Hello,

I've purchased a set of 1956 California license plates to use on my 1956 F100 via the CA DWV Year of Manufacture (YOM) process.

I've downloaded the DMV YOM form online and filled it out and have an appointment at the DMV a week from now.

The plates are one letter and 5 numbers, which I understand is correct for a commercial (truck) plate for 1956.

However, one plate has a 1957 sticker on it. The seller told me just to remove this sticker. But some things I've read online seem to indicate that it is actually this sticker that designates the year of the plates, not the number stamped on them.

If any CA residents (or anyone else) have any suggestions I'd appreciate it. I just want to be sure it is ok to remove the 1957 sticker.



Thanks very much,

Gustave

 

If you'll go to EBay,a member "yblockasaurus"has a tutorial or guide that is helpful.Check this link.

eBay Guides - DMV Clear California License Plates 1951 1956 1963 YOM

 

The correct format is a single letter followed by a five-digit number, stamped on a `56 plate with a sticker indicating the last two numbers of your truck's year of manufacture (as indicated on the title and registration). The `56 plate was used from 1956-1962. Complete the form, and take it to the DMV with the plates (required to authenticity verification). If the number is not currently in use, the DMV will issue a metal tag used to hold the modern registration sticker as found on all current CA plates. The tag must be mounted to one of the plate bolt holes.

 

Remove the sticker, my 63 plates were rejected because they had 67 stickers on them for a 63 car. The plates are the year of the sticker. BTW it is illegal to remove stickers off a CA plate. so be careful removing it.

 

eBay Guides - DMV Clear California License Plates 1951 1956 1963 YOM

Good info here.

 

Thanks to everyone. Yes that is good info. The link that that write-up I had read, copied to a Word file and saved it actually. It just never dawned on me that the "56" plates were used for more than one year, and that the sticker actually indicated the year of issue. Seeing as today you get a new "year" sticker every 12 months.

I don't really see what difference it makes if the original sticker is on there or not, as long as that style plate is what would have originally been on the vehicle in its year of manufacture. The DMV is going to issue a new "modern style" sticker in any case right?

OK. I know what to do now.

Thanks again to all.

Gustave

 

The sticker doesn't necessarily indicate the year the plate was issued. It could have been issued in '56 and had the registration renewed one time in '57, or subsequent stickers could have been removed previously. That same plate would have had new stickers placed on it through '62.

I'm not sure how they do it in Cali, but in Washington, they have a list of which numbers were issued in which year. Depending on who you talk to and which office you try to get your YOM plates registered, they may or may not let you use them, no matter what sticker is on them.

 

Read you loud and clear. How well this process works does seem to depend a lot on which person you get behind the counter. I made the appointment up in Semi Valley, where I've found the personnel to be a bit more knowledgeable than average. Let's see how it goes.

Gustave

 

take off the sticker. the sticker does tell you what year the truck is (yom) for your application. you need a '56 plate for your '56 vehicle, anything else WILL confuse them and cause you to get denied. i would call the 800 number of the dmv and make sure the plates are clear BEFORE you go in, the whole process takes over a month and you won't know until they come back that you can't use them. also you might have to go to a few dmv's until you find a competent person.

 

Oldtimer,nice panel!I bought my plates from a friend/collector,then verified they were clear, via a number to the DMV that was given in the Ebay guide.After that,I went to my local DMV office,and it was done there on the spot.I did have to walk the inexperienced personnel through it,because they don't have much experience with the YOM program.Between a dusty,seldom-used old book covering the YOM program that they rounded up,and my copy of that guide,we got it done.The only snag is that they did not have,and were not aware of the metal"tabs" that are supposed to be issued.Had to call back to Sacramento,and received them in less than a month.I have never installed those tabs,or the yearly renewal stickers in over three years of mostly daily driving,and I've had policemen, sheriffs, and CHP officers stopped behind me at stoplights!My truck is kept up,and they don't apparently know the laws,or refuse to believe that a nicely kept up truck,driven by a middle-class,middle-aged man is suspect.I've collected a bunch of year and month decals,which are all in the glovebox,or "dispatch box" to use Fords' term.Hopefully,I can show them to any officer who might pull me over.The tabs are unpainted,ugly,and will not fit in the plate display area of the large rear step-bumper.

 

That's funny, a guy in our truck club has a 55 Pontiac "Nomad" wagon with YOM plates and no stickers. I asked him one time about how the police hassled him about not having the year/month stickers on his plates. He said, "Hell, these plates aren't even resistered to my car. DMV gave me such a load of crap when I tried to register them that I said to hell with it and just put 'em on. That was 12 years ago!". I think he fits the nicely kept vehicle, middle-class, middle-aged man model fairly well too. BTW - he does have the modern plates that ARE registered to the car, he keeps them in the glovebox "just in case"...I guess he's not a complete scofflaw.

 

I've got 58 Calif plates on my 58, and I'm not an expert but i went through this process haha. Wow its was "load". I'm sure I did everything right, but as you've mentioned you've got to "find the right counter person". And seriously its not easy for the counterperson. She worked and asked associates questions for an hour!! I live in the Napa DMV area, but after failing there--with all the correct stuff--At Napa DMV the counter person was "certain" I was some sort of bunko artist. They told me I couldn't do it and these plates were counterfieit or similar. They took photocopies of the plates--not for registration purposes but to send in to the state or? whoever higher authorities.--It was all pretty funny. I could see they were wondering if they should / could take the plates from me.


Anyway I just took all the same stuff to Vacaville DMV and "no problem".
I dont' know why they are so weird about this. But they can be.

But for sure--in Calif--to my understanding because the plates are the same for a period years-as you've mentioned- and they're all "stamped" 56 etc, one has to have a unique "permanent sticker" of a certain color--not the annual registration sticker--that goes on these plates. You need a certain color for the 56 year not the 57 year sticker that is on their now. If you follow me. My 58 has a green sticker, and it stays the same year after year. But i do get the annual registration stickers that change each year etc-- the green 58 sticker is permanent. So you end keeping two seperate stickers. Does that make sense. In fact because they issue you a permanent "sticker that indicates the month" and a sticker that is "renewed" annually with paid registration, you'll have 3 stickers haha. And as mentioned before not everyone attaches all this stuff. They give you two little plates to mount the "month sticker" and the "annual paid sticker", but one is suppose to permanently mount the "year color" sticker directly on the plate. And as I've said I think it needs to be there when you take the plates to DMV--in general--Maybe there's a way around that?

These permanent stickers can be bought in the aftermarket from people that specialize in selling plates etc. I bought my plates/with stickers from a guy in Vacaville--Dave something or other.

Its my understanding--and that's all-that one needs that "permanent" sticker on the rear plate--when you take them to your DMV for the paperwork / photocopies etc. I dont' believe? you can register the plates without that colored sticker. I'm not an expert though.

I tried to read all the other posts on this, but I may be repeating. Anyway this was my experience--And because it was such a hassle I don't recommend it haha. But since you already have the plates--oh well. Plus you know there is a "vanity" charge for using these plates too. Whether the truck is registered or not--even non oped they charge $75? something just for letting you keep them active. Something like that.

Goodluck

 

I found a cheaper and less expensive way. It also doesn't involve the idiots at the DMV office and it's faster than the whole YOM process.

I'll post the info once I get my plates mounted.

 

This is a very useful explanation. Thanks. The only thing I think, is that for 1956 in particular, there is no colored "year" sticker, as the plate is already stamped "56". So what'd I'd really need is 1956 plates with no sticker indicating year.

Gustave

 

Dr G

I should add that when I went to the Vacaville DMV office I was prepared with everything including proof of insurance and the previous existing Calif license plates--although they hadn't been active for 10 years--i suppose i could have kept them and just said they were lost? Anyway i didn't .

But after an hour or so I walked out with "tags" and a completed registration. Totally done. I'm not "certain" that they gave me the monthly sticker and the extra 2 metal plates etc--but maybe they did. They may have mailed me some of that stuff later/not positive--it was a while ago.

But the point is I was driving the truck the same day. Good to go.
So it is doable and no significant waiting if everything falls into place.
Its a been a couple years and I'm still using them.

Goodluck