Another Vela Rossa install

[Fauxre]

Yeah they took all three.  My door plate was already off at my first inspection.  I removed it to protect it when I did the tub bonding.  The CHP officer wasn't thrilled by that, but understood my reasoning. Before my second visit, I started to pulled the dash to drill out the rivets on that plate.  Turns out I didn't need to as I'd forgotten that I reattached that plate with some black silicone sealer when I refurbished the dash.  Noticed it when I removed the cowling.  Just popped it out with a screw driver.  Not sure how I'd do it otherwise.

[Dan_Austin]

All body panels are bonded.  The spoiler height alignment is not perfect on the drivers side, but a small 

shim, 1/8", should fix that.  I finished installing the front turn signals and wiring in a tail light converter

to cope with signals being a single element LED.  The addition of a electronic flasher completed that

task.  All lights do what they should when they should, except the hazards.  I replaced that relay with

an electronic relay, but no joy  The hazards did work before swapping all the lights, so I doubt the

switch or dash harness, but this task can wait.

 

I installed power windows and locks last weekend and have spent almost every night this week

dealing with a lock actuator that was inconsistent on the drivers door (of course the drivers).  I thought

it was the position sensor in the five wire actuator.  So a couple days were spent on alignment and

strengthening the mount so it would not flex.  I then thought it might be a loose joint in the lock harness

and I did find a pair of weak crimps near the controller, no joy, but close.  Turns out one of the bullet

connectors had no wire in the crimp and was only occasionally making enough contact to work.  I had

a replacement for that end and that fix the inconsistent behavior, but I found three more crud bullet

connections on that side.  Another pack of bullet connectors and a few door panel fasteners and I can

wrap the inside up.

 

That leaves reinstalling the muffler that does not quite fit with the new rear valance and some time with

the DMV before she goes back on the road.

[Fauxre]

Which power windows and locks did you use?  

 

My 260 doors won't latch without  slamming...hard!!  So, I've been considering Bear Claw door latches.  Is that what you used?  Any pics?

[Dan_Austin]

I kept the stock latches.  The passenger side worked fine with no adjusting,

but the drivers is tight and requires solid slam.  Looking closer I see that I

managed to bond the passenger side perfectly, and the body alignment is

beautiful.  On the drivers side the rear of the skin sagged 1/8" which is enough

to cause the alignment to be crap and a hard to close door.  In my case it looks

like I can sand down the trailing edge of the panel 1/16"- 1/8" and I will have

good alignment and a better closing door. 

 

I bought a Chinese set of door locks and power window kit of eBay.  The power

window kit was decent, albeit a tight fit and can see where the SPAL would have

been easier.  I did not buy the SPAL based on the fact they did not have a keyless

entry kit, and the Chinese setup was only about 45% of the SPAL window kit

alone.

 

Now the bad, the actuators are too big to mount anywhere that will work.  A search

hear turned up a single post that turned me on to the DEI line of products.  The

524N and 524F fit with ease.  The door lock harness was the major disappointment,

it had several connectors that pulled off while fishing the harness through the firewall

and door, and a couple more that had very little wire in the crimp, leading to erratic

operation.  I tried soldering the poor connections, but that just melted the weak crimp.

So I ended up putting new ends on short sections of better quality wire and then soldering

those sections to the original harness.

 

Even with the DEI actuators and harness repair the kit was not a bad deal, and I would

buy the same kit again, only taking more time to do the QA the manufacturer did not do

before fishing the harness in.

[Fauxre]

Tracking down wiring issues is the most exasperating part of all the projects I've ever attempted.  I'll probably go with the DEI stuff if I decide on electric poppers.

 

 

I see we have he same door latches.  They seem overly complicated to adjust and mine are so worn that I don't see any real possibility of getting them to work properly.

 

I think these small latches would work much better.

 

[Dan_Austin]

I've adjusted the driver side a couple times and a couple ways.

I found the inside handle required a full pull to open the door, so

I used a couple sets of pliers to enhance the 'S' bend in the pull rod,

taking up a lot of slack.  The chassis side capture can be adjusted

up/down and in/out.  I'd found that by just barely loosing the bolts

I can open and close the door a couple times to find a decent natural

position.  The key to that is for the bolts to be snug enough to not let

the capture move on its own, but loose enough that it can be nudged

into place by the door side mechanism.

 

Wiring is not my favorite part of working on the car, but it does teach

patience.  I bumped a loose ECU relay while testing the power windows

and trimming in the harness and popped the ECU fuse.  Did not notice that

until going to start the car after weeks of sitting and noticing the fuel pump

did not engage.

 

Pulled out part of the ECU harness, neatened up the relay install and thought

I replaced the 2A fuse, except while upside down under the dash managed to

palm swap the blown and good fuse.  Quickly found the 'second' blown fuse

and started digging deeper into the harness and power connections, and after

many minutes of failing to find anything wrong, spotted the un-blown 2A fuse on

the floor mat.  After I finish swearing at myself, I put the good fuse in and

started the car, turned off the car, re-tucked the ECU and harness back where

they belong and restarted the car to confirm there was no real issue.

 

The missus has the next couple of weeks booked with social engagements, so

I'll have to finish re-installing the exhaust in December and then decide if I start

the SB100 then, or wait a couple more weeks and just tackle it after New Years.

[Dan_Austin]

The car is complete enough to drive, so I thought I'd see if I could get

my SPCN Certificate of Sequence number before the new year.  I did

my research, identified all required paperwork, which DMV offices were

most familiar with the process and assembled six years of receipts for

every major, minor and down right trivial expenditure.  I showed up

to the Los Gatos DMV (rumored to be very familiar with Sb100/SPCN)

20 minutes before it opened and found a good long line.

 

Once inside asked for the 'Kit car lady', which another rumor indicated

knows this program inside out.  The blank stare should have been my

first clue my day was heading south.

 

A fairly reasonable 45 minutes later I was at the counter.  I explained I

was there to register a Special Constructed Vehicle and that I had my

already completed statement of facts (for the re-title process) and my

new registration paperwork.  The clerk started looking up the process

and said my SOF was not needed, but I did need a 'Statement of

Construction'.  OK, no problem, that is a simple page and a half of info

already provided, so I filled it out.  She then asked for my receipts, and

frowned mightily at the stack.  I offered to submit only the major items,

and her mood improved and goes away to photocopy the forms and

receipts.

 

10 minutes later she returns with another agent in tow and informs me

that my currently non-op'd donor is ineligible  since it was previously

registered.  I politely point out that many SPCN vehicle start our with

a donor chassis, to which she replied "No way, they all must start as a kit'.

Clue two my day is going down hill.  She agrees to call Sacramento to

check, but makes it clear that I am not a sequence number today.  While

she is one the phone I review the rules which I thought enough to print

out and bring with me, and I see the explicitly clear statement 'Previously

registered vehicles MAY be used and issued one of the first 500 certificates

each calendar year'.  When the clerk returned I showed that to her, but

she remained unconvinced and again called Sac and put me on the phone

with a very pleasant rep who appeared wanted to help.  Our conversion

went as follows

DMV -  Sorry a restored vehicle does not count (reads part of the regulation to me).

Me -     Um, it is not restored, it is a custom built and looks nothing like the donor (key provision). 

DMV-   Take it to the CHP to confirm it qualifies for SPCN

ME-     Doesn't BAR do that after the sequence number is issued?

DMV-  No, we don't want to waste your time, so the CHP should do that. (I suppress a scream right here)

ME-    The CHP is only supposed to confirm nothing is stolen, and with

           the current non-op registration how do I take it to them (playing a bit dumb here)

DMV-  Oh we can re-instate the registration and collect the fees so you can drive it

Me-    But that reinforces the old title and registration that are no longer accurate

           and would require a fraudulent statement from me to complete.

DMV-  But how else can we decide if it is custom built?

Me-     Issue the sequence number so I can schedule the CHP inspection to prove

           nothing is stolen and then a BAR inspection to confirm the vehicle complies

DMV-  We cannot do that (go back to the beginning and repeat, twice) 

 

There are two slightly good bits of news, one is that there are almost 200 numbers

left in the system, and two the agents in Sac seemed to be genuinely interested in

solving this as opposed to the local staff that wanted me to pay and leave.  I've

have two calls from Sac since I left and send emails with photos of the construction

process.  They thought they could provide an answer later today whether they consider

my project 'custom' enough.

Edited December 18, 2013 by Dan_Austin

[78zstyle]

DMV / State workers not knowing their own rules?

 

Yep, business as usual.

[Fauxre]

Sorry to hear you're having so much trouble with DMV. 

 

This is the kind of nightmare I was anticipating when I started the process.

Maybe you should come up to Vacaville DMV.  I know they now understand the procedure and seem to be more interested in working within the spirit of the law, rather than enforcing the letter of the law.

Edited December 19, 2013 by Fauxre

[Dan_Austin]

Your experience made me hope this would be smoother.  I scoured every kit and

custom forum I could find seeking reviews of the local BAR ref stations and DMV

offices to see which were recommended.  I actually took steps to follow the letter

of the law, hence my annoyance.  I did not get my call back today, so I will try

again tomorrow, which might have been the third positive to come out of today,

that I have the names, email addresses and direct numbers of three agents

in Sac who can approve my initial application, assuming they agree a VR coupe

does not look like a 280Z...

[Fauxre]

I'm sure the DMV offices in larger urban areas, like the south bay, deal with many more registration scams than here in Vacaville.  Hopefully they're just being extra cautious and will see there is no intent or attempt to defraud.  Just a guy building his "dream car".

[Dan_Austin]

Received my call back while waiting for my annual physical.  The decision

after seeing my evidence is that they don't want to decide.  They want me to

go to a BAR ref to confirm I qualify.  I pointed out that they will not give me

a SB100 appointment, which is what they are asking for, unless I have a

sequence number.  They stood their ground with the logic that they do not

want to risk wasting a number if I don't quality.  Not the best plan, but being in

 the Dr's office I did not want to get into an argument so I just hung up.

 

I'll be calling BAR later today to see if they will accept an appointment without

a sequence number, or if they can set the DMV straight.  I may even try the

other local DMV that is reputed to know what they are doing...

[Dan_Austin]

I spoke to the BAR customer relations and technical reps, and the short answer was

that they thought the DMV was wrong, but to call the appointment line and ask for

a supervisor to confirm the requirements.  I called the appointment line and apparently

got a supervisor who also answers phones.  I gave him a short run down of my adventure

and asked if I needed a sequence number to see if I qualified for a SPCN.  He responded

that I did not unless I wanted to be in the SB100 program, to which I said yup that is the

one, and he confirmed the DMV had made a mess of it.  He was clear about the order

and steps, DMV 1st for a sequence number an temporary operating permit, CHP for VIN

verification and re-issue and the final stop was his shop.  All three suggested asking for the

field supervisor when getting to the DMV and skipping the counter.  That is my plan for next

week...

[Fuzzydicerule]

Why not just register it as the z and save yourself a lot of heartache

[Fauxre]

The model year of his Z requires bi-annual smog checks.  I believe he has modified the engine to the point that he will never pass the visual inspection.  With an SB100 exemption, he can modify and swap to his hearts desire.

 

Dan- I don't understand this business of "wasting" a sequence number.  Do they really expect 200 home builders to apply for an SB100 exemption in the next 3 weeks when it has taken 49 weeks to issue 300? Is some poor guy going to have to wait all the way till Jan. 2, 2014 because all the 2013 numbers have been issued.  

 

!!!Unbelievable!!!

 

Typical bureaucrat passing the buck.

 

I would start from scratch with a different DMV office.  

[Dan_Austin]

Fair question, but the reality is this should not be this hard and I am trying to

avoid future heartache,  The car really is not a Datsun anymore or at least

far enough from it to make insurance transactions or traffic stops harder than

they need to be.  The smog inspection exemption is just gravy, although

after multiple hassles over trivial visual issues only to finally be tested with

numbers between 1 and 5% of allowed limits, it is good gravy.

 

I had two chances to chuckle today, the first was the BAR CS rep commenting

how it appeared to him how the DMV was recently trying to force people

to abandon these projects for a new Hybrid,  Then the appointment referee

saying 'You are trying to follow the right steps and doing it right, why are

they giving you this bad info?'

 

I followed the rules and am entitled to participate in this program, so I am

not going to let an under trained DMV bureaucrat or six stop me. 

 

The 'we don't want to waste a sequence number' that had me hang up on

the DMV clerk.  I wondered the same thing about issuing close to 200 numbers

in the last 7 business days of the year, but I also realized that logic and reason

would hold no sway with this crowd.  I have an appointment next Friday with

the second most recommended DMV office in the bay area for an SB100

application.

Edited December 20, 2013 by Dan_Austin

[Fauxre]

Did you include photos of the installed body with your paperwork at the DMV office?  I did.  It might help illustrate that the car is a home build.  The folks up here all seemed to be more into the process knowing all the work that went into the build.

[Dan_Austin]

I had all the build photos, start to finish, on my phone.  They did not want to see

them,  The Sac team did, but would not make a decision.  They did not say no,

but would not instruct the Los Gatos team to proceed either.  The BAR inspector

said he could not call the DMV to correct them, but did say he would take a call

from me in the DMV office to speak to whomever I was working with if they we

also confused.  I'll find out in a week...

[Dan_Austin]

It gets funnier (I just have to see it that way).  The DMV agent in Sac called me

back this AM.  They wanted to let me know how to contact the BAR referee and

schedule an appointment for a qualification inspection.  I recognized the number

and let the clerk know I had called that number yesterday, and they had confirm

the process I was trying to use.

 

The clerk was sure I had to have spoke to the wrong group and insisted I call

to get my appointment, so I did.  I spoke to Ramon, who sounded familiar, and

after a short lead in he says "Didn't I speak to you yesterday?"  Yes, yes you did.

And no the rules had not changed over night.  Ramon agreed to take a call from

the DMV to gently correct them.  I called the clerk back and let her know that BAR

had not changed their position, and gave them Ramon's name as someone to

contact.

 

A couple hours later I got a call from a BAR scheduling agent, not a supervisor,

who was not familiar with the process, but all too happy to schedule my appointment.

So now I have an appointment next week at another DMV to try Ramon's suggestions

to get the process started, and an appointment the week after for my 'qualification'

inspection if that fails.

[Dan_Austin]

I had a 9:10AM appointment in the Santa Clara office.  Walked in to huge lines,

and news that that the licensing and id system was down statewide.  Meh, not

here for a license.  My number came up quick and I informed the clerk I was

there for a SB100 vehicle registration, 'Oh, a specially built car' was the reply.

I did the internal happy dance and turned over my folder of forms and evidence.

She then said that she knew the process, but all DMV computer systems statewide

were now down, but I could wait if I wanted.  The wait was only about 30 minutes

and the clerk was on top of her game.  Less than an hour later I had my sequence

number and ready to go.  The only major negative was that they noted the lack

of sales tax on several major item receipts, so I got hit with a fairly big 'Use Tax' bill.

 

There appears to be only one certified Brake and Lamp inspection station in the San Jose

area (really?) and they want $150 for the service.  They did agree that if everything tests

quick and easy they would adjust the price, and they are only about 2 miles from home.

The CHP office is booked for the next three weeks, so that step will have to wait.  Did I

mention I got an excellent clerk?  She issued a 90 day temporary operating permit instead

of a stack of one day permits, so getting to and from these inspections won't be a challenge.