Driveable "vehicles" - questions

[DarthVader1]

As you know, there are a few "vehicles" that you could actually drive at parades, shows, display, etc. I came to a topic (another different forum) related to a vehicle I want to convert to a "movie accurate", or close to it, that you could actually drive it around, but just for a short distance, say a parade, couple of blocks,...you get the idea.

I am in plans of getting a car that I want to customize as a "PROP" Police car, which obviously I cannot drive around in highways, since it's NOT A REAL COP, and a lot of laws regulating about emergency vehicle lights and such....but not related to this topic. The reason is that I found someone that is offering me a vehicle that I could do "whatever I want with it", but it cannot be registered or tagged. :confused I will find out more as soon as I get a PM from the guy.

If some of you are in this same kind of situation, or have one of those vehicles that you could actually drive at parades and such (for example, those at DRAGON*CON).....please post it here and/or PM me.

 

[allosaur176]

Its not Barricade from Transformers is it?? Cause someone got into alot of trouble a few years ago converting a Dodge Charger I believe

 

[Jodo]

I've often wondered what/how one could get by with a Gotham City police car. I think it would be awsome. There are a TON of "unmarked" cars for sale or being driven around here. I'd imagine that it'd be pretty awsome to get one and paint it up, ya know?

 

[exoray]

but it cannot be registered or tagged. :confused

Ummmm why not? There are only three reasons I know a car can't be titled easily...

1. It's stolen...
2. It's got a salvage title that needs to be repaired and inspected prior to issuing a clean title...
3. It's been converted to a race car or off road vehicle with street illegal parts or in violation of registration requirements for street use...

In all three options it's illegal for road use and you 'might' be able to get a permit to use it in a parade but that will depend on the municipality where you will be driving it, and it would need to be delivered by trailer...

 

[exoray]

I've often wondered what/how one could get by with a Gotham City police car. I think it would be awsome. There are a TON of "unmarked" cars for sale or being driven around here. I'd imagine that it'd be pretty awsome to get one and paint it up, ya know?

Since I live by an auto museum what they do when a prop 'emergency' vehicle needs to be driven on the streets is cover the light bars with a cover (they have nice custom fit ones) and then they slap on several BIG "NOT AN EMERGENCY VEHICLE" magnetic signs over all the emblems and wording that would lead you to believe otherwise... Their custom light bar covers also state the same wording... When they get to their closed location to display or drive the vehicle they simply remove the covers and magnets...

Any wording or light bars that lead anyone to believe it's an official emergency vehicle will almost certainly get you in hot water and it's likely a felony not a simple vehicle violation...

 

[DarthVader1]

Precisely my though.

FYI, the "DRIVEABLE CAR PROP" will be in fact an "OCP POLICE SQUAD CAR" or "ROBOCOP" car, which is my project for next year, to include a FULL ROBOCOP suit (to be used by yours truly). I perfectly understand the issues in regards of the POLICE LIGHTS in a "NOT-REAL-POLICE" vehicle...and the such, I completely agree with you. That's why I'm looking into ALL OPTIONS AVAILABLE before I start embarking in this journey.

It came to the case, cause someone in my area (fellow 501st GA Garrison member) offered me "that", BUT....with that stipulation included (a "catch", in some people's term).....which I don't feel myself comfortable in some ways, even though it won't be an EVERYDAY moving vehicle.

Namely, my question goes for those who are driving ARMY TRUCKS (old and obsolete), and replica cars/vehicles at Dragon*Con, since they're driveable, but at the same time still with the old/current (depending on WHAT are you looking for) vehicle... :confused

 

[Too_Many_Cars]

The StarCarCentral folks get this "fake police car" hassle all the time, mostly with the police cars like the bluesmobile. Basically, you either trailer the car to every show and clear it for the parade route or you get tags on the car and have removable non-street legal accessories to give it "the look" when parked. I

'm making removable rocket launchers for my Tomorrow Never Dies Bond BMW project, the Blues Brothers kept their car legal and keep a copy of the DMV vehicle code in the car all the time, and the Ecto Mobile drives around with a big cover over the light bar to keep it legal.

A Robocop car is just a souped-up Taurus with a light bar on top. Put a connector on your light bar harness and make the bar quick-release with some Dzus fasteners or captive screws, or invest in a light bar bag. Problem solved.

I can talk with Gary (our Adam 12 replica guy) who owns a whole bunch of ex-police cars if you need further clarification on California laws with the light bars.

As for a donor Taurus, don't buy anything without a VIN tag that can be made street legal. Period. You're looking at less than $500 for a good donor car that you can spray primer on, and dealing with the DMW is worth more than $500 of hassle. The only reason to even deal with all of the nonsense of getting a non-op car tagged is if it's the original studio car. Just the initial paperwork when I was looking into bringing the original Knight Rider 2010 studio car back to life (it's sitting in a junkyard in Ridgecrest reserved under my name - anyone want it?) was about a grand in fees and several months of my time wasted. That's the primary reason I dropped the orig studio car project for a running, tagged BMW for a fake James Bond car as my daily driver/Herbie tow vehicle.

Regardless, when you finish, add it to the list of movie cars at www.starcarcentral.com, we're keeping everyone busy with charity events and the occasional paid gig.

--Brian

 

[tk5378]

Echoing what others have said, most states have 'vehicle resembling law enforcement' statutes which prohibit cars that look like police cars. The easiest way around these statutes is to have magnets to cover any 'police' logos on the car while driving around town, and covering the light bars. I don't know about any special permits required for special events like parades, most every cop I know (myself included) wouldn't dream of going after a movie-cop car in a parade...I think you'd be pretty safe at a parade or car show. One other thing to keep in mind, light colors vary from state to state so be careful with both red and blue lights...red is legal for volunteer firemen in NC but they can get serious trouble if they drive into NY where red is for Police.

And I know someone who has done a Barricade here in NC...it is freakin' sweat, and no cop I know would dream of messing with it...it's too damn cool. "To Punish and Enslave"

 

[Rik1138]

Ummmm why not? There are only three reasons I know a car can't be titled easily...

1. It's stolen...
2. It's got a salvage title that needs to be repaired and inspected prior to issuing a clean title...
3. It's been converted to a race car or off road vehicle with street illegal parts or in violation of registration requirements for street use...

In all three options it's illegal for road use and you 'might' be able to get a permit to use it in a parade but that will depend on the municipality where you will be driving it, and it would need to be delivered by trailer...

Removing safety features will do it too... I just watched an auction where they were selling brand new Hummers that had been heavily modified for movie use. Part of that modification was basically removing the dashboard, thus removing the now-required airbags. Just that one simple modification makes the vehicle illegal to drive on public roads, and it can't be registered or tagged. (You can still get the title for the car I suppose, but you won't be able to get registration or plates without fixing the safety mechanisms...)

If it can NEVER be registered, the only thing I can think of is it's been stolen (or, if it's recent, it could be one of those cars traded in under that 'junker' program the gov't is funding. Those cars are tagged for scrap, and are never meant to see the light of day again...). Anything else can be fixed/undone (street race mods, safety features removed, etc), but might be expensive...

Rik

 

[exoray]

Removing safety features will do it too...

That would be clause 3 in my list...

The Cash for Clunkers cars are supposed to have the engine destroyed with a Sodium Silicate mixture, any dealership dump enough to give away (or even sell) one of those cars and face the $15,000 fine per incident is just stupid...

I suspect that only reason it 'can't' be titled is that it's hot, and playing with fire will get you burned... Any other reason I can think of it simply a hassle or expensive to get titled, not a can't...