The bureacratic challenges of Registration

It has been some time since my last update to this endless project. So much has happened that I do not know where to begin. The effort to pass California's stringent smog emissions took weeks. Furthermore, many of the items that I had assumed would be functional began to make their presence known further complicating the emissions process.

After much time and expense, I can say I've reached the milestone of road worthiness.

In my last post, The Endless Corrado was dropped off at my mechanics for a final shakedown and to tune it. What I had not anticipated was how far I truly was from actually passing. As mentioned earlier, the OX and CO were within CA standards for clean operation but the NOX portion was above the accepted 600 ppm. During my last emissions test, the NOX standard was easily achieved with the bar set at 800ppm. But CA's evolving emissions standards lowered the threshold making it more of a challenge for this car to pass. After two Catalytic converters, resetting timing, restoration of the OEM ECU, replacement of the O2 sensor, and a host of other modifications, I was finally able to pass. Albeit, the car ran like crap afterwards--but it passed. The timing was so far retard, that I had trouble accelerating to freeway speeds just to get to the smog test station! The results would be passed electronically to the CA DMV where my prepaid registration was awaiting. Until then I was issued a temporary operational permit.

To pass the smog test was a huge step. I was thrilled that after so many years, the Corrado was now street legal. I waited several more weeks for the tags to arrive in the mail. That did not happen. I was now very near the of expiration date of my temporary permit and still no tags. I inquired with my local AAA office because I did not see my automobile's registration status on the CA DMV website. It was then I was told that I had to come into the office where I had paid my registration fees. Unlike the DMV's online registration, I had paid in cash at my local AAA office.

To my dismay, when I finally made my way into the office, I was informed that the fees I had paid were now within 30 days of expiration. They could not issue tags which would expire in less than a month. Unfortunately, AAA only deals with cash or check and as luck would have it, I had neither at the time. Looking back, I think I would have delayed paying the registration fee because I ended up paying for the privilege of a temporary permit for 60 days at the full price of an annual registration.

I returned the following week with the cash. I was issued a set of 2013 tags and a new registration. I found it amusing that the last valid registration was in 2003. The Endless Corrado project had taken ten years to reach this point!

I still have a number of tasks that have to be addressed. There are a lot of unexpected repairs that are recalling the "endless" namesake of this project. I've been driving the car on numerous short trips slowly increasing the distances until I've gained confidence in its reliability. i've recovered some of the power and torque lost while tuning for smog but with each tweak, it is slowly regaining that responsiveness that I remember so fondly of the PG motor. For now, the corrado is alive and well on public roads.

I will try to document the numerous tasks that I've had to overcome since my last post. The challenges I faced may help other corrado owners who may face the same challenges. With occasional forays onto Southern California roadways,  I am now nearing the recommended 500 mile break-in period. It is time to begin sport tuning the Endless Corrado project car.