I have a 1976 ford f150 that i got from my aunt when she passed. On the door it say 12-75 so i assumed it was a 1975 ford truck and there for i didnt have to smog it. Now we just got the paper work in and it says 1976 on the tittle. She bought the truck brand new on 1-2-1976. I have heard that if it was made in 75 that i wouldnt have to smog it. Is that true and is there any way to find out. I went to the DMV before switching the truck over into my name and asked them but they couldnt figure out anything for me. So any help would be great.

 

being manufactured 12/75 it is a '76. Now what I found out from a friend that works for DMV is that if it was sold before April of '76 then it would be exempt......you may have to find someone smart at DMV to find out for sure(good luck)

 

I thought it was April '75, so 74 and older were exempt. If its '76 even better!

 

Any chance you have a AAA membership? If not perhaps a friend has one. The California DMV is a lot like the twilight zone. The lights are on but no one is home. I run any thing to do with automobile registration through AAA. I am confident they can answer your questions. However you need to have a membership to get these answers. And in California, it doesn't matter what you have heard, it only matters what the law says.
A quick example, a while back I wanted to switch a personalized plate from a car I owned to a different car that I also owned. DMV said that would take a few weeks and many forms to accomplish. Went into AAA and had it done in 15 minutes. For what it is worth, I took a quick look at the DMV website and it says that vehicles 1975 year model and older are exempt from smog checks. However a vehicle title transfer from a family member is usually exempt from a smog check. Again check with AAA. Good luck.

 

DMV has got to be the worst red tape suck hole ever. Go to two dmv's and get five different answers. I have to think that no two DMV employees are trained the same. Or are given the same books to get answers from.

 

What others are saying is exactly what i am finding as well. They don't know their **** from their elbow at the DMV. I'r research what you can on the DMV website (it should all be there - hopefully!) and print what you find and bring with you. AAA can be very helpful for a lot of things but there are a few things they refuse to do and only the actual DMV can do.

Good luck in this mess - I don't envy you being stuck dealing with these tards.

And on that note - i have a side question. In order to not detract from this thread too much if you have an answer for me please PM me.
My question has to deal with putting my '74 body on an 80's or 90's frame. In CA if I take my '74 supercab body and put it on say an '89 frame do I keep the '74 registration? I sure hope so. i need to research this but am not positive where to start...

 

Rockcrawler,

Have you tried this website yet?

Smog Information

I have a 77 F250 that I have yet to be tested. It seems the 150's have to have a few more things than my truck.

 

Hey Steve, I have been told to start at DOT for those kinda questions.

 

Thanks Lance. I was thinking CHP since they verify VIN #'s and check cab swaps, etc. I'd just hate to do if with one person (DMV maybe) telling me I'd be ok then find out different when it was done...

 

As long as you have the 74 registered before hand you should be good. I wouldn't tell the dmv. If it looks like a74 no one will question it.

 

I've thought about that and the "better to ask forgiveness than permission" thing but considering I'm probably turning my supercab into a bronco thing ('74 supercab with a bronco back end on a 80's standard cab, long bed frame) it won't look very "stock".

 

From the DMV website under exemptions: "Gasoline powered 1975 year model or older" It says YEAR MODEL, not year of manufacture. Many vehicles are manufactured the calendar year before the year model. As long as your truck is a 1976 model year, though manufactured in 1975, it is NOT exempt from smog requirements. Your VIN tells you what model year it is.


Dak

 

NOTE: Upon initial registration, nonresident, diesel powered vehicles manufactured in 1998 or after with a (GVWR) rating of no more than 14,000 lbs, and specially constructed vehicles 1976 and newer require smog certification.

From this it sounds like I don't have to smog sense it was built in 12/75

 

You can interperet it any way YOU want, but it's how the state interprets it that matters...

As others have said the "build date" and "model year" are 2 separate things.

A little info:
The specialty constructed vehicle thing is SB100 = 100 spots per year for vehicles that are at least 80% custom (kit cars, scratch built hot rods and buggies, etc.) You have to apply for this and the 100 spots are gone in January every year - snatched up by builders like Chip Foose, etc.

The 1998 or after law is for DIESEL rigs that were delivered from the factory that way. If you've done a motor swap to diesel on a smoggable vehicle you are required to have a BAR Referee inspect the swap.

There is a note on the bottom of that link about family transfers not needing a smog check - have a look.

 

(Xcluding certain diesels)...If it's titled as a 1976 or newer, then the rig will be subject to bi-annual emissions testing. If it is titled 1975 or older, then join the fun!