@64Imperial -- based on my own experience, following the suggestions of
@bronze turbine ,
@CBODY67 , and
@Imperial dude should solve your problem.
Do you have any relatives in a less complicated state? I’ve known others to register the car with a family member’s address in less complicated states that are friendly to classic cars.
I am not sure how driving locally with a plate from another state would solve the OP's original problem (which is that the local constabulary has been cracking down on "inappropriate" registrations). Besides, if ownership and registration do not match (i.e., reality differs from statements), good luck in case of (God forbid) an accident -- regardless of whose fault it is.
Ask around at car shows and cruise-ins and see where other people are taking their cars.
When I went to register my "new" 65 Dodge here in Ohio, the lady who was checking the numbers couldn't find the VIN (looking thru the windshield). I explained that it was on the inner door post, and she refused to even look! She stated: "the regulations say that the VIN must be visible by looking thru the windshield". She had me take it to the State Police. The officer completed the paperwork (reluctantly) - he was okay with the VIN riveted to the door post - but was highly concerned that the first two digits were stamped IN to the tag, and the remainder of the digits were stamped OUT. He said that the tag looked like it was "altered". I explained that ALL of the 65 Chrysler VINs were stamped that way - don't know if he believed me, but he signed off on it, and I was outta there, before he changed his mind . . .
In the same vein, not all DOT or SoS offices are run the same way. When I moved to my current state, I was told by locals that the "big city" title & registration desks were a pain to deal with, but that a small town 20 minutes away had no-nonsense, competent employees who actually provide service. I went there from the get go, and am glad I did.
This said, even in a well-run office, I would not expect all employees to be equally knowledgeable on all topics. For example, I found out that one employee at the small-town office I just mentioned was particularly versed in older vehicles. While she is tough as nails, she indeed knows her stuff -- and, since the office works like clockwork and has employees who get along and work well together, the other employees have no misplaced pride and steer me her way when she knows more than they do.
In all cases, one should be prepared (that is key) ahead of time: have one's stories straight, any document one might need lined up, and have a good cup of coffee. Then, on the spot, be nice (as
@MrMoparCHP pointed out, it is not the employees' job to certify unsafe vehicles for road service), polite (without being obsequious -- if the employees are any good, sucking up will almost surely backfire), and patient (put oneself in their shoes), and one should be good to go. As the OP's experience shows, though, the conditional is the correct tense: one may still be unlucky.
