Fitting a new motor into an old car

Rusty62TransAm wrote:HEMI I hope.

Regards

Rusty!

GT wrote:They way I understand the new rules the NSW RTA is bringing into force I'd be a bit carefull. As I understand it, if you fit a different motor into a vehicle then the day that it was fitted becomes the new date of manufacture and so the vehicle has to comply with ADR's current on that day. ie: you fit a LS1 into a HG on the 1/6/2011 then that is your new date of manufacture for the car and you may need things like stability control etc to get full rego otherwise the NSW RTA will shoehorn you into limited rego.
I dont want to scare you but I do suggest you contact the NSW RTA, or do a little research, before handing out the folding stuff for bits.

I have heard that the NSW RTA is trying to introduce this before the March election in NSW and I also believe (along with many others) that it's a ploy to get old & modified cars off the road.

I strongly suggest you have a read of this

http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/registration/downloads/vsccs_exempt_modifications.pdf

and this

http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/registration/downloads/vsccs_public_comment_dl1.html

RAT BAG wrote: I want to have it as legal as possible so was going to get it engineered

SMQQTH wrote:HKTG the biggest engine you can go to is a 396ci.

not sure what that is in the metric system

Hi there.
I am just writing in regards to something that I have heard today that concerns me.
For the last year I have been putting a fuel injected engine out of a 2002 Ford Falcon XR8 into my 1971 XY panelvan. As the xy came out from factory with a 302 and this engine is a 5 litre 302 I understood I would have to meet emissions laws by running an air filter, having cat converters fitted etc etc. That is not a problem. I have spent a lot of money shoehorning the brakes off the new ford onto the old one, and im in the process of fitted the airconditioning, power steering and even cruise control to the old panelvan and it is just about ready for engineering and to hit the road (give or take 6 months haha)

I have just been told that if I don’t get the car engineered before March that the laws will change and I am going to have to change A LOT on the car. From what I have been told the NSW RTA is bringing into force that if you fit a different motor into a vehicle then the day that it was fitted becomes the new date of manufacture and so the vehicle has to comply with ADR's current on that day. ie: you fit a LS1 out of a vx ss into a HG on the 1/6/2011 then that is your new date of manufacture for the car and you may need things like stability control etc.

Is this true. This car has been a work in progress for the last 3 years and I really don’t want to have had all my money go to waste.

Any information you can provide would be great.

Regards
Brad Clark

Dear Sir

I refer to your fax regarding you proposal to modify a VK Commodore by installing a Holden VE Commodore 6.2l engine, modifying the braking system, front & rear suspension and rear axle.

The table for engine capacity limits provided in VSI.06 and section 3.1.2.2 of the RTA’s Code of Practice for Light Vehicle Modifications shows that a non-turbocharged, non-supercharged 6.2l engine is acceptable as a replacement engine in your VK sedan as the tare mass of the Brock variant of the VK is 1360kg – this allows a max capacity of 6.7l for a non-turbocharged, non-supercharged engine.

Your proposed modifications are acceptable to the RTA provided you supply engineering certification as evidence that your vehicle complies with the vehicle standards requirements of the Road Transport (Vehicle Registration) Regulation, 2007.

This certification will need to provide evidence that the VE 6.2l engine continues to comply with the engine emission standard that it was built to (ie ADR.79/02). If it cannot be shown that the engine, in its entirety, was sourced from a VE Commodore that complied with that standard, then your vehicle will need to be tested and shown to comply.

Based on the extent of your brake modifications and the large increase in engine power (196kW to approx 325kW), that certification will also need to provide test results as evidence that your vehicle has passed the RTA’s abridged brake test.

If you choose to modify the 6.2l engine by turbo-charging or supercharging it after it has been fitted, your vehicle will be treated as an Individually Constructed Vehicle (ICV) and you must provide engineering certification to show that your vehicle has been tested and found to comply with all current ADRs applicable to it.

Regards
Barry Craig
Safer Vehicle Branch
NSW Centre for Road Safety

Hi Craig
This fax wasn’t from me. I have included below the email that I have sent originally about putting an AU FALCON XR8 ENGINE into my 1971 XY panel van.

Thanks a lot for your time
Brad

Dear Mr Clark

Sorry for any confusion my previous email may have caused although the base content of that email similarly applies to your vehicle.

Our modification requirements will not change in March although it is anticipated that the system under which modifications are certified in NSW will then be replaced by a new scheme, the Vehicle Safety Compliance Certification Scheme (VSCCS).

This will have no impact on the Date of Manufacture (DoM) of your 1971 model XY Falcon as a result of it being fitted with a replacement 2002 model 5.0l engine, power steering, air conditioning & brake system upgrades, provided the vehicle’s structure has not been altered, ie tubbed, chassis rails/subframe modified, etc.

If a vehicle is extensively modified (ie its structure changed; or converted from rear wheel drive to FWD or 4WD; or fitted with a replacement engine exceeding NSW limits, etc), it may be treated as an Individually Constructed Vehicle (ICV) in which case its DoM will be the date it is presented for registration purposes in its completed state. This has been the case in NSW since at least 1994.

To meet NSW engine emission requirements, your certification will need to show that the replacement 5.0l engine was sourced in its entirety from the XR8 (ie all engine/transmission sensors & control modules, and its air/fuel system from air cleaner outlet through unmodified engine to the last catalytic convertor). If this cannot be done, your certification must show that your vehicle complies with the relevant 2002 engine related ADR for engine emissions (ie ADR.37/01 Emission Control for Light Vehicles).
As vehicle noise requirements applicable to the 2002 model engine will also apply, your certification will need to show that the vehicle complies with ADR.28/01 External Noise of Motor Vehicles.

Similarly, based on the modifications to your braking system, your certification must show that the vehicle was tested and passed the RTA’s abridged brake test.

Regards
Barry Craig