Ohio registration "gotcha" Bumpers!

[jwsnake56]

While I'm still patiently waiting for my painter (come on Jeff, this waiting is killing me) I have my car at a stage where I can get my title and registration so that I can drive it to the LCS and meet everyone and have some fun. Here is the process in Ohio.
A kit built vehicle is classified in Ohio as a self-assembled vehicle. Google "Ohio self-assembled vehicle title" to get the very minimal information that is out there. Basically the process is to gather all of your paperwork (ie receipts and sales invoices for the kit itself and all the major sub assemblies; engine, trans, clutch, bellhousing, rear axle or IRS parts, and your Manufacturers Certificate of Origin from FFR). Make sure you have VIN numbers for the donor vehicle of any donor parts; in my case only a rebuilt rear axle from MPS. Then mosey on down to a BMV license agency wait in line, pay $53 and get a receipt for a self-assembled vehicle inspection. Go online to the Ohio BMV website and schedule an inspection. You need the code on the receipt in order to do this. There are eight inspection sites in Ohio and you need to take the vehicle to the inspection site. Choose your site and schedule a time. The printout paper showing your scheduled visit states that you are granted permission to drive the vehicle to and from the inspection site on that date. I choose a site that was a 140mile roundtrip on I-77. That was my first time driving the car over 40 mph! I had my wife follow me with her car "just in case". But, the car ran great! It was fun but also a little nerve-racking and I was proud that it went smoothly. OK, back to the process. Bring your receipt and scheduling papers and your proof of insurance if you drive it there, otherwise if you get stopped you are in a bit of trouble.
Here is where things get a little vague. Nowhere could I find a list of what you need on the car to pass the safety part of the inspection. The inspection consists of three parts. First the officer takes all of your paperwork and enters what he needs into a computer record. Once all that is good they proceed to the safety inspection of the actual car itself. They check that you have DOT approved lighting: high and low beams, running lights, brake lights, turn signals, emergency 4-ways. They check your horn and TWO SPEED WIPERS! They look around and judge the quality of your build. But here is where they got me. Ohio requires BUMPERS on the front and rear of the vehicle. Quickjacks or just overriders are not sufficient according to the letter of the law. in my case the inspectors were not really up on dealing with self-assembled vehicles and knew the car didn't have sufficient bumpers, but they couldn't really tell me specifically what I needed to pass and actually quoted specs that I found out when I got back home were not accurate. So they failed me and I had to schedule another inspection for next Monday. I have a friend right here in town who built a Mk3 and a '65 Coupe and he never ran into this problem so it was never even mentioned when we discussed what to do for the inspection. Since then I found out the specific bumper requirements. in Ohio the bumpers must be at least 4.5" tall, solidly affixed to the frame of the vehicle (ie normal quickjack mounting bolts are OK), reach to within the tire track of the vehicle, be no lower than the bottom of the main frame rails, and the bottom of the bumper can be no higher than 22" off the ground.
What I am doing to pass my inspection is fabricating bumpers using 1/2" steel electrical conduit and some 1.25" x 0.125" steel flat stock. They are essentially old school "nerf bars" and will be fastened where the quickjacks normally go using the same hardware and spacers. They will be immediately removed after I pass the next inspection. Once I pass the safety inspection the inspector will issue me an Ohio VIN and will affix one of the metal tags to the 2" frame rail below the steering wheel next to where FFR stamps their serial number. They will give me a second VIN number to affix to one of the frame rails underneath in a less conspicuous place. At that point I can go to an Ohio title office with the tax bill that the inspectors generate based on my paperwork and the passed inspection certificate. Upon paying the tax they will give me a title with the Ohio VIN. Then I can go next door to the license bureau and purchase the plate.
Has anyone else run into this issue? I would be interested in hearing what was done to meet the requirements. The rear overriders and bumper bar that is available from ********** would probably meet requirements for the rear, but the front overriders and center loop bar would not be wide enough according to Ohio.
So, sorry for the long post but I hope it helps other builders here in Ohio keep up with the process as it atands in 2019. I will try to post some pictures when I get done fabricating my "nerf bars" and I will follow up with how it goes on 6/3 with the inspection. Hopefully I will pass and I will be the one with a gel-coat finish at the LCS.
John S.
#8866
Blueprint 306, T5z, 3-Link w/ '95 Mustang Cobra rear axle, Moser axles, 3.55:1 gear, CVF Racing front accessory drive with Saginaw PS, FFR heater/defroster, HotSeats seat heaters, FFR windshield wipers, Russ Thompson self-cancelling turn signals, FFR replica gauge set, 15" FFR Halibrand replica wheels

failed.pdf

[Sdonnel]

I'm going to the Troy, OH location this friday for my inspection. I have the quick jacks but no wipers. I have heard that the inspectors at different locations have different levels of "understanding" when dealing with a cobra. I certainly hope I can report back a successful inspection given my choice to omit wipers. Having had the FFR wipers on my other car, a handheld squeegee worked better than they did. I have three LCS rain events to support that claim.

Can you post where you took your car for inspection?

Scott

[jwsnake56]

I'm going to the Troy, OH location this friday for my inspection. I have the quick jacks but no wipers. I have heard that the inspectors at different locations have different levels of "understanding" when dealing with a cobra. I certainly hope I can report back a successful inspection given my choice to omit wipers. Having had the FFR wipers on my other car, a handheld squeegee worked better than they did. I have three LCS rain events to support that claim.

Can you post where you took your car for inspection?

Scott

Well, my experience confirms that the inspector was not familiar with Factory Five vehicles at all and not really with custom vehicles in general. He didn’t know the actual regulations for the bumpers. If you look at the pdf attachment you can see that he wanted the top of the bumpers at 18-22” off the ground! I went to the Cambridge location. They specifically checked my wipers and that they were two speed. Good luck and let me know how it goes. Make sure to have VIN numbers for donor parts. I saw them fail another guy getting inspection for a salvage vehicle because of not having them.

[Duke66]

Well, my experience confirms that the inspector was not familiar with Factory Five vehicles at all and not really with custom vehicles in general. He didn’t know the actual regulations for the bumpers. If you look at the pdf attachment you can see that he wanted the top of the bumpers at 18-22” off the ground! I went to the Cambridge location. They specifically checked my wipers and that they were two speed. Good luck and let me know how it goes. Make sure to have VIN numbers for donor parts. I saw them fail another guy getting inspection for a salvage vehicle because of not having them.

I read that it says your headlights are 4" too low... not that they want the bumpers at 18"-22"
Hope you get a more cooperative official next time, good luck!

[Joel Hauser]

I used VW beetle bumper guards on my build, bolting them to brackets that I fabricated from an old bed frame right angle steel rod that I salvaged. The steel rod is cut to about 7", drilled and bolted to the quick jack bolts. The VW bumper guards are then bolted to angle rod. It is not perfect, but I think it looks ok, and it is an inexpensive solution to the bumper problem. here's an example of the bumper guards. https://www2.cip1.com/ProductDetails...e=ACC-C10-1132 They're under $20 each. I also used vintage style VW backup lights, which are bolted to the bumper guards.
I have an album on this forum, https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/album.php?albumid=1236, where you can see how they look.
Joel

[Jeff Kleiner]

It must be very dependent on what inspection location you go to. I've done 2 cars for Ohio owners and neither had to jump over any unreasonable hurdles--- FYI; one had the classic overriders and bumper hoops and the other had only FFR quickjacks, one had wipers the other did not, neither had reverse lights. Both indicated that the primary purpose of the process was to make them prove that they weren't thieves!

Jeff

[jwsnake56]

Jeff,
Yes, it is totally dependent on where you go here in Ohio. My buddy here in Canton has a '65 Coupe that was passed. You tell me, how are you going to put a front bumper on that? It totally felt like going to get your drivers license at 16 when I had hair, long hair, and you got the crabby inspector who was looking for a way to flunk you. He's making me jump through a hoop, and I will. The "bumpers" that I fabricated aren't pretty, aren't permanent, and they are pretty much the cheapest thing I could think of other than a wood 2x6 that will pass. :-)
BTW, I hoping I can show you my car at LCS and we can talk about moving it in to paint.
Thanks,
John

[Jeff Kleiner]

Jeff,

BTW, I hoping I can show you my car at LCS and we can talk about moving it in to paint.
Thanks,
John

Arriving Thursday as usual. Autocross and go-kart racing on Friday, Dave has asked me to help him at the FFR display in town on Saturday and I'll be hanging in the hotel parking lot with my band of misfits the rest of the time. Look me up or call!

Jeff

[jwsnake56]

Jeff,
I'll be arriving Thursday as well. I'm also going to the Autocross on Friday. I'll look you up!
John

[Sdonnel]

This morning, I had my car inspected at the Troy, OH inspection station. We arrived for our 7:30 appointment and the inspector gave us the option of standing across the parking lot or sitting in the lobby while he did his work. We chose the parking lot, as we could see directly into the shop. Once he took my major receipts (kit, engine, trans, and rear end), he spent 90 minutes looking over the paperwork and making phone calls. Aside from having me power up the car to show him the mileage on the GPS speedo, he didn't touch the car. Not the lights, turn signals, horn. Nothing. Keep in mind my car is in gel coat and my panel fit is going to make Jeff Kleiner drink excessively when he sees it. Oh, and I do not have wipers. No holes drilled and nothing to indicate I might ever have them. The quick jacks on either end of the car drew zero questions as well. Ten minutes after he gave me my approved inspection form, I paid my taxes and had a title in my hand. Oh, and while he was finishing up my inspection, he drilled the holes and installed my VIN tag. No return trip needed. I strongly urge jwsnake56 to take your car to Troy. It may be a trek, but one that's very worth your time and resources. I came home after the inspection and had the registration done by 2:30. Now I need to cut the license plate holder to fit the plate and get the insurance squared away. I thought I would have a few weeks while I waited for the VIN tag to be made.

Now, to get the roll bars and elephant ears on before London.

Scott

[JRL16]

Got mine inspected and titled last year in Findlay Ohio. They’re real concern is for stolen parts. I had receipts for everything so there were no issues. The inspector you had went to the extreme IMO. I had no issues with bumpers from the inspector but mine does have the overriders and nerf bars. There are plenty of theses cars in Ohio with quick jacks or just the overriders. I would recommend a different inspection station. Good luck.

[Bob_n_Cincy]

In 2015 I took my 818s to the Cincinnati/Sharonville Ohio sheriff inspection station. I failed first time because no bumpers.

818 Gruenwald s.jpg

[Doug @ Forma]

When I worked for FormaCars we used the Bellefontaine (EDIT: I think it was Bucyrus, actually) location for all of our builds. I don't think they even took it out of the trailer except for the first one. No bumpers on any of the cars, hand crank wiper on the one MK IV and no wipers on the coupe. I think that's where the LCS folks go to get the raffle car inspected each year.

Worth the drive for a no issues inspection. Doesn't help those who've had issues, but might save someone else some trouble.