Mikeee

I'd defend it. Look at the evidence, look at the exact wording of the law, and find a way to create reasonable doubt. Your lawyer's advice is a cop out. It means for them they don't have to do any real work and you have no expectation of what is a successful outcome. The lawyer still gets paid. If you defend and lose, you will lose your license. If you plead guilty with a sob story, you will still lose your license. I see only one shot at a positive outcome

Do you have the paint code of the Ke30?

Sorry I've been overseas for the last month. Paint code is eb13070, if you paint anything in it please send me a pic!

Will start work on Corolla again now that I'm back.

As above, Jeremy at Bespoke is a good dude who does good work. He's done a few jobs for me now that weren't easy

Here's what he drives around!

Mine was roughly that when I removed and fitted myself. I think it's a pile of crap based on the mass amount of people requiring rebuilds on low milage cars once doing some research after coming in to problems with mine. True they were all probably neglected from servicing but that's no different to any other car.

Late 80's early 90's Chev Diesel Pickups ... they have the weight and (sorta) reasonable power to tow a tandem but make sure the trans is NOT one of those 4L60e transmissions. They are piss weak and will cost you a packet to rebuild.

That's the same trans I had a rant about earlier in my 2001 Isuzu wizard and yes mine has had to be rebuilt!

Love these mini camaros, have always wanted one. Repower with a toyota motor was a great idea, would have ruined it with a rotory or v8 if anyone has ever dared to suggest it!

You appear to be doing all the work yourself; did they pay out the value of the associated labour too or just parts replacement? I nosily ask because I'm with that same company on four cars.

Hey thanks. I brought in the plymouth and the vette. I took the Pontiac as trade in on a clubsport I sold.

Yeah I know what you mean about factory color. There seems to be two camps when it comes to old school cars. People who like period/originality and people who like to 'update'. I am certainly the latter. Old cars with metallics, pearls and candies are my thing

Going away overseas for a month in less than two weeks so won't be doing any more painting on the ke30 until I'm back, so did some stuff to the Pontiac for a change.

Replaced every water hose, new thermostat and a coolant flush. Sadly the chrome water neck I bought was the wrong angle for the radiator hose so couldn't use it.

Also replaced the valve covers with shiny ones. Had a nice new chrome edelbrock air filter that also didn't fit so will have to sort that later! New spark plugs and leads.

Interiors not quite finished yet. Need to find the right size screws for passenger arm rest and recover the dash, but it's more or less done

Went for a drive into town

Nice.. are there many trade offs with getting the turbodeez? Or are just against the impact on the environment diesel has?

That one looks mint.

If I can't get a Range Rover Classic/P38A/Discovery that has been looked after for less than/around 4k then probably will get a 2.8TD Bighorn. I don't really like the look of a Safari and the comments about towing with an LWB Pajero doesn't help their cause either. A Landcruiser is out of my price range.

I've towed over 2 tonne with a safari. It's a truck in an suv body, doesn't notice towing load at all. Solid and reliable, but still command a high price for these reasons

3.0 diesel 4jx1? Right up there for the worst engine ever made

Luckily for me it's the 6vd1 3.2 petrol which isn't so bad. Finding bits isn't the easiest task though, have had to look to the states

I don't have a suggestion on what to get but can suggest what not to get. I have a 2001 Isuzu Wizard. I wish I didn't. For example, their GM slushboxes are made in France. FRANCE!!!!

Good stuff.

Cleaning out the bowl, running thinners through and cleaning the air hole filter if you use one would do for basecoat then just run some thinners through again before you use it. anything that uses hardener I pull out the fluid nozzle and air cap and clean thoroughly

Just read your entire build thread, you have a great attention to detail and level of involvement with your car that makes me jealous I'm not as interested in putting in that level of effort in any of my own; good work. I look forward to reading about its fire-up.

A couple of suggestions to perhaps save you some time/effort in the future

- you don't have to baresteel everything to paint it unless existing paint is flaking or badly cracked. 120 grit sanded with a good 150mm orbital sander will give a great result in minutes (thinking how much time it looks like you must have spent on your sump!). I imagine you sanded it again after applying primer based on comments. You could have dust coated it with aerosol etch followed by thinned 2k primer and finished with color all at same time = no intermediary sand and quick start to finish time (total job should have been less than an hour if that helps to gauge?)

- clean your spray guns out every time you use them!

- for anything from the states, forget nzpost. Get a shipito.com account. They get awesome rates with dhl/FedEx etc due to their volume and you can fill in your own customs declaration after they bin all the actual invoices. Fast tracked through customs too. I get most orders 5 days after I place them (including a set of 17x10 wheels)

Painted everything needed for all panels to stay on the car until painted.

Under side of bonnet and boot lid, boot weather channel, front and side edges of cowl, inside edges of front guards and the front valance.

Can't be bothered painting the inside of the boot, old yellow paint is cracked and flaky, will take ages to get it paintable. I blue'd the underside of the parcel tray so that'll do, I'll just bomb the rest of the yellow with underseal. Come to think of it, I would have blue'd the underside of the 6x9s in the parcel tray haha

Unfortunately striken by the joys of garage painting with some debris ending up on the bootlid. Might need to be done again if it can't be salvaged. No big deal!

Not much more to do now.

Wow that is shit about the vin plate thing then. Makes no fucking sense in my mind....

There's very little sense behind any of our country's automotive laws. If you have a small rust bubble on the roof then your car is a death trap, yet you can happily drive around a convertible. Your seatbelt must be in perfect condition otherwise get it off the road, unless it didn't have one factory then you're sweet as. Or just drive a motorbike, that hasn't got a roof or seatbelt or any other safety features. Just pay a little more to acc and you're all good brother.

Definitely replace the steering wheel. If there's no light that comes up the inspector has no way of knowing it ever had one. Maybe check for a fuse/relay and remove that too for the same reason

Love this car and what you've done to it, look forward to the p&p updates. How much did it cost to get the seats redone? I've recovered many American car seats before but it was easy because you can buy pre-sewn fabric.

Mechanic mate of mine told me of an apprentice that was at a shop he was working at. Over tightened a wheel bearing badly and the thing exploded which caused the car to crash killing the entire family.

Tonight's jobs:

Don't know who can be bothered painting engine bays while the engine is in it but I sure as hell can't. Bombed it with underseal will clean up the overspray on components later. Engine sure needs a dress up though, yuck!

Also dealt to rust on underside of bootlid with grinder and brunox. Will paint that, the boot weather channels and front valance next

Think they assume that old = classic.

Coolest thing is that little Austin ute

Yeah the old American cars are choice. Funny you see more of them here than you do on the road in the US! Living in Gulf Harbour at the moment

Cheers all. Yeah the plymouth is my sorta thing. It was an impulse buy at the time, but whaddaya gunna do. I nearly bought a 71 barracuda instead but it was more work than I wanted given the other projects so this thing was a good fit.

I'm not in trade, I'm actaully a network engineer for a bank. I just love working on cars. Once I receive the round tuit, they go up for sale and I start another. I'll start some life keepers eventually but I'm honing my repair and painting skills first

1974 Corvette

Crankin' 350 that's been pulled apart at some stage, has mild cam.

Bought this when we needed a car to drive around when staying with my partner's uncle in Tennessee. I wanted a early 70s firebird or camaro, but this came up at a good price and the mrs twisted my arm so bought it. The condition was a little worse than I would have liked given the time frame I needed it on the road by and the fact I had to work outside in 35 degree muggy heat with tools found at walmart.

Just like every American car I've ever owned, I had to rewire the signal and brake light circuits and other electrical faults. Replaced both seatbelts, door cards, carpet, dash and most interior bits. Needed new brake calipers, 4 tyres, and a good engine service.

After finishing up in TN, we drove 2,000 miles to LA, via St Louis and across to Denver. Here's me wondering what the burning smell is broken down under a bridge in Kansas.

Quick wire strip and tape job and we're on our way. Some pretty stuff in Aspen

Full panel and paint when I get to it. Fibre glass body means no dents, factory color is a great metallic blue so piece of piss, will start and finish it in a weekend.

1973 Plymouth Satellite/Roadrunner

Performance built mopar 360, pretty biffo little donk, peels out nicely. Console stick shift. Cragar 10 inch at rear with 275s.

Haven't done much to this one yet. It has aftermarket race buckets in it, so I sourced some original buckets and recovered them and the rear bench too.

Needs minor rust work then full panel and paint as it was painted by lazy American bogsmiths. It's a horrid color so I'm not phased.

1965 Pontiac Catalina Ventura sports coupe. 389 big block 4bbl. Torque Thrust 2 with 10 inch at rear with 295s. Factory sagged "suspension".

Was extremely rusty when I got it. All glass out, new steel around front and rear shields, complete new rear deck panel, entire weather channel around boot, boot floor, rear pillars, front guards blah blah

Was missing ignition key so was being started south Auckland flat blade styles. Binned the ignition barrel and made it push button. Probably need better switches though

Interior was naff so ripped it all out, recovered the seats, new carpet etc. Where's the finished pic???

Did a quick bog and paint and now it's wof'd and reg'd. Full panel and paint on the backlog!