I just read an interesting article in the latest issue of the V-8 Times magazine. I can not believe the hoop's one must jump thru to register and drive an antique car in Australia. Between the fee's, inspections, paperwork, restrictions, club requirements etc. I don't know if I would go thru it all. I know from time to time we have people from Australia on this site, so it would be interesting hearing from them.
It’s not easy. For my avatar, i wanted to replace the I6 with a 327. Anything over 20% power increase needs certifying. Engage an engineer, initial discussion $500. Engineer limited by original car weight… I can have 340ci but nothing larger. About 250ci limit if I want to supercharge. Rules are lengthy (hundreds of pages in the National Code of Practice) but VERY subject to interpretation by each engineer. Some mandatory stuff regardless of how wild my change is - 3-speed wipers, demister, collapsible column, seatbelts… Engineer also has own views (e.g must have ventilated front disk brakes). Second inspection around $3000 and finish of any of the engineers requests. Road test including brake testing (e.g bleed off front brakes, check rear circuits still stop car in line with rules). Noise test. Annual government inspection (smog rules in place but no test) and mandatory insurance around $1500 per year. If I move interstate, the whole process starts again as each state does not recognise its neighbours certification or registration. cheers, Harv
New Zealand has similar, possibly larger or different hoops, to clamber through. If you could jump through them, we would be happy ! registration of an import may be simpler, but if modified there are different rules again. New builds are also getting more complicated as the rules continue to evolve. If you want an indication, read this…….500 plus pages….. https://www.lvvta.org.nz/shop/ - these rules are designed to keep all road users safer. fortunately there are some very good certifiers ( not engineers - as per Australian requirements ) here who have usually become such by being involved extensively in the hobby.
So can you drive your vehicle anywhere in Australia or just in the state where you live. And is that the same for all states across Australia ?
At least in NZ when we pass the exhaustive certification process we can drive anywhere in our small country.We had an event 10 days ago that attracts 2000 registered cars and probably more like 2500 unregistered for the event in a beach town with 4000 permanents , they pick at least 50000 visitors, come Monday the town is dead quiet. And anything pre 1934 can drive fenderless , with a very small amount paperwork and a minuscule annual fee. A new build from what they call “scratch built” must meet a lot of new car requirements ,but it’s all achievable , depending on what lengths you have to go to. No problem registering an older LHD ,but we can’t build a LHD car from scratch.
Each state here has different laws, but you can drive between states without too many problems. A lot have "conditional" registration (LHD, hot Rod, modified RHD, ect), and this varies in each state. This means that sometimes you have to fill in a "log book" before each journey. Some states have very restrictive laws, others not so much. And there is a fee at every turn when you take in the build/inspection process. A small price to pay for being able to cruise with the top down (if thats what you like) for only 11 months a year.
Pretty easy in Canada too. Happily we followed the US mostly and not the rest of the Commonwealth. Plus we can import older RHD vehicles and register them with very little trouble.
costs, requirements will vary from state to state as far as getting a car on the road Actually its not a bad or difficult process to get a classic , vintage car on the road if its standard , When you start to modify things that is when you may trigger the requirement of your modifications to be signed of on, again not necessarily a bad thing when you see some of the crap work that is around. In my state no requirement for annual check , smog check Its much cheaper to have my rod on the road than the daily driver, though as I choose to go club rego I only get to drive it 90 days a year, (you keep a logbook)
I can drive to other states, and stay there a while. If I move there permanently (change my address) then they give me about a fortnight to re-engineer the car, and to get a drivers license for that state. cheers, Harv
It can be a nightmare down here depending on where you reside as every State/Territory transport office operate under different requirements. Whilst there is a degree of consistency some states require the car to be engineered, others don't. Each state has it's own Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) to provide guidance. There are national street / hot rod guidelines however not every state has adopted them. All hot rods are pre-48 down here not the loose term used over there. Many cars I've seen over there, on the HAMB and other forums would require major undertakings to meet local engineering and safety standards. Some would require minor upgrades. Depending on how it's registered dictates how it can be driven, full unconditional usage or limited conditional usage. In my state it's mandatory through registration authority to be an Australian Street Rod Federation (ASRF) member to facilitate initial registration, after that if on full registration it's a grey area on whether or not membership is required however if on limited registration it's mandatory. We have a reasonable scheme where we can drive anywhere if we register the trip on-line for conditional registration. We need to submit a proposal to build form outlining everything; body style, make/model, engine, transmission, suspension, steering, brakes, wheel/tyres etc. We have some restrictions as well. Next are 3 x inspection processes before registration when a modification plate is affixed to vehicle. I know others who went another route through an engineer and outside ASRF. A different modification plate and less hassle. I know of interstate cars that don't qualify as hot rods due to level of modifications however they qualify as modified. Some states are similar, others require log books to be completed, others allow xyz days per year unlimited. A very heavy focus on safety and engineering more than an NSRA safety inspection. Importing a LHD hotrod was previously an option, a lot cheaper than building, however the grubberment banned their import. Local regulations mandate RHD format. www.infrastructure.gov.au/infrastructure-transport-vehicles/vehicles/vehicle-design-regulation/rvs/bulletins/street-rod-manual https://nsra-usa.com/safety-inspection/
I knew about the “engineer” thing through off-roading vehicles. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised about the difficulties when it comes to hot rods. Here in Quebec, Canada, we have something similar, but to a much lesser degree. I think the guidelines for a hand built was around 50 pages, but made it impossible for me to register my speedster project, as they required a windshield, heater, non-exposed exh, etc. On the other hand, there are no annual inspections. No smog requirements, and you can sell your vehicle to another Quebec resident without any vehicle inspection. So, so much for making the roads safer. lol! Oh, BTW, they placed a moratorium on allowing any more RHD vehicles to be imported. This was over 10 years ago, but seems you can now import them as long as they are 25 yrs old or older which I believe was always the case before the moratorium. Getting insurance however is another story.
I avoided all that BS, and imported a banger powered model A coupe. Got it on historic rego, allowed to drive it 90 days a year on a permit basis. Why? Because I knew that what I was trying to achieve with my build would have required too much of a deviation from my intent in order to comply with the engineer in order to get approval.
An obvious question is what about those wild machines we see in the burnout contests? www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxc8gPECb_M&t=5s Are they simply "off-road" non legal display machines towed to an event, or have they gone through all the engineering hoops and have road legal status? It seems like they are shoving right through the overpowered guidelines! I have seen a couple videos talking about the requirements and how hard the law comes down on drivers of modified cars. I've got to hand it to you blokes, you keep the spirit going even with some serious obstacles!
Many burnout machines are trailered to events. Some are road registered, where the engineer is willing to sign-off on crazy modifications, or the owner modifies them after certification. They take a risk that the local policeman will not defect them after seeing the cars are not as per the rules. A defect is fairly easy to remedy though provided the (government approved) local mechanic signs off that the car now complies. More than a little shady at times. They also take a risk that the insurance company does not walk away following an accident (or the police take them to trial) by being able to prove that the car was non-compliant. All up, they may be certified and road registered for the "wow" factor, but few see many miles off a burnout pad. Cheers, Harv
I can only talk to my experience in WA a few years ago. There were 3 inspections during the build which resulted in safe cars being built which was reassuring when driving in a group. There was also biannual inspections too if I recall correctly. These inspections were run by knowledgable hotrodders against a set of guidelines from the ASRF. I saw cars from other states that hadnt gone through that process and did not inspire confidence and more than one person got caught out when buying a car from another state or country and trying to get it registered in WA. Im not sure of the current situation though. Now Im living in Japan all our cars go through biannual inspections and the initial registration for a car bought overseas is quite tedious but achievable. Its effectively a road worthy inspection rather than checking any engineering etc. I do see a LOT more cars though that have sketchy engineering, welding etc etc unlike my experience in Western Australia. But also very cool traditional styled cars that are loved by their owners.
I built my first hotrod to ASRF guidelines, and am currently on my second build. I have had no issues, guidelines are straightforward and easy to follow, but you have to build properly- no shortcuts. Also my engineer is awesome and a car guy ( I have herd horror stories about engineer's that make you jump through hoops ). Glen
In New South Wales you can register a car that’s over 30 years old and is in “standard” condition for way less than regular registration. You must be a member of an affiliated car club and a nominated person in that club must sign an extra document (and place a club stamp on the doc) to stipulate that the car complies with the “Historic” car rego scheme. Under the same rules you can register a car that’s had minor modifications (different wheels etc) under the “Classic” car rego scheme. You can only drive the car on the public roads 60 days a year and you complete a basic log book every time you drive it. The plates you get to put on your car are different for the Classic and Historic scheme. Engineers reports are required for most modifications to all cars here although I would guess there is a lot of cars with mods that have not been engineered. They take the chance of being fined (and maybe impounded) by police or being denied insurance payouts in the event of an accident.
This can be done , but you need a motorsports exemption. I know of NZ built Rally cars that were converted to LHD legally so they could race in international rallies [and get driven on our roads]
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