Technical Tips > Importing - Cars & Parts. Also RMS (RTA) Regs

Buying a newly-imported C3?

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bootlegger:
I bought my Vette off a guy in QLD unregistered. It had never been fully registered in Australia. I went up and looked at it paid the money and drove it back to Sydney (with no plates on it). When I got home I took it to the local service station for a blue slip just like any other car and got it registered, No problems. The only thing I had trouble with was the restamped engine number. I had to get it inspected by the RTA inspectors which was just a formality.


I agree with everyone else re buying a project. It will always be cheaper to buy one done especially if you cant do all the work yourself. Just make sure its done right.

nifty:
be wary of buying a car from another state.
not so much a stock vette, but a modified car may be a differnt story.
hot rods have a problem like that.
18mths ago, a mate bought a 34 chev truck from sydney.
it runs a supercharged 350 and cost him 98 grand.
as yet it STILL remains unregisted in south oz...
the reason?
 the car was bought not as a fully registered car, but as a nsw registered HOTROD.
it ran hotrod plates...whcih is a lot sifferent to regular rego.
the car was fully engineered, but that was 5 yrs ago...the s.a. engineer wont recognise the previous engineers report, as it has different requirements to s.a.
he has thown close to 20 grand extra at the car, and its still not good enough..
e had to have a dyno printout, or the rear wheel horsepower...
so on the dyno it went.
he was asked what was needed..."oh...about 350 at the back wheels is good...try not to go much more though"
so here is the video of 350hp at the wheels...check the revs out... it didnt even make 4000rpm, and was still pulling strong...oops.
that was passed as being the horsepower.
lane change test...
this thing is a truck, its better built than 95% of normal street cars, has all the safety equipment, including BIG brakes...
yet the lane change test involves driving at a determined speed, and simulating a child running on the road...
you have to change lanes at speed...
to do this where i live, he has to rent the airport runway, pay for the engineer to come from adelaide,and then pay for the test... brakes tests were fine, but the lane change with the big rear wheels, and the small fronts isnt doing it much good.
the delema?
 to get it passed legally, it will need to be stripped down to a chassis, and rebuilt to s.a. rules.
another mate bought a fully registered 34 chev hot rod from qld... he got the police check and it was rego the same day.
heres the video...best played loud... not many revs there thats for sure.

bootlegger:
Its weird how the system works. Ive also got a 67 SS 396 Impala coupe it was imported and converted new in 67.

I have had the car for 21 years with no problems. Last year i took it for a pink slip and the rego guy (who happens to be an engineer) said dont ever let it run out of rego because the conversion wouldnt pass for an engineers report.

Whats crazy is every year  he passes it as roadworthy. Its been on the road for 42 years. If the conversion was no good it would have broken by now. Maybe he is being picky.
 

nifty:
ahhh the wonderful rego department.
workmate has the very old black and white  number plate...
now this is worth money...but he wont sell it.

S.A. 32
 its the 32nd vehicle ever registered in s.a., and belongs to all things, a horse float.
the float is in a national trust museum, but he keeps the rego on it even though it hasnt been on the road for 50 plus years...
IF he ever lets it lapse, they will take the plate off of him, then they will re issue it for an inflated price.
.

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