S13 Silvia

[SweetDreams]

I am new to the 240sx car and I am looking hard for one in good condition so when this opportunity presented itself it took me by surprise!:eek:

A guy I know imported a S13 silvia and it is in cali awaiting sale. My question is does anyone know how I would register that car here. He said that I should be able to register and license it as a 240sx

Btw I am in IL.

any :help would be appreciated.

[I H8 UR DSM]

nope.

[Repo Man]

Um, go to a salvage yard, find an S13, buy it and switch VIN plates. I think that may be a federal offense though, so maybe you don't want to do that.

Seems like everything is a federal offense anymore. Go figure.

[SpeedRacer1]

Theres no legal way to register it for street driving. There are only shady methods.

[SweetDreams]

Damn, that sux.

Well, I guess it is back to looking for a 240.

Thanks anyways guys.

[IvanS13]

Just do it the shady way

[Structure240sx]

do it the shady way and try not to get pulled over too mcuh cops might be a lil sketchy about you driveing in the passenger seat

[Gladimor]

Structure are you having any problems with that full body kit and ground clearance. My folks are in queens aka "pothole land" and I go see them everyonce in a while, since you live in jersey and all maybe you can help me decide kit or no kit.

[SweetDreams]

The only thing that I am worried about is I live in a small town in IL, and the police are not very accepting to imports in the first place.

So if they see me driving a right hand drive car, they may get a little suspesious.

[Structure240sx]

the kit looks awsome and i only scraped twice the first 2 days i had it. im rolling on stock SE wheels with 205/55 as long as ur careful and go up drive ways sideways u'll be fine, but i would have now rather have put the moeny into the engine. i could almost be turbo for what it cost me, of course i get looks wherever i go adnd prob have the rarest car around here. i've only seen about 5 S14's ever anywhere near me.

[chrispy]

go for the shady way and if anyone asks, tell them you made it RHD for show pourposes

[hurddawg]

or you can say you work for the post office.

The guy that delivers the mail at my house has a RHD Jeep Cherokee (its a rural route so its not the regular mail jeeps).

[SpeedRacer1]

RHD is most likely illegal in IL anyway so just telling them you did an illegal mod is going to bring on repeated fines or impounds. If somewhat blue headlight bulbs or clear turnsignals are illegal mods in most all states then im pretty sure altering the car with RHD would be on the extreme side of the illegal list.

[Gladimor]

Yeah I feel you on that when I got my hooptie (golf) the first thing I did was lower it, get new rims, m3 tail lights, tint and put a sound system in it. If I put the same amount into the engine I could be at almost 250hp (from stock 115) with a bit more than that in torque but oh well... stupid is as stupid does .

But I know what you mean by the looks, I don't know what's better, beating some punk in a civic with an intake and exaust cause he can't shift, or having some chick saying how "cute" my car is, eh who am I kidding the chicks always win in my book

[sapix @ RHIT]

you need to find a chick that likes the car cause its fast and the engine is nice

[Stock-S13]

well dont know how much this will help but this guy at a local race shop in so cal is going to get a RHD EK9 (which i despise) and is suppose to take pictures and what not.. can go into more detail tommaorw dont want to post false advice gotta find out all the story

[Stock-S13]

ow the pics are for when u go register your car

[SweetDreams]

yeah any help is much appreciated. ask him for specifics of what hoops he had to jump through to get it registered. Thanks

[Dori Dori]

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/rules/import/

[Xero]

There's plenty of Legal ways to do it, but unfortunately, he has already done the easiest part, getting it past EPA, or if he hasn't STAY AWAY FROM IT!! Because if the EPA finds out that was brought in illegaly, it'll get chopped up, and your out some bank. What you need to do, is find a RI(Registered Importer) and ask them if you can pay them to have them do the paper work on the car. There's some EPA paperwork, and there;s some DOT Paperwork. The S13 and S14 Chassis Silvias are legal for importation, due to a petition that Nissan gave the DOT. The Petition states that the Grey Market S13's and S14's are "Similiar" to the USDM 240sx's. Therefore, can be given a VIN very easily, but there's so many different forms that need to be filled out, that you'd be better off getting a RI to do it for you, it'd save som hassle,

[Daunttless]

I was told that the forms had not been submitted and that due to the different engine and RHD that crash testing would have to be performed...

[SpeedRacer1]

That's the second time you've said that, SpeedRacer. You're still wrong. Driving a RHD car is perfectly legal in most places. In fact, I've never heard a reliable cite about a place where it wasn't.

This, of course, does not change the fact that there's no way to legally register an imported Silvia.

OK lets think about this, you want an RHD S13, how do you get it? One of two methods. Import it and get it through the EPA. OR weld an RHD firewall into your S13 by taking out the old one. The second approach is not only illegal since that would be affecting the safety of the vehicle structurally but it also creates a problem in daily driving with lack of view issues being the main concern there. Now it may not say explicitly in the books that right hand drive is illegal BUT it is illegal to modify your car in an unsafe manner(which isnt hard to find in the books). I'm also quite sure a state patrol could find the laws for an unlawful RHD vehicle.

[SweetDreams]

I checked on this and he removed the engine and transmition and imported through the epa (got a cert. #) as a kit car. now that it is in the us he has put the engine and transmition back in and it can be registered as a kit car.

[SpeedRacer1]

K car your individual response style of answering questions is getting old especially when your arguments are easily countered. Niether of us is 100% correct, but neither of us is incorrect:

RCW 46.37.320Authority of state patrol regarding lighting devices or other safety equipment.(1) The chief of the state patrol is hereby authorized to adopt and enforce rules establishing standards and specifications governing the performance of lighting devices and their installation, adjustment, and aiming, when in use on motor vehicles, and other safety equipment, components, or assemblies of a type for which regulation is required in this chapter or in rules adopted by the state patrol. Such rules shall correlate with and, so far as practicable, conform to federal motor vehicle safety standards adopted pursuant to the national traffic and motor vehicle safety act of 1966 (15 U.S.C. Sec. 1381 et seq.) covering the same aspect of performance, or in the absence of such federal standards, to the then current standards and specifications of the society of automotive engineers applicable to such equipment: PROVIDED, That the sale, installation, and use of any headlamp meeting the standards of either the society of automotive engineers or the United Nations agreement concerning motor vehicle equipment and parts done at Geneva on March 20, 1958, or as amended and adopted by the Canadian standards association (CSA standard D106.2), as amended, shall be lawful in this state. (2) Every manufacturer who sells or offers for sale lighting devices or other safety equipment subject to requirements established by the state patrol shall, if the lighting device or safety equipment is not in conformance with applicable federal motor vehicle safety standards, provide for submission of such lighting device or safety equipment to any recognized organization or agency such as, but not limited to, the American national standards institute, the society of automotive engineers, or the American association of motor vehicle administrators, as the agent of the state patrol. Issuance of a certificate of compliance for any lighting device or item of safety equipment by that agent is deemed to comply with the standards set forth by the state patrol. Such certificate shall be issued by the agent of the state before sale of the product within the state.

(3) The state patrol may at any time request from the manufacturer a copy of the test data showing proof of compliance of any device with the requirements established by the state patrol and additional evidence that due care was exercised in maintaining compliance during production. If the manufacturer fails to provide such proof of compliance within sixty days of notice from the state patrol, the state patrol may prohibit the sale of the device in this state until acceptable proof of compliance is received by the state patrol.

(4) The state patrol or its agent may purchase any lighting device or other safety equipment, component, or assembly subject to this chapter or rules adopted by the state patrol under this chapter, for purposes of testing or retesting the equipment as to its compliance with applicable standards or specifications.

From NHTSAVehicles that meet one of the above requirements are assigned a vehicle eligibility number. All eligibility numbers are for a left-hand drive motor vehicles except where right-hand drive (RHD) is identified after the model. While there is no specific restriction on importing a right-hand drive vehicle, an eligibility number based on a substantially similar U.S.- certified motor vehicle may not apply. Our experience has shown that the safety performance of right-hand drive vehicles is not necessarily the same as that of apparently similar left-hand drive vehicles offered for sale in this country.

While neither explicitly say that RHD is illegal as im sure you will point out, that doesnt mean that you wont get cited by the RCW in my state.

Now it may not say explicitly in the books that right hand drive is illegal BUT it is illegal to modify your car in an unsafe manner(which isnt hard to find in the books).

<If it's easy to find, cite it. When you're done doing that, briefly outline the legal strategy that the state would use to prove that this modification in particular is unsafeIm sure the state can argue that>

The structural integrity of the car can be considered as going down anytime you remove the entire firewall. The state really doesnt even need to argue it because the judges have enough power to go "Nope your car isnt safe or up to the manufacturers standards" after about 1 minute.

[SweetDreams]

I was told that the forms had not been submitted and that due to the different engine and RHD that crash testing would have to be performed...

That is correct... Nissan already did this for me though. If I rember correctly the suffix for the crash test cert. # is 167.

[BuudWeizErr]

Do you have anymore pics of that RHD conversion?

EDIT: SweetDreams, your sig OWNS.

[SweetDreams]

Thanks, I thought you guys would like it:)

[Gladimor]

:drooling Not really much of a blonde fan but those are some really nice dudes!

[SpeedRacer1]

No offense KCar but you arent 100% correct, the issue isnt importing a RHD (ive always known an RHD car is easier to be registered as an OFF ROAD vehicle), it is driving it legally on the road that is the issue, show me one street legal RHD S13 or S14 in the United States. You havent proven your point with an actual car (being evidence), you merely show that the law can be interpreted by different points of views. If you think your so right then please show us all your degree in law as your conjectures mean nothing but a reflection of your opinion.

Since when was removing the firewall not messing with the safety equipment of a car? It in itself is a piece of safety equipment. If you can get Nissan Japan to tell the states that their RHD firewalls have the same strength when welded into a LHD car then you've won your case.

Here is what the CA gov has to say about altering equipment and registering faulty cars:

http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-...-8804

http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-...24016

Yeah I have the whole series (30 pics) of the RHD conversion, if you want the pics then I got them from FA, just search the advanced forum.

And still to maintain the S13 through S15 are illegal from Japan, the SR20DET isnt legal so there would be no way of registering it fully legally. Though im not sure about Kit car laws.

[SpeedRacer1]

Do you have anymore pics of that RHD conversion?

Actually im not sure if the RHD conversion pics came off of FA. But if you want me to email them to you there are 30 pictures total equaling 4.6 mb.