Topic: A little clarification on "street-legal" ?
Greetings Lemons Rally Organizers! (and others who mistakenly clicked this thread)
I ran the 2017 Hell on Wheels - Monterey Car Weeeeeak as 1/3 of Team MoostangRally and had one hell of a good time! The other 2/3 of the team are going to be driving something slightly more, eh, ambitious this year (with only 2 seats) so I've been left to my own devices to come up with another vehicle. While hoopties abound in the cracks and crevices of currently sweltering NorCal (I keep telling myself its good training for this year's romp through the desert) I've come up with a very specific question regarding vehicle eligibility.
But before I ask this question, let me explain the situation.
I have several vehicles I've been eyeballing pretty hard that would make excellent Lemons Rally candidates. One particular stand-out in the group (because its literally free, free as in beer) is a Dodge D150 Club Cab 2wd pickup courtesy of my father in laws back yard. Equipped with the venerable Chrysler LA360 5.9 L engine and A727 TorqueFlight automatic, she has the aerodynamics of a refrigerator and gas mileage numbers to prove it. All I have to do is get it registered and she's all mine. The only catch is ...the truck is a 1976 model and is thus required to pass a CA SMOG inspection as part of the registration process. Due to the GVW and origin of this vehicle, I believe the only emissions equipment it had on it from the factory is a PCV system. No catalytic converter, no smog pump, not even an EGR system. Knowing what I know about SMOG inspections having been a "car guy" and a Californian all my life, I can tell you with reasonable certainty that she ain't gonna pass with flying colors. The truck can be transferred into my name, fully insured and partially registered, but it won't have updated tags before the rally.
Now the State of California, not being completely unreasonable, knows that even though your vehicle failed a SMOG inspection you probably still need to drive your gas guzzling, smog belching, superfund-site-on-wheels to work on Monday morning in order to earn money to pay their fees, go to the Toyota dealer to put a down payment on that shiny new Prius you always wanted, or generally live your life while you attempt to rectify the smog situation. Or maybe drive to Yuma. Who knows! To this end they will grant you, for a mere $50 (or possibly even free!) a Temporary Operating Permit (TOP) via CVC §4156 in order to legally drive you car on California roadways for 60 days.
Information on TOP CVC §4156 can be found at: dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/detail/pubs/brochures/fast_facts/ffvr36
Now back to Lemons Rally Registration. The rules state:
ELIGIBILITY
2.1: VEHICLE ELIGIBILITY Open to anything street-legal and road-insured (be ready to show proof).
And finally, my question: Does a California Temporary Operating Permit (TOP) CVC §4156 issued by the California DMV meet the requirements set forth for "street-legal" in section 2.1 of the general rally rules?
Full disclosure: I may not actually drive this vehicle in the rally because the juice on the registration may not be worth the squeeze, but I'm hoping that in asking this question I may also help others in similar situations who are willing to participate but lack valid vehicle registration due to CA SMOG inspection laws.
Thanks for taking the time to read my post, and I hope to hear from you soon!
Verbosely yours,
- Drain_Bamage