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California f550 help!

FxDiablo

New member
Joined
Nov 9, 2024
Member Number
8300
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1
I’m sure this has been answered, but I haven’t been able to find an actual answer from someone that has tried or has done it. I unfortunately currently live in California and My old company gave me one of their old service trucks when it timed out, it’s a cherry 05 f550 powerstroke with barely 100k. I really want to build a bad ass tow rig since I have blown up 2 rear ends in my 2018 Cummins hauling my toys around lol and some excavators… I want to put one of my old truck bodies on the my f550 chassis and have a nice personal tow pig. Is there any way I can possibly make this happen what anyone knows will work?!? I’ve heard so many things… I have heard if I put a 8’ truck bed on it then I can register it, I’ve heard if I do a special vehicle condition I can register it… I’ve heard if I make it a “RV” I can register it lol I’m just absolutely clueless to what I can actually do. I’d hate to get rid of this thing, especially since I got it for free! I don’t intend on doing any commercial activities with it whatsoever, strictly a personal tow pig and fire wood getter so I’m not thrashing my 18 Cummins. Any help would be greatly appreciated!! And I apologize if this has been answered somewhere else I couldn’t find anything with a definitive answer. I was a welder and fabricator for many years until I got into equipment operating after I messed up my back but building something like a special construction isn’t something I’m used to just not the legality’s of registering it. I have worked at off road race shops as a fabricator and even my old co workers are stumped on how I can get this thing back on the road. Anyway I’m happy to be apart of the community, I’m new to the whole online forum thing so go a little easy on me :homer:
 
Doing a cab swap does zero for the emmisons requirements. It will still go by the frame and motor.

8' bed, also zero change for same reasons.

RV, that might have some traction. But if you ever get pulled over without the camper you are boned.
 
bdkw1 said:
Doing a cab swap does zero for the emmisons requirements. It will still go by the frame and motor.
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No, registered pre smog cab, is a pre smog vehicle. If someone gets nosey enough to look into the set up, you're going to have problems.
bdkw1 said:
8' bed, also zero change for same reasons.

RV, that might have some traction. But if you ever get pulled over without the camper you are boned.
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I'm pretty sure that none of this is going to help.
 
M92PV4U said:
No, registered pre smog cab, is a pre smog vehicle. If someone gets nosey enough to look into the set up, you're going to have problems.

I'm pretty sure that none of this is going to help.
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It helped him sort out that those suggestions wouldn't work:flipoff2:

Doing a cab swap without the paperwork to support it is a dicey proposition. If the cab VIN doesn't match the frame VIN. it can go from bad to really bad if the cop checks. Best hope is he doesn't want to deal with it as it's the end of his shift. Bad is he'll give you a ticket and your registration gets flagged. Really bad is he impounds it.

Standard answer, move our of Komifornia.
 
Theres ways around vin checks as well.

Make sure presmog vehicle is currently reg'd in your name and in ca.

They only do a vin check if its rebuilt salvage out, out of state or out of system. If its gtg as is now, no one will be looking at it.


If you go through special construction, it will be inspect in several forms and on several levels, however its mostly based on WHAT YOU TELL THEM IT IS. My buddy scooped up a a/c cobra cheap fiberglass body, built a frame using c5 vett suspensions, ls3. All said and done it is a zero smog 1960 a/c cobra.
A 1960 a/c cobra does not fucking exist.
He had to take it to chp to get a vin attached, then to B.A.R to verify the smog applications for a 1960 a/c cobra apply.....

Do something stupid and call your 68 f250 is now a 1997 chevy 1500 with a tbi 5.7, and you will have to smog it as a 1997 chevy 1500 with a tbi 5.7.

Now another thing to consider, while your motor is currently available in pickup trucks, because it is in a f550 that has been smog tierd out, it is verbotin, not to be used in any vehicle, period.

If you want to break rules you have to find a path that doesnt land you in a trap.

You can legaly put a 24v71 detroit in a 1968 f250, and they cant say a damn thing about it. You can put a 12v from a d350 in a 1980 gas pickup, if you install all the smog stuff and run it through the B.A.R, you can not put a 12v from a motor home in a 1980 gas pickup.
 
I can tell you, doing shit like hauling an excavator is a great way to get them crawling right up your ass.

Your 68 f250 (yes i made it up because you just said "older" cab) is rated for a grand total of 7000lbs towing, and your going to towing roughly 14000lb with it.

#1, your towing a piece of equip, right off the bat they will assume its "for work" and notice you dont have either a dot# nor an appropriate gvwr sticker. So now youre pulled over and theyre about to plant a gold mine in your asshole.

#2, lets say you do convince them it is infact your ex and youre moving it from one of your properties to another. Now youre "grossly overloaded" and out of drivers license class, in at least 2 ways on the trailer and possibly on the veh.
Either your "9,999lb" trailer is over loaded, or your "10k+" trailer (a class license req.) Is beyond your dl limitations. In both situations your 68 f250 is in no way rated for such a load.

#3, now the gold mine in your ass is established, theyre about to bring in the equipment.
Now youre out of class on your license, you veh is underated, and your trailer is over loaded, youre about to light the dynomite with your mouth and youre going to tell them "no i rebuilt it with a f550 chassis"
 
Towing a rv/toy hauler isnt as much of an issue as iirc they changed the license req. for them to 14 or 16k before you need to up you dl class and they are basicaly defined as personal/not commercial use.
 
California has or is soon to eliminate all diesel RV's according to new laws I've read about but confirm that yourself as I could be wrong.
 
Fuck by the time you wrote all of that you could just go get CDL and a used OTR truck.
 
Skinny said:
Fuck by the time you wrote all of that you could just go get CDL and a used OTR truck.
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So long as its a in tier smog compliant otr truck. :lmao:. Which is kind of the whole point.

He trying to make use of a perfectly good chassis not buy another $100k truck.




All this shit is why another buddy of mine only leases or trades his f450 pickups every couple years. Keeps the trucks in tier and he's not losing his ass on $ when it get to old to be allowed
 
PAE said:
California has or is soon to eliminate all diesel RV's according to new laws I've read about but confirm that yourself as I could be wrong.
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They are stopping sales of new diesel coach's. They have not banned existing ones. Yet.......
 
So i bought a 2000 FL60 Sport chassis from out of state, and made it 100% legal in california for personal use. It is tagged as a tractor (as in semi) and part of the clean truck check.Its really not that hard to do.
 
This is how the govt wants it. Keep buying more and trading up. Also why these pieces of shit are made to the lowest of standards.

Also a used OTR truck isn't $100k. Go buy a decent used tractor and be done. Don't need a 2025 flagship. That's the problem here.

For fuck sake a used school bus will do what you want to do.

Pay to Play, want to drive a new luxurious 1 ton with a gay diesel? Need to pay six figures for that. Want to drive an 08+ model and throw money at it to stay compliant? Need to pay out the ass to keep that Tier 4 shit working.

Don't want to deal with that? Move to a state that isn't Commie-fornia.
 
All that headache sounds so ridiculous it's hard to believe it's not all made up!

One of my pickups is a 5500, it came used from the Dodge dealer without emissions stuff.
 
AKnate said:
All that headache sounds so ridiculous it's hard to believe it's not all made up!

One of my pickups is a 5500, it came used from the Dodge dealer without emissions stuff.
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All laws, rules, comandments, hell even the bill of rights, are made up.


Youre 5500 had no emsions stuff, wana know why?

#1 it was more than likely not built to originaly be sold in ca.
#2, even in ca, at the time of sale, it may not have even been required to have any emission equipment do to med gvwr.

going back in to the 70's a 1/2t had to have a cat.conv. were a 3/4t didnt.
 
AKnate said:
All that headache sounds so ridiculous it's hard to believe it's not all made up!

One of my pickups is a 5500, it came used from the Dodge dealer without emissions stuff.
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total newb said:
All laws, rules, comandments, hell even the bill of rights, are made up.


Youre 5500 had no emsions stuff, wana know why?

#1 it was more than likely not built to originaly be sold in ca.
#2, even in ca, at the time of sale, it may not have even been required to have any emission equipment do to med gvwr.

going back in to the 70's a 1/2t had to have a cat.conv. were a 3/4t didnt.
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No, it was deleted. The Feds have diesel emissions requirements too.
 
shortbus4x4 said:
No, it was deleted. The Feds have diesel emissions requirements too.
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So your bragging about your illegaly delete veh having no smog equip in an area with no smog requirement in a thread about navigating smog in a area that has multiple levels of smog requirement? :lmao:



Im not a smog know it all by any means. I have to go by what ive done, dealt with and read. There is a path to what he wants.
 
total newb said:
So your bragging about your illegaly delete veh having no smog equip in an area with no smog requirement in a thread about navigating smog in a area that has multiple levels of smog requirement? :lmao:



Im not a smog know it all by any means. I have to go by what ive done, dealt with and read. There is a path to what he wants.
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Every state has smog requirements, either Federal emissions or the state can choose CA emissions. Just because they're not enforced doesn't mean if you got pulled over by a DOT cop and he decided to look at emissions on your truck doesn't mean you can't get a fat ticket. And the state DOT cops enforce Fed regulations too. And 5500s are good targets for DOT cops. Of course being in AK he's probably safe.
 
OP, get rid of all VIN stampings on F550 frame and replace it with the one where it would be be on the donor frame. Also as mentioned watch the loads you haul with truck. I drive a Ram 5500 for personal tow duties and never pull into scales even when the sign tells me too. If you do get pulled into scales just say it's your personal truck, everything on it and the trailer is your personal property and you're not hauling for hire.
 
Me personally would look for a F600 doner truck, they're everywhere. Vehicle registration will be around $700 a year for that era mdt though.
 
There’s an exemption for vehicles used under 1000 miles a year. Modify the odometer/speedo circuit and make sure you don’t go over 1000 miles a year.
 
shortbus4x4 said:
OP, get rid of all VIN stampings on F550 frame and replace it with the one where it would be be on the donor frame.
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This is highly illegal. In Komifornia the only ones that can change a VIN is the CHP. If you get pulled over with an altered VIN, you are fucked.
 
bdkw1 said:
This is highly illegal. In Komifornia the only ones that can change a VIN is the CHP. If you get pulled over with an altered VIN, you are fucked.
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As opposed to just being illegal? :homer:

Doing a cab swap to scape smog requirements is illegal too.
 
M92PV4U said:
As opposed to just being illegal? :homer:

Doing a cab swap to scape smog requirements is illegal too.
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No, cab swap done legally doesn't change the smog requirements of the chassis. Now if you swapped to an older pre 75 frame, you can pretty much put whatever the fuck you want into it. There are a lot of pre smog framed pre-runners with newer cabs running around, 100% legal.
 
bdkw1 said:
No, cab swap done legally doesn't change the smog requirements of the chassis. Now if you swapped to an older pre 75 frame, you can pretty much put whatever the fuck you want into it. There are a lot of pre smog framed pre-runners with newer cabs running around, 100% legal.
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Wrong. 75 had emissions control on it. You are not supposed to modify the emissions equipment that came factory on your vehicle.
 
M92PV4U said:
Wrong. 75 had emissions control on it. You are not supposed to modify the emissions equipment that came factory on your vehicle.
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What part of pre 75 did you not understand?
 
Actually 1965 or 66 is when CA started requiring emission devices. They just don't smog test pre 75 vehicles at this time, which could change to testing every vehicle back to 65 again.
 
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