cletus

the guy i work for recently had trouble getting a cage in a beach buggy legal because it didnt match what the hobby car manual said, despite being stronger than the one on the book (it was a 6 point cage, the one in the book is a 4 point roll bar) engineering calcs would make life a lot easier come cert time.

yes external cage would work if its designed to take the loading of the belt anchorage.

in short, no. seatbelts cant be modified. you can buy new belts that are different colours but there is nobody in new zealand who can modify them, autoliv in auckland used to but they shut up shop and went back to oz Modification14. A seatbelt must not have been modified (Note 14) since 1 January 1992, except where: a) the modification is approved by the seatbelt or vehicle manufacturer the seatbelt has been modified temporarily to accommodate a child restraint, provided the modification: i. does not affect the performance of the child restraint, and ii. is not likely to cause injury to a vehicle occupant, and iii. does not cause damage to the seatbelt.

there has been a recent rule change to make this sort of thing easier- there should be an infosheet available soon on lvvta.org.nz, i got a copy the other day. i have had trouble over the same mod on a landrover (s-wagon converted to ute using all factory landrover panels) lvvta say because the cab is modified, the upper belt anchorages have to meet LVV specs, and they say the factory landrover ones dont, they dont think they are strong enough. so they want a roll cage fitted to mount the belts off. which IMO is not practical as the cab space is limited which raises interior impact issues with bashing your head on the roll bar. also the support bars are very difficult, if they go foward they get in the way of your hip and make access to the cab difficult, and if they go back it has to go thru the cab and to the chassis, which makes a tip tray difficult. still havnt finished that one, owner was going to try some other way of doing it.....

cant see why you couldnt, no different from having a wheel spacer theres just less load going through it. there is no specific set of rules for using a spacer behind a disc so just use common sense- spacer fits snugly on center of hub, use bolts with a shank through the disc and spacer- etc.

check the trans fluid level when its running, in neutral, when the trans is hot. dont worry about what it says any other time. also, autos are not like engines, not all the fluid goes to the bottom when you turn the engine off, some will be in the valvebody, cooler lines etc so unless you completely stripped it, 7 litres probably wont fit in there

i like msd stuff. have never had a problem with it. when i first got my VG going it was so uber rich there was black soot all over the floor like when you have a acetylene torch going. it never fouled the plugs even running like that at my old workshop we did a bit of work on a dirt track car and we put one of those msd hei units in it, went well

will probably be there, ute will be for sale so ideal target demographic

from what you described in your first post, it seems to be running rich? which is making it run shitty when its warm too much fuel pressure? although float levels would be high if that was the case Timing correct? not retarded at idle? Power valve wrong or damaged? should have blow out protection being a new carb

should be a cool truck!

i have read that somewhere as well, but i have had a few plates reprinted with new vin numbers when the car got re reg due to new 7ATO123456789 type vin number being fitted

what you suggested is fine, one 3mm hole is what the rulebook says as a suggestion its not a requirement, none of the common aftermarket arms i see have an inspection hole. if theres any doubt or its an unknown brand or design i just pull one out and check it. photo next to a ruler is a good idea

If you have repaired it in a way that it does not need certification, ie bolt in springs with 100mm clearance etc etc then you wont need a cert to get rid of the sticker from memory that part of the wording on the sticker relates to a vehicle stickered for a noisy exhaust, if that is the case it needs an exhaust cert regardless of what you do to the exhaust to fix it, even fitting a factory exhaust.

I would say no. wof manual mentions they only have to work if there are passengers using them. Mandatory equipment1. A motor vehicle fitted with doors used by the driver or passengers for entrance and exit of the motor vehicle must have a door retention system. Permitted equipment2. The door retention system on doors to the rear of the driver’s seat may incorporate safety devices installed during the manufacture of the vehicle to prevent the doors from being opened from the inside of the vehicle (eg child safety locks). 3. A vehicle designed or adapted to transport prisoners is not required to be fitted with a mechanism for opening a door from the inside if the prison compartment has an alternative exit that can be operated by an authorised person in an emergency. Equipment condition4. A door retention system and its mountings must be safe and structurally sound. 5. A door used for the entrance and exit of the driver or passengers must be operable by any occupant seated by the door from inside the motor vehicle, unless it is permitted equipment designed or adapted to operate otherwise. 6. The vehicle must be designed and constructed using components and materials that are fit for their purpose, and within safe tolerance of their state when manufactured or modified. Equipment performance7. A door retention system must be in good working order. 8. A door used for entrance and exit must open and close easily. 9. A door used for entrance and exit must remain secure in a closed position during the operation of the motor vehicle. Modifications10. A modification that affects door or hinged panel retention systems must be inspected and certified by a low volume vehicle specialist certifier, unless the vehicle: a) is excluded from the requirement for LVV specialist certification (Table 6-1-1), and has been inspected in accordance with the requirements in this manual, including those for equipment, condition and performance.

flywheel off, rope round crank pulley, pull start, revlimit, file. no need to thank me

yoink! still unsure why it siezed, apparently it was a runner when it was parked but nobody can remember why it was parked. the oil was pretty thin when i drained it and there was lots of it, possibly the fuel pump was leaking fuel into the engine.

that sounds like a fine plan, minimum thread engagement is 1 1/2 times thread diameter. where did you find those?

http://www.lvvta.org.nz/documents/infosheets/LVVTA_Info_01-2012_Custom_Suspension_Arm_Inspection_Approval.pdf those look like z car rear lower arms? pretty easy to get legal bushes would be ok as well

its not too hard to sort out, get hold of a MR16 form from testing station, fill it out, supply any evidence type information and go see your local TSDA (a VINZ or VTNZ or compliance center that can do re-reg etc not just a normal testing station) you will probably need to take the whole car there. its fairly common to get mistakes on older cars that had their details put in the computer and someone made a mistake.

The first V8 i built for myself when i was an apprentice, i torqued up the last one and it snapped off. now i always replace them for peace of mind

you could try toyota, maybe its the same bolt as some other toyota if its too old for them? http://www.summitracing.com/dom/parts/arp-203-6003/overview/make/toyota

yea thats the only guidelines we have so far. one day i will get around to checking how much bumpsteer a valiant has, i predict that will be terrible. some cars have a lot of toe change ie mustangs, but the worst of it doesnt really matter because it is when the suspension is near full droop ie when you are doing a jump. so be careful if doing jumps in a mustang

we had a cert training session a couple of weeks ago with a "dont do this, look what this silly certifier did" session with photos of a vehicle that was certed about 40mm off the ground

cant open the link. but you can only have a pair of extra lights http://vehicleinspection.nzta.govt.nz/virms/in-service-wof/general/lighting/front-and-rear-fog-lamps as for your shaker scoop, you can have a scoop attached to the engine. rules here- http://www.lvvta.org.nz/documents/standards/LVVTA_STD_External_Projections.pdf that would also apply to a light pod on the front of a car, no sharp edges etc....

tig is fine if you are good at it