Dr. DC2

because motox didn't do the necessary requirements. they were cutting corners that's why they were shut down. technically we could get a group of people and all pitch in and we could all get together and actually possibly pull it off, but let's be realistic, nobody can get this organized enough and get enough money/people to actually pull it off. I'm down for waiting for the classic car act, until then I can handle driving my lhd R!

thundernoodle

oooo i see a 97 prelude on the list find a type-s and ill **** lol. does anyonehave a link to the "jdm autotrader" sites

srt4mike

AWESOME INFO!! This needs to be stickied in damn near every thread! Good **** as always Dr. DC2

Wai

Thanks a lot for the information.

I have a question tho.
Are there any rules that allow military personel who station oversea to bring back cars? I've seen a RHD Jeep Cherokee before with distinctly different headlights and I believe it was brought back by a military.

jdm_dc_fan

iTrader: (1)

Cant wait to legally own an immaculate bone stock ef8 and ef9. 2014 is gonna be a good year .

Just a n00b

wait, if doing JDM engine swaps is "that easy", since you dont need to do crash testing, all you need to is be able to crack the ECU to work with a usdm spec one, why arent there more B16B swaps in hatchbacks? my first guess would be because of the price and that the K-series swaps give more power and are readily available

92TypeR

I just looked on the non-conforming vehicle eligibility list and the Cherokee is on it.


When a vehicle is on the non-conforming eligibility list, that means the process of retrofitting the vehicle to meet EPA and DOT standards is known and documented. You still must import the vehicle through a Registered Importer and spend hundreds or many thousands of dollars performing the required retrofits.

Dr. DC2

Im in the Air Force and know for a fact that bringing a car from any asian country on the US gov's dollar isnt going to happen. Now i can have the gov ship a car to and from any European country. I know what youre thinking "well can you get stationed in Germany, buy an RHD Honda JDM ITR there and have it shipped back?"

To answer that question, technically NO. Because it doesnt meet US standards the gov isnt supose to bring back a JDM car from European countries. However, I know a few fellow military members that have gotten away with this. The gov hired shipping company is suppose to check the vehicles "VIN" and US importing eligibility. Even if you do get lucky in the military and bring one in from overseas, you still have the same issues with registering your GMV. Which will be even more difficult because the car was never suppose to be shipped over by the gov in the first place and could be considered contraband if US customs were to find out how it was brought over. And you wont be able to register it ever if you cant provide the shipment paperwork.

Another little peice of information regarding bikes. In the military, you can also box up a foreign motorcycle and have TMO bring it back to the states because it is small enough to be considered a "household good", but registering it for street use is the same process for any GMV.

thundernoodle

out of curiosity how come european cars comply?

Dr. DC2

I didnt say that european cars do apply. I said that the gov will ship a car to and from europe... meaning i could bring my 97 Acura ITR to Europe and they would ship it back when i returned for stateside duty! Sorry i didnt make that clear enough. European cars are still Grey Market Vehicles. (unless their on the conforming list)

The method I was referring too was this...

I bring an Acura ITR to Europe, then while I'm there I buy a Honda ITR, and when it comes time to ship my "acura" back home stateside I slide my Honda R by as the original car I had brought to Europe. This was done several times and eventually someone got caught.

Just a n00b

wait wait, wouldnt this only needed to be done once? (talking about the "perform your own safety tests" path) i mean, if it's the same car (year, make, model), wouldnt only 1 set of safety tests be needed to pass? it seems redundant to wreck 4 cars each time someone wants 1, even if they are the same...isnt there a way to just use the same test data for subsequent importing?

thundernoodle

do canadian cars apply to the same standards? Ive seen a few canadian cars in the us. and not jdm car imported to canada, just straight canadian cars.

Dr. DC2

Yep, all it would take is one set of crash test ratings. Then all cars of that same make, year, and model could be brought in and then youd only need to pay for the EPA certification and convert your car to US safety standards. But remember what I mentioned in my original post. You could be denied a US title for NO REASON AT ALL! You could spend all the money on getting these ratings and then have the DOT tell you NO. However, if you were to get the ratings and get the thumbs up with a 17 digit reassigned VIN, then it would open the doors for legal US title assignment and legal state registration!

Honestly, my knowledge on Canadian GMV's is limited. However, its still a GMV and would still need to be brought through with US Customs approval and it would still need to meet US standards.

94eg!

iTrader: (2)

Well that's all changed now. The guys at the main DMV inspection booth on Sahara took one look at the 4 digit block code and said no way. Has to be a 5 digit US spec block code. Then they took pics of the car and that was it. They said he couldn't convert it or anything like they do in CA. Total BS...

I guess that's where our hard earned tax dollars are going...

In this case both the car and motor were OBD-1 (92 civic w/ 92-95 B16A). No worries about the crank sensor, scan tool or any of that stuff. They didn't even give him a chance...

94eg!

iTrader: (2)

oops***

thundernoodle

maybe thats why people are always calling auto part stores looking for metal digit stamps.

94eg!

iTrader: (2)

Too bad it's already got "HMO" (H motors online) stamped where the 5th digit would go...

T3KNiQe

Well this may have sealed the decision for me not going to Okinawa. What's this with the govt repoing these gtr's outta now where? What's the story on that?

crazyheadrush

This is some good bit of info. But i happen to know someone with a civic whos origin was japan and it indeed is re vinned with a 17 digit vin. It was issued by CHP and it was placed on the door jam. Big blue vin tag. It may be very difficult to do it now but it isnt completely impossible.

racebum

why look, summit racing sells complete punch kits for under $20, often used to put a 1 or 5 on jdm engines, only hmo does that stamp, so all the other suppliers are golden. the few swaps i've done have all came from jdm engines corp, better prices than hmo and decent motors

S1NFUL RL1 619

didn't the governator (of california) change the 25 year "classic car" law? something about cars pre-1978 or something of that nature are the only ones allowed to be imported?

94DCLS

Looks like I got enough time to start savin my pennies.

Dr. DC2

Dont know about the governator changing this rule. The classic car rule is suppose to be the same across all 50 states (Federal)

Dr. DC2

I've had some people ask me about importing a GMV as a classic car, so heres some info for you guys...

Basically, you import the car through a RI, provide PROOF that the car is 25 years or older, and fill out DOT Form HS-7! You would check the first box on the top left of the form. Customs would then inspect the car and your RI paperwork and proof of production. You would NOT get a reassigned 17 digit US Vin for this car. You would use the original 10 digit Jap serial number. After this you would need to meet your state inspection (if your state has one) and your local DMV would give you a US title and the car would be legal for public roads. You do not have to provide crash test ratings. You are however, still required to meet EPA standards. It is then HIGHLY recommended that you get an appraiser for your insurance (as most do for any classic car) and you are good to go.

Here is the DOT form you will need to fill out...
http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/import/hs799short.pdf

99hondacura

RHD cars are a pain in the *** to be dealt with
really good info BTW!!
learned alot of new things!
i think if anything RHD cars should just be kept as track only thats just my .02 in it
as it might be nice an different to drive on the other side of the road alot of danger is involved
but everyone his own!
once again really good info and mad props to somene doing there research
i really think this should be a FAQs o a sticky on all the threads so they know about registering