The Expert Podcast

So how do you title and register a vehicle that you basically made in your garage or it's a replica or some custom car without having a prior vehicle base underneath it? For example, if you take an old '69 Camaro and redo it, customizing it into a hot rod or a retro mod, you have a car with a VIN number that it started with. But what if you start from scratch and you have no VIN number, no chassis? In most states, there's a process called a kit car or an assembled vehicle, which they call it in some states.

California has a program called the SB100, and SB100 is a method for registering vehicles that are specially constructed cars. A lot of these are for the movie industry, and we'll talk about that momentarily. Some people make what they call a "garage creation" that now they want to bring on the road. It might be a replica of an old car—Shelby Cobras are very common—it could be a Batmobile, something totally custom, or some other type of vehicle, maybe a race car. The problem with California is they only give out 500 of these per year. That's a limit, and a lot of these are pre-allocated to the movie industry because they have to build cars to use in movies that are customized. So, some of them go to the movie industry, and you're not going to find this over the counter at the DMV. You have to do this through the main branch in Sacramento because some of the people at the DMV may have never heard of this.

You can get these vouchers anytime during the year if they're available. If they're available, you have to go through a few steps. First, you have to get the paperwork from the DMV. They have all the paperwork, so make sure you keep all of your invoices to prove how the car was built. They're going to charge you tax on it, and you're going to have to have paperwork required throughout the build process. Then, you're going to have to get the California Highway Patrol to inspect the vehicle. They're looking for stolen parts, and they're going to make sure there's no parts on it that have VIN numbers from other vehicles that are stolen.

If you buy a door from another car, make sure it's not from a stolen car, because they're going to check that out. They're also going to create a new VIN number for your vehicle, and they are going to be the ones to put it on the car. They're not just going to hand you a metal tag and say, "Do whatever you want with it." They want to put it on the car with tamperproof rivets to ensure it isn't switched to another car. Then you're going to have to get a mechanical inspection for lights and brakes to make sure that it's safe for the road.

They also do what's called a BAR exam. This is a performance examination. They put the car on a dyno, but they also check things like ensuring carbon monoxide isn't leaking into the car, making sure gasoline isn't leaking out of the fuel system—it's a safety check. California also talks about some of the rules regarding this. For example, it's not for resale. You can't be a company building these to resell. Obviously, at some point, if you decide to sell it, you can, but if you're reselling it as a manufacturer, that's not what they want to do. It's not constructed by a licensed manufacturer.

Additionally, it does not include a vehicle that has been repaired by replacing parts. Meaning, if you buy a vehicle that's salvage, junk, or damaged, and you just replace it with the same parts, that's not what they want to do. You also have to go through smog checks and the vehicle verification process. You need a statement of construction that shows how you constructed the vehicle, primarily constructed by you. Component part information and a statement of facts have to be submitted properly to the DMV.

Now, if you're not in California, it doesn't matter. This process is an example of what most states have for an assembled vehicle or kit car—maybe a race car—that you want to put on the road. Every state has something similar; they just call it different things. So, if you have a vehicle that's been literally constructed from scratch in your backyard from multiple parts, and it's not really a car that existed before, but you're building it from the ground up, the SB100 kit car/assembled vehicle process is a way to have it be designated as a vehicle. Then you can go about getting a title.