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CA Legacy Plates program

I used to have a 68 SS El Camino that that the black background/yellow letters, always liked that...
 
auntiebling said:
Radar doesn't care at all what color anything is. the signal doesn't even know the paint is there
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Depends. Stealth planes used to use black paint because it absorbed radar better. Although I'm sure it was some kind of special paint.
 
auntiebling said:
radar doesn't care at all what color anything is. the signal doesn't even know the paint is there
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1. He was talking about as a target for an officer to aim at when *using* radar.

2. For our purposes, you're right, but all other things being equal, I'm pretty sure paint makes a difference. Presence/absence, type of paint, type of finish, etc.

TheRiddler said:
Depends. Stealth planes used to use black paint because it absorbed radar better. Although I'm sure it was some kind of special paint.
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Nope. The F-117s and B-2s could have been any color. The F-117s were originally supposed to be dark grey (and a few, just before they were retired, were repainted grey), but Air Force brass insisted on black so mission planners would be discouraged from setting up daytime missions. This was to A: prevent people from being able to photograph them while on a mission, and B: to provide some small help against being shot down in case the whole "stealth" thing was a load of bunk. Nobody really believed it would work until those first missions over Baghdad in '91.
 
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I thought plates like CA were red-white-blue because there was a movement in the 80's or 90's to make all US plates red-white-and-blue. Some state (most of the western ones) did that. Some of the eastern ones said 'lol no we're older than the usa anyway'.

But maybe that's utterly wrong? Anyone know? It's clearly gone out of fashion.
 
One of the reasons that I love my blue/yellow plate is that it is not reflective.

From the DMV FAQ:
Q11: Are the Legacy Plates going to look exactly like the license plates issued in the 1950's, 1960's, and 1970's?
A: No. Current law requires license plates to be reflectorized. However, as many characteristics of the older plates will be applied as possible.
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I'm on the fence now.
 
TheRiddler said:
Depends. Stealth planes used to use black paint because it absorbed radar better. Although I'm sure it was some kind of special paint.
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my bad, i didn't realize CA DMV licensed government warplanes

also, the color of the radar absorbing paint had little to do with the absorbing capability. the material they added to the paint did the work, the paint mostly just held it in position.

Dr. Evil said:
1. He was talking about as a target for an officer to aim at when *using* radar.
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and you know this how?

2. For our purposes, you're right, but all other things being equal, I'm pretty sure paint makes a difference. Presence/absence, type of paint, type of finish, etc.
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maybe on some highly tuned government ninja shit trying to read the tail numbers off of foreign aircraft, but not on the glorified baseball pitch speed guns.

the aluminum plate might as well be polished to a mirror for that radar signal it doesn't care. same with all the metal under your plastic bumpers. a car is a huge radar target, the idea the the license plate makes any difference at all in the returned signal is silly to me.
 
Black plates would be cool for a black on black on black Shelby Mustang GT-500 Convertible that I am lusting over.
 
I just sent in my $50 check to reserve a set of blue plates for the Mustang convertible.

Some people don't want to spend even ten bucks extra on license plates, but since that's one of the few ways that you can make a ride unique I don't mind. I have personalized plates on two bikes and two cars and am happy to send a few extra bucks to the California DMV to get a more interesting color of plates. I'll probably even put a front plate on, which I haven't done for at least a dozen years. :party
 
The yellow on black plates will look great on my '67 Sunbeam Alpine!

Oh, wait, it already has yellow on black plates.

Never mind, I sold it 20yrs ago :(
 
ScottRNelson said:
I just sent in my $50 check to reserve a set of blue plates for the Mustang convertible.

Some people don't want to spend even ten bucks extra on license plates, but since that's one of the few ways that you can make a ride unique I don't mind. I have personalized plates on two bikes and two cars and am happy to send a few extra bucks to the California DMV to get a more interesting color of plates. I'll probably even put a front plate on, which I haven't done for at least a dozen years. :party
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I had the custom WSU Cougar logo plates when I lived in WA.

Sadly, all you can get here is UCLA. Boooooooo :x :twofinger

Whale Tail, Tahoe, Yosemite, and the Arts plates are all kind of Meh to me. Best use of custom plates goes to a kid I saw in Sac with a hooptie Trans Am, had the Save the Children plate with I (heart) COPS :laughing
 
Get A Chance At Vintage California Plates!

I'm ordering a black and yellow for my BMW
 
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:bump

Let's get on the ball and place an order guys. I want my plate!
 
Enchanter said:
Let's get on the ball and place an order guys. I want my plate!
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Does anybody know how to find out how many have been ordered so far?

I want to find out if they're close enough to reaching their goal that they'll actually do it. I want those blue plates for my Mustang.
 
ScottRNelson said:
So we have 4453 out of a needed 7500. How can we drum up some more business?
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Go out and buy a bunch of old bikes? :teeth

Seriously, I've got several old bikes that I'd like to get blue/yellow plates for, along with my son's '75 280Z. But I already give the DMV enough of my money and that's kinda holding me back.
 
I grew up with the Blue & Yellow plates (sorta, they changed before I started driving, but I remember the B&Y ones real well). I know it'd be horribly historically inaccurate, but I just like the color of the Black & Yellow or Yellow & Black variants. Might be worth $50 for one vehicle, but not $50 apiece for all three.

It's a one time fee I assume? Not only do I think personalized plates are generally far less clever than the owner thinks they are, I think it's stupid to pay yearly for the dubious privilege. If you had to pay it once, it'd be a different story.
 
Tempted to get a black and yellow for just matching purposes.

When it says $50 for personal or non, does that mean you can get a new personalized plate for $50?

Either way, as someone who grew up without checks, I may have to sit out anyway.
 
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