License plate
This is the first time the car has actually been registered to be driven on the road since it was acquired for the build in 2010. Here is some text from the online listing of the original car with the matching VIN:
A California resident all its life, it was owned for more than 40 years by a hop-up enthusiast from the San Joaquin Valley, a hotbed of rodding, and only recently put up for sale due to the owner's advancing age. Its current state of evolution dates back to 1969, and very few parts of this car are of newer vintage. Though not driven regularly for many years, the Ford was started frequently and the tags kept current until 2003. All we had to do after receiving this unique survivor was cleaning the fuel system, installing a fresh battery and a new condenser, and she purred like a kitten once again! We sold this Ford in October 2010 to a customer in Omaha, Nebraska.
This is the exact car that was modified to become the Wicked Shoebox - notice the 1951 license plate. A second green car was used for additional parts
Up through 1950, California license plates were various sizes and color combinations. In 1951, the plates were black background with yellow lettering, and they were 13-7/8” x 6-1/8” with rounded corners. The year, 1951, was stamped into the plate. For 1952-1955, a steel tab with the specific year was added to cover the “51”. In 1956 the size was changed to 12” x 6” with squared off corners, and it has stayed that size through to today. See the comparison below with a recent plate.
When the trunk was reshaped to house the license plate, it was done with the correct 1951 sized plate. As seen in most pictures, there was a nice Wicked Fabrication license plate made for use at all of the car shows. Of course, I can’t use that when driving on the road, so I was able to hunt down a set of original restored 1951 license plates. I did ask the builder if they still had the original plates from the car when it was red, but they are long gone. So I purchased these restored plates here: Old Plate Guy.
