info for import of cars & ADRs

[Steve]

Always comes down to an owners perception of what they want in a car
I have club rego and it is in NO WAY restrictive .can i use it every day to go to work NO and i would NOT want to

I can have my car left  hand drive with USA seat belts ,red turn signals etcetcetc, personally i want my car to be as it left the factory and the only way i can do that is club rego ,also club rego means your car does NOT have to meet or pass ANY ADR,s ),

The cost of club rego is a bonus as in all honesty i rarely have time to use my car as something comes up most weekends HOWEVER its there when i have time

Owners of 30 year old cars that do not make use of club rego are mad in  my opinion ,This club has a minimum of 1 run per week HOW is that restrictive ????also there are other clubs that have runs that you are allowed to go to ! If there is a particular place you want to go .......I am sure that you can organise a run for the club to go to (on short notice even through the forums ,as has been done in the past  )

Yes some clubs see club rego as an old boys club ,it appears that is the reason many choose not to take the opportunity to make the system work without even consulting the club registrar to see what the rules actually are .

From my understanding some of the older clubs are more anal about club rego than some of the newer clubs

[bonnevista]

you need an engineers report for any import built after aug 72 to get full rego!!!!

I'm questioning what has to be engineered, if it's not converted and nothing been modified ?
Ask them what the engineer has to pass ?????
I can see the point with bicycle chain RHD conversions done in the backyard (some are friggin dangerous)
but for a LHD car that left the factory that way ? What's he going to inspect ?
Do you see my point ?

He's going to inspect that (apart from being LHD) it has the same things Aussie cars had on them in the same year of manufacture.

I just scraped in.  I got it blue slipped and regoed the same day I took delivery of it from W.A.

I'm still looking forward to see one of those bicycle chain conversions.

[Steve]

I'm still looking forward to see one of those bicycle chain conversions.

My old 3rd gen Camaro was a chain conversion ,i had several friends from the USA drive my car over the years and every comment was "it drives just like my car in the USA " .........how many people have spent tens of thousands of dollars over the years correcting so called "proper " conversions ???
i have said it before on another forum
i have seen "proper" conversions that look like they have been converted by someone who has just drank 2 bottles of bourbon !
I have also seen some of the cars that have been wrecked out in Aus that have been converted "properly") the rust issues in some of  the hidden areas are disgusting !
Unless you are able to actually convert a car yourself you are really in between a rock and a hard place as converters  were/are only in it to make money ,therefore will buy  the cheapest cars that they can (from the usa /japan )and cut any corner that they can to make more dollars out of each conversion ! an example is a converter (Amaroo park locationno longer in business 4th gen f bodies) bought all of his cars in from japan as wrecks and re built them in aus and onsold them to unsuspecting buyers !


Mustangs may be a slightly different issue as i believe they are just left hand drive falcons therefore the conversion parts were already made here by ford australia
converting a car from lhd to rhd is NOT a simple operation GM and every other manufacturer spent millions designing the steering components and suspension angles .............do you in all honesty think that any converter does steering correctly ? would most converters research steering or just cut and re weld in a "hope for the best "approach !
chain conversion leave all oem manufacturers structural parts in their correct location !

[anychevy]

He's going to inspect that (apart from being LHD) it has the same things Aussie cars had on them in the same year of manufacture.

Isn't that the job of the guy issuing the blue slip ?
Why a Mechanical engineer and the $300 that goes with it ?
I don't get it, nothing has been re engineered !!!!!!
Another government rip off !!!

[bonnevista]

I'm still looking forward to see one of those bicycle chain conversions.

My old 3rd gen Camaro was a chain conversion ,i had several friends from the USA drive my car over the years and every comment was "it drives just like my car in the USA " .........how many people have spent tens of thousands of dollars over the years correcting so called "proper " conversions ???
i have said it before on another forum
i have seen "proper" conversions that look like they have been converted by someone who has just drank 2 bottles of bourbon !
chain conversion leave all oem manufacturers structural parts in their correct location !

Steve, I'm with you on the 'enclosed chain' style of conversion.  Even thought the steering wheel is on the right, the car is still LHD as the steering is untouched.  I drove a '75 Grand Ville in S.A. that had the (proper) chain conversion, and it drove great.  

The comment I made was regarding the 'urban myth' of conversions done with a bicycle chain and a couple of sprockets, exposed to the under dash wiring.  I've always heard stories about fully registered cars with bike chain conversions, but I've never actually seen one.  

The truth is out there.

[bonnevista]

[
I'd be lucky to drive my car twice a month, so paying a grand a year for full rego just isn't worth it to me.
I wish I could drive it to work, but I'd be broke in 3 months.
Cheers

With respect, considering what you'd have to pay to buy a big block, manual trans '70 Chevelle, I would have thought petrol would be the cheapest thing you'd put in it.

[Bumblebee]

He's going to inspect that (apart from being LHD) it has the same things Aussie cars had on them in the same year of manufacture.

Isn't that the job of the guy issuing the blue slip ?
Why a Mechanical engineer and the $300 that goes with it ?
I don't get it, nothing has been re engineered !!!!!!
Another government rip off !!!

Not sure where you get $300 from?  I just had my car "engineered" and it was considered cheap at $600, many say expect $1,200, then the blue slip fee of $60 (when you have an adjustment of records like I did).

At least the guy who did mine (Consulmotive at Mortdale) was fantastic, but you'd expect that , he's building a street rod for himself in his workshop.  I spoke to a couple of others first and they scared the cr@p out of me (timing window wipers, gas output readings etc etc etc)!

BTW, I probably needed to do it, because of the engine change, power RRS rack, wheels etc.

[bonnevista]

Although this story is going back to the '80's, I remember talking to a guy from the N.T. who had a modified car and had to get it engineered.
At the time, you could go to an engineer that worked for their RTA to have the changes looked at and approved.  The cost - $40.

[anychevy]

With respect, considering what you'd have to pay to buy a big block, manual trans '70 Chevelle, I would have thought petrol would be the cheapest thing you'd put in it.

Your probably right, half a tank ($50) gets me to harry''s and back.
I wish I had more time to use it, but the wife fills the weekends up months in advance :mad:
It's a garage decoration most of the time.

[anychevy]

BTW, I probably needed to do it, because of the engine change, power RRS rack, wheels etc.

It's been converted right ? So the an automotive engineer would need to inspect the work, I can understand that.
But I though we were talking about a 30 + year old stock LHD suburban ? Or am I reading this thread all wrong ?
Again, an engineers report on what ?
$300 ? yeah that was along time ago, I guess things have changed  LOL