Your car has to running before you can register it. Get a temp registration from DMV, Highway Patrol has to give you a vin number, a state smog test station has to test your car and then issue an exemption and you need a Brake and Lamp certification,have insurance in place. All must be done by the end of the year and then you need a sympathetic DMV person(mine was on the phone to Sacramento at 8:00 am on jan 2 2005). I received cert #6, they were all gone by the end of jan 3rd.
Good luck and may the Force be with you!