Re-registering a Pantera with no docs

[Crispy]

On 12/06/2024 at 17:50, ajg193 said:

The national / Alexander Turnbull library in Wellington has archives of all vehicles sold in NZ from 1924-1974. 

Catalogue is called Registration of motor vehicles in N.Z. arranged in postal districts / New Zealand RMTA

You'll most likely have to go there in person but they can possibly do an interloan to your local library.

Gives rego number, model, name and address of owner etc

Has anyone managed to do this. 

I potentially have a work trip planned to Wellington soon and can get there reasonably easy again should it not work out . 

They're probably long gone, but would be nice to find some previous owners details if I could.

[datlow]

Ooosh

just saw this thread

its wasn’t originally black?

there was one sitting dusty as in the corner of salvage place in Frankton around 1999 that was apparently involved in some drug dealer courts type deal 

used to pine over it when I was down there collecting my crashed cars 

[sr2]

On 29/06/2025 at 20:56, datlow said:

Ooosh

just saw this thread

its wasn’t originally black?

there was one sitting dusty as in the corner of salvage place in Frankton around 1999 that was apparently involved in some drug dealer courts type deal 

used to pine over it when I was down there collecting my crashed cars 

It was black and white in the early 1970's

 

When we bought it at the Turners Police auction in Aug 2000 it was completely stripped with primer on the body.

 

[datlow]

That’s so random. Wonder if it was a parts car or some such to the one I used to seee

or they were just the 2000s drug dealer car of choice 

either way great work bringing it back from that state!!

[sr2]

Finally some success, we’ve just had the application for use of alternative documents approved. (Big thanks to Goat for the suggestion).

VINZ can now allocate a Vin and the LVVTA cert can be uploaded. I’ll have a chat to the two, elderly previous owners and with their permission I’ll post the full story. It’s just too unbelievable not to told!

 

[Lord Gruntfuttock]

Sweet, look fwd to the back story...

[sr2]

Quick update……

 

 

Loaded the DeTomaso back on to the transporter for a quick trip the North Shore Compliance Centre to have the Vin tag attached. Next stop was to our favourite mechanic for a check of all the mechanicals while we complete the paperwork side for the low volume cert - it has already passed inspection by the certifier.

Once that’s done we’ll have to take it for a compliance inspection because apparently the clowns at NZ Transport/Waka Karitane know something the clowns at LVVTA don’t know and they don’t talk to each other! I’m no new-comer to coping with bumbling bureaucracy but this whole process leaves me gob struck.

[cletus]

LVV cert covers the modified parts of the vehicle.

The compliance inspection is to check the safety side of things, like ball joints and wiper blades and lights etc.

also the compliance side of it takes care of the admin, entering the vehicle details into landata, assigning and fitting the vin number, that sort of thing

repair cert is a different system again

 

they are 3 seperate systems with differing skill sets and demands

 

[sr2]

40 minutes ago, cletus said:

LVV cert covers the modified parts of the vehicle.

The compliance inspection is to check the safety side of things, like ball joints and wiper blades and lights etc.

also the compliance side of it takes care of the admin, entering the vehicle details into landata, assigning and fitting the vin number, that sort of thing

repair cert is a different system again

 

they are 3 seperate systems with differing skill sets and demands

 

no offence intended Clint you have my respect for both your knowledge and the work you do but if anything your reply supports my case.

Our current system it reeks of overlapping layers of complicated  bureaucracies all trying  trying to justify their own existence? 

 

[cletus]

i dont think it would be practical to have one person that can do all 3 things , and do them competently.

it would be great to be able to visit the GP to get that weird rash looked at, get a root canal at the same time, and get the correct lenses for your glasses too, all in the same day

but there are reasons why this doesnt happen

 

there are compliance places that can organise everything for you, repair, compliance, and lvv cert- so its a drive in drive out experience

[chris r]

1 hour ago, cletus said:

i dont think it would be practical to have one person that can do all 3 things , and do them competently.

it would be great to be able to visit the GP to get that weird rash looked at, get a root canal at the same time, and get the correct lenses for your glasses too, all in the same day

but there are reasons why this doesnt happen

 

there are compliance places that can organise everything for you, repair, compliance, and lvv cert- so its a drive in drive out experience

Or would you bring your cylinder head to into a brake shop as they have a lathe/mill 

[sr2]

2 hours ago, cletus said:

i dont think it would be practical to have one person that can do all 3 things , and do them competently.

 

If any competent automotive mechanical engineer couldn't do all three thing you wouldn't want them near your car!

[Early jap nuter]

I think It’s not one person carnt do it.it is people in the past that have done all 3 dodgy and created this process to try stop assholes doing shit cheap and easy then fleeing the country. Happened a lot in the late 90s/ 2000. Most things in the car world these days have been dictated  by corruption in the past. I’ve seen it first hand by my uncles over 25 years lol

[RXFORD]

On 22/09/2025 at 17:46, sr2 said:

If any competent automotive mechanical engineer couldn't do all three thing you wouldn't want them near your car!

Why would an automotive mechanical engineer do wofs, compliance & lvv cert on shitty cars for poors. 

Thats like thinking an asme-9 welder would want to make wheelbarrows. 

Sure, maybe they could, but they aren't going to leave thier big dollar salary designing and testing shit to put a vin tag on a pantera or cert check a kp60 from Kamo. 

[Dudley]

7 hours ago, RXFORD said:

Why would an automotive mechanical engineer do wofs, compliance & lvv cert on shitty cars for poors. 

Thats like thinking an asme-9 welder would want to make wheelbarrows. 

Sure, maybe they could, but they aren't going to leave thier big dollar salary designing and testing shit to put a vin tag on a pantera or cert check a kp60 from Kamo. 

“ TE KAMO”

[sr2]

11 hours ago, RXFORD said:

Why would an automotive mechanical engineer do wofs, compliance & lvv cert on shitty cars for poors. 

Thats like thinking an asme-9 welder would want to make wheelbarrows. 

Sure, maybe they could, but they aren't going to leave thier big dollar salary designing and testing shit to put a vin tag on a pantera or cert check a kp60 from Kamo. 

I'm of the opinion that certification and compliance is well within the  realm of what a competent, qualified mechanic  is capable of. (With the proviso that excludes the VTNZ WOF "technicians")!

[ThePog]

8 minutes ago, sr2 said:

I'm of the opinion that certification and compliance is well within the  realm of what a competent, qualified mechanic  is capable of. (With the proviso that excludes the VTNZ WOF "technicians")!

With respect I don't think this is the case. The knowledge needed for genuinely understanding the deeper aspects of engineering required for a certifier is well beyond what a mechanic is taught.

I am not saying there are not mechanics that know that shit, and the experience they may get from working in the industry would contribute immensely to an understanding of the issues.

My case in point is that I did an NZCE mechanical and worked and fucked with cars for a few years and knew it all. Then I went to Uni to get a mech degree. This was essentially to get more letters so I could make more money/get a better job, but the reality was that the shit dives deep, way way deeper than I was expecting. This knowledge gap is the difference between a mechanics understanding and certifiers understanding.

[sr2]

10 minutes ago, ThePog said:

With respect I don't think this is the case. The knowledge needed for genuinely understanding the deeper aspects of engineering required for a certifier is well beyond what a mechanic is taught.

I am not saying there are not mechanics that know that shit, and the experience they may get from working in the industry would contribute immensely to an understanding of the issues.

My case in point is that I did an NZCE mechanical and worked and fucked with cars for a few years and knew it all. Then I went to Uni to get a mech degree. This was essentially to get more letters so I could make more money/get a better job, but the reality was that the shit dives deep, way way deeper than I was expecting. This knowledge gap is the difference between a mechanics understanding and certifiers understanding.

You make a valid point mate, nothing more dangerous than someone who thinks they know everything. (I never got past the NZCE stage - they hadn't even invented calculators when I scraped through!).

The point I'm making is that an engineering degree is not a prerequisite to becoming a LVVTA certifier.

[RUNAMUCK]

1 hour ago, sr2 said:

I'm of the opinion

My time on the internet has taught me that just because somebody has an opinion regarding something, it does not automatically mean they have a sufficient comprehension of the subject to broadcast said opinion as "facts".............

[sr2]

1 minute ago, RUNAMUCK said:

My time on the internet has taught me that just because somebody has an opinion regarding something, it does not automatically mean they have a sufficient comprehension of the subject to broadcast said opinion as "facts".............

LOL. Opinions are just opinions where as facts are facts and "never the twain shall meet". 😇