Love this car

[sd427]

We lived in Playa del Rey at the time (it's at the beach near LAX, for those not familiar) and received black and yellow plates with "FYJ."

In Hawthorne, also near LAX, the three cars my parents owned in 1963 were issued GHT 460, 461, and 462.

[Rodster-500]

Agree. It just says "Drive Me".

I have a similar 65 A Code Coupe, a bit rougher but that is the plan...

Thanks for posting, I would just leave it as it is, maybe a mechanical refresh of engine internals.

Me too....my plans for my 65 Coupe.

Isn't that Stacey Keach, who was Sgt. Stedenko in Cheech & Chong's Up in Smoke    ?

Class......classssss......classsssssssssss

[98SVT - was 06GT]

The black-and-yellow CA plate's letter sequence is typically more correct for a later car than a '66.  Unless it wasn't first sold until early 1967.

My 66 delivered in February had SRL 393. My sisters 68 GT/CS she bought new in April 69 was ZAZ 235. Letter sequences can be all over the map. They were sent to DMV offices in batches and some ran through them faster than others. The black plate replaced the yellow ones and everyone had to take their plates to DMV and swap them for the new ones. Which is why after only 3 years they were already getting to T. Once they ran through all of them in 1969 the reversed the letters and numbers 123 SAM and started over. When those got done the finally added another number 1 SAM 123.

The confusion for many sellers claiming an "original black and yellow" plate on a car they've not owned since new, is that (as mentioned above) cars that came into CA as used cars would get the latest plate-alphabetical available. 

One minor correction to your recollection:  The 1956 yellow/black plates did not necessarily have to be turned in to the DMV in order to get the 1963 series.  Neither of my parents' cars at the time had their '56 plates turned in. I know because I put them on my Schwinn.    We lived in Playa del Rey at the time (it's at the beach near LAX, for those not familiar) and received black and yellow plates with "FYJ."

Another way to tell if old black plates were added later is DMV charges the basic personalized rate for them. My 59 Stude still has it's black replacement plates it got in 63 so no added fee. We were in West Covina our plates were JEP. Cleaning out to move shortly I came across about 40 of those little CA if lost drop in the mail box plates some companies sent you to put on your key ring. I kept the original plates for my Hertz car by telling them they had been  lost/stolen when I picked up the personalized ones.