I have an oppurtunity to move down to the Houston area, as my job is moving down there in Jan 2010. If i want to keep my current position, I have to relocate.

I'm really not sure what I'm gonna do yet but I have to make a decision by July 1st this year.

So I'm full of questions about the area. If I was to relocate, I'd have to bring my car down as I cant live without it. I'd need a place with a garage tho for sure, so depending on what happens, I hope to have it down there. If i cant get a garage, then oh well, no car i guess but we'll see.


Anyway, I just wanna get an idea of who on this board is in that area and what the racetracks/performance shops/etc are like in the area. What tracks are in the area?

Also and more importantly, what are the inspection requirements like? My car is not emissions compliant anymore and in my state of PA, i can keep it under 5000 miles a year and have it emissions exempt. If I was to move it to Texas, i'd like to know what i'd be facing as far as inspection goes because if this car dont pass, I'm not gonna change it to pass.

The car is now twin turbo'd and will have a 4" cowl hood to clear the intake manifold and the turbo housings will stick out the hood just a bit but not taller than the 4" cowl I'm sure. Its got 8pt roll bar and Scroth DOT legal 3pt racing harness in it. May not pass with those belts but i could get stockers to get it to pass.

Is there anything else I may need to know about cars and Texas? I'm sure i'll have more questions the more I think about it but any info on the Texas state requirements for vehicles/inspection/etc would be helpful.

Thanks guys n gals!

 

Texas has a stricter emissions regulation than PA. We basically have California's garbage rules down here. When you move down here, PM me about that...

We have 3 great tracks here:

Houston Raceway Park: in Baytown - 1/4 mile, all NHRA major events are held there, it's almost at sea level I think.

Lonestar Motorsports park: in Sealy - 1/4 mile

Houston Motorsports park: a little closer to us - nice 1/8 mile track.

We have a ton of TGO members down here and usually have a nice annual thirdgen show / BBQ. In fact this year's show is on July 25th.

Something to keep in mind when coming to Houston, is that Houston and it's surrounding suburbs are spread out pretty wide. We all probably drive alot more down here to goto different places than what you are used to up North (I used to live in Reading, PA).

If you PM me your Houston area work's physical address, I may be able to help you find a place that is decent without having a terrible commute to work.

Let me know if I can help,

Mike (1bad91Z)

 

Do you have any special exemptions like PA does for emissions, like my under 5K miles a year your exempt? Do you have any special collector car plates or something of that affect?

Thanks for the help so far

Our service shop is at 2001 W Sam Houston Pkwy N, Houston, TX‎

 

Collectors and Classic plates are still required to do emissions, there is basically no way around it. Houston, Dallas, and I think Austin to have the actual emissions testing, here in Waco, we don't yet.

I have a 1990 Mazda RX-7 TII that I drive with no inspection sticker here in Waco as a daily, Been about a month now that I've been working to get it in inspecting condition, and I haven't been stopped yet, but thats in Waco.

 

Forgot to add, there are tons of race shops here too!


Sending you a PM....

 

i know a good number of shops around me, all run by friends of mine and I would HATE to leave them behind. They have done alot for me in the past. But new ones are always good too

From the sounds of the emissions situation there is no way i could bring my car down there and have it pass. It possibly could pass sniffer tests depending on how strict it is but certainly not visual. I'd have to get another car to play with

 

Well if you find the right person that doesn't care about the law you can just get a sticker and not an inspection. My car may or may not have got a sticker without leaving my driveway. Another option is trying to get it done in a county not surrounding Harris County. I don't know how old you are (if you could pass for being in college) but my sister used to get hers done in Austin 'cause she went to school there.
Also some places are just more strict on enforcing the rules than others. I once went to a shop & the guy wouldn't even test my car because I had my open element on & the heat riser wasn't hooked up. & with my old Bronco, the 1st time I went to get it inspected after making it roadworthy it never came off the trailer & got a sticker.

 

the inspection issue will not be a problem. and if you need aplace to keep you 9 second car, i have extra room in my garage lol, of course i'd need the keys so i could move it if i um... needed to clean the garage floor...

 

Classic cars 25 and older only need a 12.50 safety inspection(you are olmost there), the shops around here are some of the best in the world, we have already the first cammed automatic 2010 camaro and the meets here are great.

You will be able to get a inspection if you find the right people(someone here will be able to help).

 

Don't forget...once you reach that 25 year mark, you can register as an antique:

$50.00 to register, good for 5 years
Only 1 plate
No inspection

 

Your buisness locale is on my side of the world.(As 1bad91z said,Houston is spread out). If you are looking for a home,I know a good real estate agent on the westside/ Houston/Katy area.

 

I got a long way before my car is 25! But that is a good option. Maybe find a older shell and swap in my stuff to keep it a 25 year old car but look like my 89 haha.

Thats the other thing, do you guys have 2 license plates??? i dont want a front one mounted blocking my intercooler!

 

I haven't run a front plate since I had the car. It only seems to be an issue if you are speeding and stopped by the police and they decide to add another citation. It's a chance you take.

 

Registering as an antique is the ONLY way you can run legally without a front plate.

But, as mentioned, unless they are just looking to give you a hard time, generally no one cares.

 

I think a MUCH easier approach would be to just pop the windshields out & rivet in the others VIN tag.. I drilled out the one off a camaro I took across the scales & still have the door too.. But they had to have the title so that didn't work out like I wanted it too.

 

As an Antique you can only use it to take to car shows, mass outings, showings, and short drives (less than 25 miles), and I think it has to accumulate less than 5000 miles a year.

Few more restrictions than normal.

However as said, its not impossible to get an inspection, knowing the right people can do a world of good. And the front license plate is a requirement in the state of Texas, generally nobody cares like said, but in certain counties certain cops like to be certain *******s (Beverly Hills), and write you up for no front plates and no insurance (I had insurance, his crappy computer said I didn't). So as said, its what YOU want to do.

As such, if you get a ticket for no inspection, its either gonna be a fix it and show a judge ticket, or a pay a small fine (usually $50?) and get one ticket. Either way, its get an inspection.

For the front plate, get 3 or 4 suction cups, and some alcohol swabs, and put it in your upper-passenger side windshield. Did this on my RX-7 and hasn't come off yet. And its legal in TX to do that.

 

Yep, all my rides have the plate in the lower corner of the windshield.

 

Oh thats cool, i could easily mount it on the windsheild, i wouldnt mind that.

I may come down to houston for a week or so just to check things out. My boss was pushing for me to visit before july anyway to see if i like the area. May have to come down and meet some of you and you can show me around

Couple of positions opened up elsewhere in the company that i'm also looking into so I may not move to houston. We'll see

 

For the front plate, get 3 or 4 suction cups, and some alcohol swabs, and put it in your upper-passenger side windshield. Did this on my RX-7 and hasn't come off yet. And its legal in TX to do that.

is that really legal in Tx. bcuz i been thinking of getting a billet grille but didnt want to risk getting that ticket.

 

So my boss called and wants me to schedule a 2 week trip down there starting June 15 or so and going to June 26. I didnt want to do this at this time period, as i'm trying to get my car done by end of June but that may be put aside. Also i'd rather just go for a week since I should be able to get a taste for the area in a weeks time. I'll have to talk to him again to see what I'll end up doing.

If i do go down there, anyone want to meet up and show me alittle of the area and such?

 

Depends where and when, i wouldnt mind meeting a TGO member, show you some of the area, Houston is HUGE and if you like driving, this is the place.

 

i'm on the south side of town by nasa/kemah, what part of town do you need to see? houston is BIG, its an 1.5 hours from my house to zones w/ no traffic

 

anywhere would be fine, i'd like to see the west side of houston, like the Katy area since I'd probly want to live in that area because its close to my work office location

 

Not with me driving

 

haha well not me either , but at anywhere close to the speed limit it takes a good while

 

Well Technically yeah but a lot of people run without and don't get bothered about it. You can just lay it on your dash if you want.

 

With no traffic and crusing 70 mph it takes an hour to drive accross Houston maybe a little more. It is the third largest city in the US and it is not compacted like NY or Chicago, Houston is like LA. So really you want to live as close to work as possible. Now here is the good news. Houses are cheap as dirt here as is the cost of living and the economy is going guns compared to everywhere else. I hesitate to mention these facts since everytime the economy goes in the crapper we get inundated with out of work rustbelters, most of whom are cool but some come from NYC and are really annoying.

 

I may be out of town during the time you are going to be here. In case I am still in town,PM me your phone# and I'll contact you during that time period and can show you around. I have lived in Katy the past 15 years. Nice area,good school district,lots of subdivisions. Taxes a bit steep,but services much better than in the Houston city limits. I-10 renewel has helped cut time off commutes. Overall, a decent place to live,I have had no complaints. Larry

 

Any other suggestions on places to live that is more west side of Houston?

I may not be going down afterall since I have stuff to do that came in this week and it would benefit me to be here in PA instead of down at the Houston shop. Not sure yet, i may cut the trip down to a week, i gotta decide soon tho but i'm the worst with decisions

 

Ok they made an offer today for the relocation package and pay rate boost. It does look very nice, may try to negotiate more but it does look promising. I am considering the move now more than before.

IF it were possible to bring this car down and get it to pass an inspection without emissions I could do that. However its obvious this car is modded, the turbos will stick out the hood and be visible. That sight alone will get me in trouble I'm sure.

Its not the end of the world tho, as I may beable to start another project car and keep this car in PA. That sucks but atleast I could start another project. Maybe shoot for a 25 year old car and classic plates. I got an idea for a nasty LSx motor build I want to try.

From my hours of research on the TxDOT websites and similar, it appears that classics need an inspection but i dont recall it being clear that they are emissions exempt from both visual and functional tests. Can you guys confirm that? I see Zone89Rs states only a safety inspection

 

Regardless of registration type, any car that is at least 25 years old is exempt from emissions (sniffer/dyno) testing. I THINK most are still supposed to pass a visual inspection.


The only registration type which is exempt from any/all inspection is "antique".

 

Not all of the areas around Houston need the emissions testing. Liberty county (NE of Houston) doesn't have it. I'm not familiar enough with West Houston area to know if there are similar counties.

Welcome to TX! You may never want to go back

 

Yeah I noticed it says only a few counties are involved in an emissions test. But theres only a few and there are alot of counties so does that mean other counties are not required to have the testing?

 

Yes.

 

Well i signed my offer today.... I'm officially gonna be a Houston member Provided nothing changes in the next 6 months however. Out of 3 guys asked to move, i'm the only 1 moving. If they decide to keep me in PA, then i'll stay but it seems to me I'll be in texas Jan 1 2010

 

come on down. im sure we can get it inspected for you.

 

either way I will have a thirdgen down there. Just may give me an oppurtunity to play with a 305 trans am or something that I always wanted