So I live in a typical Southern California suburb (yeah I know it sucks). My dad and I love working on project cars. We have about 5 IH Scout II's that we are playing around with and have an ultimate goal of making one really nice capable 4 wheeler.

Anyway, we have a couple on the side yard and two in the driveway (We have a corner house so we have a bigger lot). We are always working on them and I recently took a weekend off school to head home to help him for a bit. We put one of the scouts on a trailer hooked it up to the Excursion and parked it on the street right in front of my house. Had a couple fenders and parts on the street right behind it to get out of the way. Maybe 15 minutes later a volunteer police car pulls up and writes us a ticket for having a radiator, 2 fenders and an alternator on the street!!! So we spend a minute putting them on the grass in the front yard.

We get back to work in the garage then we hear "anybody home?" we walk out and its out neighbor who lives 6 houses up the street. He asked us if the police came by to talk to us about "our crap" on the street. I reply "yeah". Then the smart *** looks at my dad and say "you should control your son and the way he speaks". My dad laughed and walked away. I was pissed cause this D Bag has no right saying this. I am 20 years old 6 foot tall and 230 pounds and I wanted to beat the living crap out of him. But I look up to my dad and did what he did and I smiled and walked away. As I am walking back to the side yard he yells "It will happen every time you put your crap on the street" WTF!?!?!?!?! What crawled up this dudes butt? Seriously!!!!!

Anyway I just wanted to vent this off. Does this happen to anybody else??

 

WTF? 6 houses up? I know its a pain in the butt to have a house in the hood with crap all around it but 6 houses up? Especially because your not leaving it in the street you only had the stuff there temporairily. Then he's got the cojones to walk on your property with that attitude?

Not on my watch.

 

does he drive a Prius?

 

You should clean out your garage and yard sometime, and while doing it, park your project cars all along the road going down to his house because you dont have the room while you are cleaning.

 

I would just put random stuff at the farthest possible point of your property that he couldn't complain but it would still bother him. But I'm a *****.

 

You next time you do this, take every single part that would normally be in the street, and just lay it right before the curb/on the curb.

 

Go to the junk yard and get a bunch of random body panels and come back and build a fence around your property with them.

 

Your neighbor sounds like he is wound pretty tight, but many communities have rules about working on your car on the street, parking on the lawn, etc... Not just in California, either.

Most people are not gearheads. They pay a lot of money for their house and they don't want to feel like they live next door to a junkyard or repair shop.

So they create rules and regulations to protect the beauty of the neighborhood. Your neighbor probably has the law on his side.

Check into your laws and find out what is legal and what is not. If it is unacceptable, your choices are to get the law changed, pay the fines every time you get cited or move.

 

I know in California, a vehicle may NOT be on the street without current registration. You can't park a non-op in the street. However, you can put whatever you want on the trailer in the street...........as long as the trailer is registered and it's moved at least every 72 hours.

 

Here, inside the City limits, all cars visible from the street must have all four tires inflated and current registration.

 

It was that way in the Chicago suburb I used to live in - unless it's under a cover.

 

[QUOTE=: "It will happen every time you put your crap on the street" WTF!?!?!?!?! What crawled up this dudes butt? Seriously!!!!!

Anyway I just wanted to vent this off. Does this happen to anybody else??[/QUOTE]

Uh huh.......sounds like it's time to fill a bag o crap, set it on his porch, light it and ring the bell.... but you didn't hear it from me

 

This is the reason I live in a neighborhood that has "covenants" or restrictions. Noone can leave cars up on blocks, build crappy metal buildings, leave their yard looking like a jungle, park vehicles on the street etc.

If there are restrictions in your neighborhood that state you can't have unsitely or broke down vehicles visible then I understand where the guy is coming from. 6 houses down is not far away. If he wants to sell his house or one of your closer neighbors wants to sell then potential buyers might not like "project" vehicles being visible. Many people feel this detracts from the value of the area.

Not taking up for the guy, but he may have a valid point. If you got a ticket for leaving the trucks or parts out on the road then it sounds like your city has a "junker" car law like others have spoken of.

 

Yep. Unfortunately, this love of project cars leads to your property looking like a junkyard. Move to a rural area, rent a garage in an industrial park, or do what has to be done to hide your hobby if you are going to live where you live and pursue your hobby at home. I think you are fortunate not getting cited for having 4 of these things in the driveway and yard.

 

Interesting that he had to come down and let you know he was the one that called the police. If he wanted to be descent about it, he would have came down and asked if you were planning on leaving your car in the street or if it was a temporary thing. You definitely know where he is coming from.