Vicroads checking all imported cars

[brenx]

Originally Posted by BJ

Yes your right but your current one didn't come out with a power glide. Which in this argument should have an engineer's report. For two reason's one, it is not a factory Ford part or sourced from the Ford product line and second, it needs an adapter plate for it to fit. So you see there are all sort's of way they can get you.

Not really. As I use a ford c4 bellhousing. Anything that bolts up using the factory holes/mounting technically doesn't need a cert ;) Only thing they could question is the crossmember but technically it doesn't as it uses the factory bolt holes and mounting.

[SpoolMan]

If these cars are so bad, why did Vic Roads give them a set of number plates in the 1st place.
Or is this just a follow up check to make sure these cars are staying in compliance all of the time.

[Agent86]

Originally Posted by brenx

"..Only thing they could question is the crossmember but technically it doesn't as it uses the factory bolt holes and mounting."

If the X-member is fabricated, then they do have soemthing to get you on. any fabricated part is subject ot an engineers. unfortunatley.

[BJ]

Originally Posted by Maddnez

If the X-member is fabricated, then they do have something to get you on. any fabricated part is subject to an engineers. unfortunately.

That's correct.

[T_Terror]

Im sure Vicroads would have to bear part of the financial burden of getting these things to meet their stringent regulation.

They did approve it after all.

I dont see the need to conduct such a massive exercise for what would amount alot of not meeting red tape standards?

Few imports would be on the road today wihtout basic compliance mods eg. fuel filler neck, intrusion bars.
The cars with bigger than stock V8s or whatever would need to get engineered.

I dont see Vicroads calling in all hotrods, after all we all know how safe they are.

[Laminge]

Ahhh VicRoads and the EPA gotto love em!

[XA-Coupe]

Anyone that's done a trans swap, ie: what's on the compliance plate doesn't match the car.. could be in for a shock ! A GM trans in a Ford is going to get nailed no matter how it's done... assuming it gets noticed of course.
As BJ will be aware, there are plenty of ways to get a modified car no matter where it was built.

[XW Boy]

Yes all unsafe cars should be put off the road, but as all laws, lets just hope that they dont target every nice car going around. What's the go if they call you in and you say its in the shed with the motor and box out, and in a million pieces, and u say i cant get it down there?

I knew somone who imported a 300zx i think it was, and had to replace seatbelts, mirrors and heaps of lil stuff to comply, but he ended up selling it, because it was all to much of a hassle.

[brenx]

Originally Posted by Maddnez

If the X-member is fabricated, then they do have soemthing to get you on. any fabricated part is subject ot an engineers. unfortunatley.

Pretty much what I thought. It's not a big issue or hard to sort. Just have to find the time. Spare times something I don't have a lot of.

[BJ]

Originally Posted by T_Terror

I dont see Vicroads calling in all hotrods, after all we all know how safe they are.

Well they are bring them in.

[brenx]

Originally Posted by XA-Coupe

Anyone that's done a trans swap, ie: what's on the compliance plate doesn't match the car.. could be in for a shock ! A GM trans in a Ford is going to get nailed no matter how it's done... assuming it gets noticed of course.
As BJ will be aware, there are plenty of ways to get a modified car no matter where it was built.

Anyone in a modified car can get done. If I remember correctly? By law a 10% increase in power = engineers. Not much on our roads is 100% legal for whatever reason.

[Woz]

An engineer is an engineer for one reason. He or she knows what's safe and what's not. I'll be very interested to see how many supposed "know alls" attempt to argue that their vehicle is compliant for this reason or that and actually come out on top.

I don't doubt that there's a lot of people on these forums, as well as out on the roads, that have an incredible knowledge and understanding of cars - their own included. But at the same time, knowing that you're confident in your cars ability to hold together after the various mods and whatnot that you've thrown at it doesn't make it safe or legal.

I don't know what exactly is required to become a certified engineer, but I'd say there'd be a book or two you'd have to read that'd probably give an understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of various structual shaping and bolt patterns in order to determine exactly how safe various bits and pieces (for example, in Brenx's case, the shaping of a crossmember) really are. You can bolt a lump of steel to the wall of your garage and rest a stubbie on it and it's not going to be bothered by that. You throw that same lump of steel under your car to hold your gearbox up and then launch it at the track. If it's not done right it could twist, bend, tear or anything. Regardless of exactly what it does, if there's any change in it, it could become a safety issue.

If you don't have the ticket then you shouldn't be arguing about what's safe and what's not. It doesn't matter how much you think you know.

I cook a mean mushroom sauce to go with my steak. That doesn't make me a chef.

Be careful, guys. As confident as you might be, it'll either be done right or it won't. I know a few rough pricks and it'd actually ease me a bit to know that a few of the heaps they get around in and dodgy up without a care are a step closer to being taken off the road.

It's about time something like this happened.

Now, I'm off to kidnap me an engineer. :jab:

[OLDFORDNUT]

please remember it does not matter how safe a car is ,if the rego dept of any state go by the letter in their books then anyone with a non standard car is in trouble, not fair in a lot of cases but nothing you can do about it . we have been more like a dictatorship in Australia for the last few years with new rules and regulations that you would think did not apply to you but no one is safe from government officials nowadays.
I agree with getting bombs off the road but unfortuneatly we are seeing these things escalate to someones interpretation of the rules whether they make sense or not.

[Woz]

Alright, so it's not just safety. But if the work is done properly then it won't be hard to get it legal. It might cost more and take longer, but it can either be done right or not at all. It still comes down to being legal. And if the car's not legal, get it off the road.

I'm only a young bloke but even I can see that.

[EXECJIM]

Originally Posted by BJ

Alright i guess you good people should now by now. I work in that department of Vic Roads, have done for over 3 years now. I work nights with a Vic Road's task force that target both street racing and import cars. I can tell you this, everyone of those import cars will be checked and will be put off the road untill the comply. The unfortunate side affect is that it will also come across to early model modified cars as well.

I guess the only way we can have our "stroker engine's" and other "mods" and be 100 percent legal is get a job at Vic roads

[Woz]

Originally Posted by EXECJIM

I guess the only way we can have our "stroker engine's" and other "mods" and be 100 percent legal is get a job at Vic roads

Or have them done right and engineered.

[BJ]

Originally Posted by EXECJIM

I guess the only way we can have our "stroker engine's" and other "mods" and be 100 percent legal is get a job at Vic roads

So what you are saying Jim is that because i am in this area i get under the radar? It might pay you to no i no longer have my stroker it is no longer a 387 it is a 351. It has nothing to do with the current topic it was done just after the XC was written of. It is comment's like this that i have kept my mouth shut for so long. I will make no other comments on this subject unless it is through PM's. Thanks for all you feed back it has been very enlightening. Bj.

[EDManual]

well the easy way around that is to have Historic, Hot rod, or club rego. You of course cant drive your car as a daily driver.

Most cool cars are hardly driven anyway, and when they are, its just to go to meetings or get something fixed. You dont have to comply with anything with these regos, no emmision tests, nothing.

And if you have mates in another state or whatever with not so strict laws, just register it in your name to their address. Its all so simple.

[82XD393.3v]

Originally Posted by Outbackjack

These kind of draconian dictator laws are very disturbing. How long before they start to tax every car more than 5 yearsold off the road?? Just like in Japan....

i moved to VIC from N.S.W and think we are pretty lucky we don't have to get a road worthy every year as they do in N.S.W so its better to do this check on engineered cars and imports than making it law that you need to roadworthy every year

[OzJavelin]

BJ, you would be about the only VicRoads employee I've seen who knows anything about cars other than how to drive them and where the petrol goes in. I hope that these "shock and awe" inspections are being performed by certified engineers or at least qualified mechanics?

[edit: The rest below is NOT a direct comment to JB ]

I'm about to line up with my new imported Javelin for rego. I know VicRoads are cracking down on imports, club/historic/street-rod rego vehicles so mine is stock (that's why I buy cars like this .. they are stock V8s with visual bang-for-buck). Stock even down to the EGR valve, vent canister, etc. I'd be interested to see what transpires.

I've owned a number of early import type cars. My old '68 Impala SS coupe was a classic early import, converted by boxing the LHD steering box in the RH chassic rail. All in all pretty unsophisticated, with poor steering geometry. It never had a engineers report AFAIK. So would VicRoads crush that car even though it was first registered new as RHD in Australia in '68?

I think VicRoads needs to spend a bit more time setting it's own house in order. It needs to regulate RWC inspectors and engineers a LOT more to ensure it doesn't spend ИИИИИeloads of taxpayers money going backwards cleaning out defective vechicles that it's systems let thru in the first place ..

BTW: My old Telstra fleet car drove about for 9mths unregistered with no TAC paid 'cos the dealer stuck rego labels and plates on it from new and never paid/sent anything to VicRoads. Telstra picked it up when processing the renewals (it didn't appear). Nice to see VicRoads "processes" working well there to pickup that a set of numberplates was "missing" with no vechicle assigned to them in the system ..

[iCat]

A few years ago when I did my engine transplant I was looking for an engineer. There were names bandied around the traps who would engineer your car for a fee and 'overlook' certain requirements. I was warned to steer well clear of these engineers, as VicRoads was on to them and dragging their cars in bit by bit.

I'm guessing that VicRoads found it was the tip of the iceberg.

[OLDFORDNUT]

Hi BJ, i hope you did not think my comments were directed at you in person
i actually think the more owners of Hot cars that work for places like Vic Roads the better as hopefully there will be voices of reason in the office when others are heard nit picking on minor issues ( at least i hope you and others with real knowledge speak up)so the desk jockies dont be rediculouswhen inspecting a car or bike because they cant find something in the book, i think anything they find wrong should be checked for safety and let go if its not a bad thing,with a list of errors to fix like a normal RWC instead of crushing said vehicle

[EXECJIM]

Originally Posted by Woz

Or have them done right and engineered.

I couldnt agree more Woz!

But 1 thing that does worry me, is that there are alot of nice, well engineered and SAFE cars out there that would be considered "unroadworthy" only because of a cracked lens :

Who here on this forum has a cracked lens, chipped windscreen or maybe a drop of oil from the bottom of the car :

There is also another issue of the EPA :

Who went to the FPV day a few years ago and see alot of nice cars, meet other like minded enthusiests like us, and get EPA notices driving home just because you were at a Car event (or in some peoples eyes, a hoons event) :

I love going to car events when i get time, I just hate seeing and hearing about us car enthusiests getting pinged for everything because we are an easy target :jab:

Jim

[EXECJIM]

Originally Posted by BJ

So what you are saying Jim is that because i am in this area i get under the radar?

The thought had crossed my mind.

If you work for Vic roads and you drive/drove a 12 second XC, on club reg, what are we all supposed to think :lookedat:


Jim

ps, i do agree with Nicholas though, it would be good to see "genuine car enthusiests" working at Vic roads to do any sort of RWC inspecting :

[4Vman]

Guys, like it or not this initiative by Vic Roads is merely enforcing the laws and regs, nothing new is being introduced, over modified cars have allways been illegal and un roadworthy, its just that Vic Roads are going to make an effort to find them now.

[Falcon Coupe]

My understanding is BJ has been employed at Vicroads for the sole purpose of pointing out defects due to his being a qualified mechanic and having many years experiance in the custom car sence, he doesn't make the rules, just gets paid to do a job.

[Woz]

Originally Posted by Falcon Coupe

My understanding is BJ has been employed at Vicroads for the sole purpose of pointing out defects due to his being a qualified mechanic and having many years experiance in the custom car sence, he doesn't make the rules, just gets paid to do a job.

I'll add to this by saying that BJ had his XC in the shape it was in for many, many years before being employed by VicRoads. Aswell as many tough cars before that.

He got the job because he's into cars, he didn't get the cars because he's into VicRoads.

[GRNKPR]

who works for Vic roads have i missed something??????

[EXECJIM]

Originally Posted by Falcon Coupe

My understanding is BJ has been employed at Vicroads for the sole purpose of pointing out defects due to his being a qualified mechanic and having many years experiance in the custom car sence, he doesn't make the rules, just gets paid to do a job.

I do wish BJ luck in his new job.
We need more people like him that know cars and understand what goes into building/modifying a car.


I just hope he and others that work at Vic roads think about what "they have done to there own car" before they pick on other cars before "pinging" them :dr_Evil:


Jim

[OzJavelin]

Originally Posted by EXECJIM

I do wish BJ luck in his new job.
We need more people like him that know cars and understand what goes into building/modifying a car.

I agree entirely. The more technical people VR have on the payroll - and less pencil pushers - the better it will be for the enthusiasts IMHO ..
Rod.