LANSING – It’s not uncommon for car enthusiasts to have an old car stashed away in their garage, just waiting to be fixed up.

But many times these cars will be rebuilt using many different parts from different cars. In addition, the owners often don’t have a registration for the car.

Under a proposal by Rep. Joel Sheltrown, D- West Branch, people who restore old cars would be able to register their vehicles under the year they were originally built.

However, the proposal is a confusing one.

According to Rep. Mark Meadows, D-East Lansing, the bill is designed to allow people who restore old cars to get special registrations and license plates for their vehicle.

Under the proposal, a “custom vehicle” is a customized vehicle made at least 25 years ago, but not before 1949, and a “street rod” is a customized car built before 1949.

To register such a vehicle, an owner would pay a one-time fee of $100, guarantee that the vehicle will be driven only occasionally and prove that the automobile passed a sufficient safety inspection.

Sgt. Matt Bolger of the State Police said even though most car enthusiasts don’t drive their cars often, it would still be hard to gauge whether they are driving only occasionally.

“It gets kind of hard to enforce,” he said.

However, Meadows said there are many laws like that.

“There are a million laws that we put in there because they are good ideas, but they are not the most enforceable laws,” he said.

Richard Forton, chair of Autorama in St. Clair Shores, supports the proposal.

Autorama is an annual custom car and hot rod show hosted by the Michigan Hot Rod Association.

Forton, who owns a 1926 Ford roadster and a 1962 Chevrolet convertible, has been building hot rods since 1953 and enjoys taking them out on the road.

“Sometimes I like to drive along the lake in the summer,” he said.

Although many older cars are not required to use certain safety equipment, Forton said he uses safety components such as turn indicators and brake lights to make other drivers aware of him.

The proposal also would exempt such vehicles from emission standards and would allow them to have “blue dot” taillights. These taillights are brake indicators that have a small purple or blue center. Currently, state law allows only red, clear or amber lights.

Forton said “blue dot” taillights make the car look more authentic. “We just like the way they look when applied.”

Bolger said the State Police opposes letting private individuals such taillights because only police vehicles have them, and putting them on other cars would confuse people.

As far as emission standards go, Forton said many cars use newer engines and others are rebuilt and tuned up to run more efficiently.

“The problem is when these older cars are not maintained,” continued Forton. “Those are the ones that pollute.”

But the proposal is confusing when reading a nonpartisan legislative analysis regarding safety features.

“Seat belts would not be required in a newly-assembled kit car built to resemble a car at least 25 years old unless a seat belt was required by Michigan law in the year the car being copied was built,” it says.

That analysis makes it seem like newly built cars that are replicas of older ones would be held to the same safety standards as the copied car, but Bolger strongly disagrees with that interpretation.

The bill’s other sponsors include Reps. Terry Brown, D-Pigeon, Howard Walker, R-Traverse City, Steven Lindberg, D-Marquette, and Bert Johnson, D-Highland Park.

The bill is pending in the House Tourism, Outdoor Recreation and Natural Resources Committee.