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Bi-annual smog checks are required in at least the populous areas of Maryland. I'm not sure about the rural counties.
Safety inspections in Maryland are only required before registering a used vehicle after the title changes hands, with exemption granted in certain cases of intra-family transfer. No periodic safety inspection is required thereafter. Safety inspection is waived if the vehicle is registered as a qualified historic vehicle.
Vehicles that qualify as 50-year historic are also exempted from the requirement to display a front plate, and only a single plate and decals will be issued by MVA for such vehicles.
Live well,
SJW
MD was just a hop skip away from us in Northern DE. There were always full-on race cars that were tagged and legit cruising Newark on Sat nights picking up races out towards Elkton and Cecil County.
Chris, at least it's not spring and fall with the same due date for every car in the Commonwealth like in the olden days. Not that putting up with that level of nonsense is any more fun....
I ran antique plates in Texas and Maine bc that gets you out of inspections. It was worth risking getting a ticket for using the antique for regular transportation once in a while. The police in both weren't particularly gonad busters. Im not so sure about up the road in Willis. I could guess what MA used to be like....the Registry had their own dang cops fer chrissakes.....lol and they did not like my 66 Chevelle or 69 Camaro. It might be worth considering unless you still have to get inspected.
Chris, try Hyde Park Spring & Brake, 1560 River St...
I have lived within 20 minutes of that place since 1972, drove past it twice a day for 11 years, and never saw a state inspection sign on it. I had my clutch done 200 yards up the road. Are you sure they are an inspection station?
Only for newer cars. 1975 and older have no inspections at all!
Good point!
However when I first arrived in the Peoples' Republik in '84, the law at the time was that my vintage vehicles had to pass a smog test before they could be registered.
My FI '60 squeaked by after I got the engine really hot and tweaked some adjustments.
My FI '57 failed for lack of CA mandated smog equipment. Yes, really. And I had to take it to a Referee Test Station for an exemption.
However when I first arrived in the Peoples' Republik in '84, the law at the time was that my vintage vehicles had to pass a smog test before they could be registered.
My FI '60 squeaked by after I got the engine really hot and tweaked some adjustments.
My FI '57 failed for lack of CA mandated smog equipment. Yes, really. And I had to take it to a Referee Test Station for an exemption.
Ah, the old days. I remember when all tests, not just the referee tests, were conducted at state-owned facilities. I also remember how there would be several guys standing around the exits with business cards for local shops that would do a "low emissions" tune up so you could re-take the test if your car failed. The tune-up consisted of leaning out the idle and retarding the timing. In those days the test was done without a chassis dyno--just at idle and 2500 RPM in neutral.
I also recall that the biannual test requirement initially ended when a car was 20 years old. They stopped that in 1996, so that's why 1975 and earlier cars are exempt. No more rolling exemption.
However when I first arrived in the Peoples' Republik in '84, the law at the time was that my vintage vehicles had to pass a smog test before they could be registered.
My FI '60 squeaked by after I got the engine really hot and tweaked some adjustments.
My FI '57 failed for lack of CA mandated smog equipment. Yes, really. And I had to take it to a Referee Test Station for an exemption.
Yup! I still have the exempt sticker on the lower right corner of the windshield on my 67!
Inspections? We don't need no stinkin inspections! Actually, some parts of Colorado still have emission inspections such as Denver. When I bought my '66 in 2000, El Paso County (Colorado Springs) still required them and mine passed with flying colors. We passed all the air quality requirements, which takes several years and haven't had emission inspections in almost 20 years in our part of Colorado.
1. Ask the guy if he's interested in learning about your antique car, and if so, whether he'd like to read the owner's manual to familiarize himself with its basic operation prior to your bringing it in for inspection. Reproduction manuals are cheap and available. If he goes for that, make the same offer of a service manual.
2. Before letting him touch the car, ask him politely to step outside for a few minutes so you can demonstrate the operation of all of those ancient mechanisms for him.
I feel for folks who have to have periodic vehicle safety inspections.
Live well,
SJW
Thanks. He's not interested. But I already told him I have to show him how things work....if I go there which is now a firm plan "B"
Chris, try Hyde Park Spring & Brake, 1560 River St...
So I swung by. Eight minutes from my front door. They do have two signs for inspection. One from 2021 and one from 2005. I asked the guy inside if they still did inspections. He's in his fifties, maybe early 60s. He said yeah. I told him my story and he said "It has to work" what a concept lol
Much better warm and fuzzy from a guy who thinks it's weird to need to know how a 1960s car works. He's doing it first thing Saturday morning. Thanks for the heads up.
The only safety inspections needed in OK., is when a car is brought in from out of state and then just to confirm VIN plate number matches the title. A few years ago we moved back to MO (big mistake for us) and needed the 62 safety inspected to license it. But, in MO it was considered an antique, so all the station checked was the basic safety items like brake lights, TS and horn....nothing more. The station knew this and it made it easier. I never got out of the car.