black plates

[cb1965]

hey guys my truck has black and yellow plates. my truck is a '65 but the

plates say '63. are they original? or did a PO register the plates to the truck.

also is it illegal to strip them and repaint them? they are somewhat rusted

and faded

[kalirodding]

all the black plates I've seen have 63 on them. Don't paint them, spray some clear on them. I sprayed mine an they look good. Preserve the rust.
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[markeb01]

Post war California plates were black with yellow letters, but they had round corners and were longer than what is standard now. For each years renewal a metal tag was issued that was attached under the upper right mounting screw. As best I remember, beginning in 1956 they reversed the colors and the plates became yellow with black letters, the corners were squared up and the plates were reduced in size to what has been the standard ever since. These were replaced in 1963 with the black plates with yellow letters. I believe the metal yearly tags were dropped in 1956 and replaced with stickers, but I'm not completely sure.

The black plates you have may or may not be the originals to that truck, but a new 1965 would have originally been issued the 1963 plates. A truck would also have an odd pattern of letters and numbers. In the early days passenger car plates had 3 letters followed by 3 numbers. Commercial plates had a different sequence. The black plates that were issued to my 1960 in 1963 looked like this:



If you want to read a bit further about the legality of repainting your plates, take a look at the following thread. It's loaded with information and plenty of opinions, including a couple from former law enforcement.

http://forums.vintage-mustang.com/vi...e-repaint.html

[Delmo]

Register at AAA not at the DMV. Don't take the plate in, just say the plate is a 65 plate if they ask. I went in to the DMV and the girl said no because the plate was a 63 and the truck was a 65 although the same plate had been registered to the truck for 20 years. So I went to AAA and was out in 10 minutes with my sticker.
That is if you are ok with lying of course. MUHAHAHAHA.

[oem4me]

Originally Posted by cb1965

hey guys my truck has black and yellow plates. my truck is a '65 but the

plates say '63. are they original? or did a PO register the plates to the truck.

also is it illegal to strip them and repaint them? they are somewhat rusted

and faded

The plates are most likely original to the truck if it's currently registered with those plates. You can now register a set of black and yellow plates (known as '63's) to a vehicle of the correct era if the numbers are not similar to any already in use.
If your truck is still wearing the originals but they are in bad shape, yes, you can get away with restoring them, but it's not easy. If the restoration looks amateur, you will risk losing them to the first angry cop that notices them. I have never heard of legitimate original plates being taken away because of minor damage or age.
If you are looking for a set of plates, don't buy junk. the DMV will not approve a set in poor condition or a set that appears to have been warmed over. Buy only clear plates (a set of TWO) that are in good shape.

[vin63]

Originally Posted by cb1965

hey guys my truck has black and yellow plates. my truck is a '65 but the

plates say '63. are they original? or did a PO register the plates to the truck.

also is it illegal to strip them and repaint them? they are somewhat rusted

and faded

Yes, the black w/yellow lettering plates were first issued in 1963, so they should be stamped "63". Prior, the plates were yellow w/black lettering. There are a few places that will restore them, but if they are not done correctly, they can be confiscated. Is the truck registered with those plates? If so, I would keep them...there are a lot of people going through the YOM trouble of re-registering their vehicles with the original type plates.

[Chevy Fleetside]

I would love for my truck to have those orignal plates. and yes they are correct.

[cb1965]

yes its currently registered with them. i was just wanting to see if i could

make them look a bit nicer . its got chips,scratches, bends, and some rust.

but i guess it adds character. i would deffenetly not want them to get

confiscated. i love the black plates. well i appreciate all input anyways

thanks

[Cops053]

Theres a guy here in Georgia. called the TagDr who has year correct plates from a lot of states and can also redo a plate so that it looks as good as when it was issued by your state DMV. HIs web site is www.tagdr.com. I got my plate from him and he does a great job.

[Bugeyev8]

Originally Posted by Chevy Fleetside

I would love for my truck to have those orignal plates. and yes they are correct.

I may have a nice set of CA black plates if you need them...

[Chevy Fleetside]

Originally Posted by Bugeyev8

I may have a nice set of CA black plates if you need them...

They have to be comercial plates for trucks. It takes alot of time to get them registered also. It would be nice though.

[63AROD]

Bugeyedv8- how much for the plates?

[1/2Dozen]

is there a state by state law on using original plates? I have some commercial plates I would like to use.

[entrefal]

1/2 Dozen, yes it is different by state..
Here in NC you don't have to display the plates the car is registered with as long as it is 35yrs or older.. You can display a year of manufacture plate, but must keep the one that the vehicle is registered with with you in case you are pulled over.
I have a Black and Yellow 65 NC Farm plate on mine, lol

[jimmydean]

My buddy repainted his (rattle can and masking tape) after we beat it straight and it turned out perfect. I was thinking of doing the same to mine.