instance,let's say I hop on highway and drive it out of state a few hundred miles away to Silver Lake and get pulled over for a few miles over the limit. Want to make sure I am properly equipped ANYWHERE, not just in the immediate area I live in. The fewer reasons I have that could cause me trouble with the law the better. (Few years ago I got pulled over and hassled 3 times on one trip across TX for not having mudflaps on a dually pulling a 5th wheel, which isn't a law here. Another instance in WI for not having a front plate, another non-requirement in this state.)
I intend to daily it the majority of the year, and frequent several states, it's not just an around town beater.
Pardon me for having questions and trying to stay within the law. :fist:

Mon Jan 16, 2017 8:28 pm

Thank you to the helpful folks, to the other ones complaining about me asking questions,DON'T READ IT THEN. Treating me like some dick as if I haven't asked questions elsewhere isn't helping.I asked here as a last resort after exhausting all other ideas and coming up empty. I tried every DMV in a few hundred mile radius of me, including the state one in Indianapolis, THEY DID NOT KNOW WHAT THE REQUIREMENTS WERE. So I seeked help from here as it's VW based vehicle.

Mon Jan 16, 2017 10:37 pm

Hmmm, if a DMV office doesn't know, then you might get lucky if you came in with some kind of documentation of what the Feds require, and a checklist showing you have met those requirements, perhaps filled out by a friendly local repair or inspection station.

If the guy behind the DMV counter doesn't know, he probably won't stick his neck out to suggest what is needed.

But if you have something he can pin his judgement on (like the FMVSS or perhaps older agency rules), then he can point to something of authority and sign it off.

That way he has a defense if he is later challenged... "but he had the documentation!" may be his CYA method, and it may go through. You are thereby asking less of him, and your chances may be better.

Smile a lot, act like you do this a lot, and be generous with the paperwork, even offering to leave him a copy, "if that makes your job easier." Mr. Cooperation, that's you!

Mon Jan 16, 2017 11:29 pm

DMV may not know what you need to be street legal, but your local inspection station should know and should have an inspection book that details what you need to be legal (Assuming you actually have inspections where you live), might want to try them.

Here in PA, I can go to my local votech school or my old college and buy the inspection book for $15, I had to when I was getting my inspection license. You can also probably find a copy of it online if you look.

Tue Jan 17, 2017 3:11 am

You guys are missing the point.
It's also a psychological question. The letter of the law isn't really important, and it's nonsense anyway. At one time, we had a law that required windshield wipers, not no actual requirement for a windshield. Hows that work? :lol:

If it looks hand made but well made, that's good.

If it looks flashy like you have more money than sense, that's bad.

Tue Jan 17, 2017 6:10 am

IN has no list for requirements that I can find,it's upon sole discretion of one person in Indy, judged by a single side shot photo.
(I asked about requirements for ANY home built vehicle. I've asked nicely both in the person and over the phone from local level all the way up to state. Same way with police departments in the area, with no legitimate answer from any of them. Although a few of them have been helpful and VERY nice, that didn't matter when it came down to actually getting through the legal process( also have gotten several different "answers" on several occasion,all of which were incorrect.They also do not have inspection stations.
Michigan has form TR-54, which has a list, BUT many other states have more requirements than MI does.
Could have just pointed out FMVSS in the first place before you undermined me like I'm some idiot.
Also just curious as to what other folks have had to do in their area,for any assembled vehicle.
Same aspect, a year ago it waa no problem in IN,that is no longer with any homebuilt/hand assembled vehicle.
Hard to believe that I am the only one left that is going to build something like this. (Or ANY custom one off) and I just find it inteteresting what different areas require as well.
So thank you for stating the FMVSS,( even though it was answered in the process of you being a condescending dick bag)that answered ALL of my questions.

Tue Jan 17, 2017 6:41 am

Some states do not allow sandrails to be licensed for on road use, so nothing you can do will make it "street legal."

That said, most states seem to defer to the licensing body of the state where the vehicle is registered. If your DMV in your state says it is legal and gave you a registration and tag for it, you should be good to go. Unfortunately in the real world this isn't always how it works.

For example, how can one state that requires a front plate issue a ticket to a vehicle for not having said plate if the state where the vehicle is registered doesn't even issue front plates?

Tue Jan 17, 2017 8:29 am

The sand rail issue is what I ran into in IN. That's a recent change though. A year ago it was depending on equipment whether a sandrail could gain street legal, which is no longer an option.
Started with getting pulled over in the rail, which was at the time registered as a 73 beetle. Was like that when I bought it,as I've seen on many others. They won't allow that any longer.
My purpose of the question was for homebuilt vehicles in general. (For instance, I still have the body/shell of the beetle the rail was made from, and a 2012 chevy hhr. Say I used the "pan" of the hhr with the beetle body. Or I know of 3 meyers manx bodies locally with no chassis under them. Just trying to gain knowledge, and I like to see how other people have done similar stuff)
Figured it would be a good source of info for not only myself ,but others. And gain some ideas if nothing else. Like Mordok's pointers on a fuel shutoff.

Tue Jan 17, 2017 9:10 am

Maybe find a hot rod club in the area and see if they can give you some guidance. There are a lot of model Ts and 32 coupes with fiberglass bodies and aftermarket frames. Hot rodders have an exception in many states for body styles before 1948 that allows a lot of stuff that regular cars can't get away with. Still, they might be able to give you some guidance on building a car from scratch and getting it titled.

Tue Jan 17, 2017 10:22 am

Convert to one wheel in the front and register it as a motorcycle.

Tue Jan 17, 2017 11:07 am

Don't know what state your in but for up here a tube frame ain't gona fly on the road no matter what you do to it...no way no how.

Tue Jan 17, 2017 2:04 pm

I'm in northern Indiana. They were indeed considered road legal vehicles here up until somewhere around march of last year.
Same as utv's like the polaris razr, here and in Michigan, up until last year. Local businessman Dean Loucks has an indy car (flat out formula one chassis with a detuned motor)street registered and tagged through Elkhart County ,IN (also a tube frame vehicle) I have pics of that at the local speedway filling up at the pumps.I bet if he sold that they wouldn't re register it for the next guy. Next owner would be shit out of luck ,stuck with an un-useable machine
Bought mine as a titled tagged machine 2 years ago, they re-classified it as an orv when I went to have it transferred to my name.
My neighbor has a completely open tube frame 4 seater legally titled,tagged,and insured AS A SANDRAIL, but it has been titled & tagged as such since he built it in the early 90's. Pretty sure if he ever sold it they would do the same to the next person when they tried to have title switched.
I'm sure there's other people that would like to know that the titled,street registered toy they just bought may never be legal again depending on their location, not just me. Hate to see that happen to anyone. That's not only horribly dissapointing for the new owner, (who just wasted thousands of dollars)but a lot of times the machine gets left to "die" also.
So, as a tube frame car, vehicles such as the Factory Five Racing replica cobras, or the ariel atom etc. wouldn't be able to be legal in your area? (Curious as to what state or country you refer to as "up here",maybe it could save someone from having the same issues.As you're saying ,having a tube frame is the problem,yet I've seen many manx style dune buggies and baja beetles through the years with tube style frames under the body as well.
I'm just saying it would be nice to know beforehand,for many people.

Tue Jan 17, 2017 3:00 pm

It has to have a body... of some sort, you can get away for a while with out fenders or doors, but it has to have a body. You can get a plate for it as a show car or a OHV rig but then you had better only be driving it to a show or to the trail because they keep track of that... ask me how I know.

Tue Jan 17, 2017 3:24 pm

Been through that hassle huh? Mind if I ask what state, or is "in the shadow of denali" refer to Denali state park, Alaska?
OHV(ORV) in my county is illegal, but not in many other counties in Indiana, just restricted to county roads. Other title brands (street rod,antique etc.) Have time of day and days of week restrictions.
I find it interesting the drastic differences from state to state.

Tue Jan 17, 2017 3:51 pm

It's really a shame as the rail drives very good, (it's just a stretched vw pan/chassis, with a rollbar welded to it.
Been street driven for 20 years, (was built in '96)but was no longer eligible in this state due to classification as a sandrail.
It is now full bodied, titled as a coupe, but it was a major hassle.