Does the CA dmv charge weight fees on a terra? I'm contemplating a project of building a "club cab" terra with 93 dodge cummins running gear. My cummins doesn't get much use due to it's size, I rarely need a full size truck and it's too huge to take off-road. Now a cummins powered terra would work off road and have sufficient wheelbase for towing a travel trailer. I pay around $170/yr in weight taxes on my truck! Don't want to do that any more.
Terra question
- Thread starter scouttoo
- Start date
Robert Kenney
Super Moderator
Think there are other issues.
76 and older terra, your out of luck as it would need a carb recertification and special emissions inspection, if they will even do a diesel gas swap.
75 and older and they won't care so long as the original frame is maintained. A frame swap and you would run into title issues as the frame numbers would not match the vin or pink.
It won't under current regulations, require a smog.
CA dmv only uses the factory title/classification for determining the weight range fee, so if it changes they will never know or care.
76 and older terra, your out of luck as it would need a carb recertification and special emissions inspection, if they will even do a diesel gas swap.
75 and older and they won't care so long as the original frame is maintained. A frame swap and you would run into title issues as the frame numbers would not match the vin or pink.
It won't under current regulations, require a smog.
CA dmv only uses the factory title/classification for determining the weight range fee, so if it changes they will never know or care.
Depends on the officer pulling you over. I once got pulled over in a terra I use to have for this same reason. Once I pointed out that it was a convertible and that the tool box in the back was full of spare parts, not tools he let me go.
Michael Dimock
IH Parts America Sales Assoc.
My half cab Scout 80 is registered as an utility vehicle. It costs slightly more than a car registration but doesn't have the weight fees of a commercial plate. I'm allowed to have the half cab, full top, no top, etc without being hassled supposedly.
I seem to recall my 76 Scout II traveltop being clasified as a utility vehicle by dmv, but it's been awhile and I could be mistaken. So then, are all scouts "utility" vehicles? The officer that pulled you over Jeff must have thought it should have had commercial plates? I guess either way, it won't be a deal breaker if I find a terra. I'm just tired of paying and paying to big g and not getting @#$% for it.
Michael Dimock
IH Parts America Sales Assoc.
No, only if you register it that way. Van, suv, etc has been used as well but are still a "car" registration. Registering as utility is not common as my local dmv had to call to sacramento to figure everything out.
How much of a hassle with dmv is swapping from gas to diesel? Anybody done it recently? Not too many diesel terra/travelers out there. I know some people swap vins with pre '76 to do what they want but that could lead to problems. There was a "1973" rock crawler on cl recently that was a terra!