So you want to buy a Skyline in the US....

[AZhitman]

Said it before, and I'll say it again.

By definition, a Vehicle Identification Number is for a VEHICLE.

By definition, a VEHICLE has an engine.

Therefore, simple logic dictates that a VIN should not be assigned to a car part (which a unibody is).

Can you get a VIN for a headlight? I didn't think so. In the eyes of federal law, the two parts are the same.

[s13-t]

and I did more research as well as talk to my uncle- big lawyer in WA- and found that its worth the 5 year wait for a 89. Basically it is possible and legal to do what I said. However the US tax system would still require me, or any US citizen, to pay income tax even IF my job was outside the country. And according to Canada, If you live their then you pay them income tax two. So basically I would pay tax to both country's and still only manage to own a car that had time limits. Basically it couldn't be in the US for more than 120 days without changing the registration info.

so now unless the 25 year rule or emissions become more strict then I will simply wait. $hitty.

[ventrex]

you know this thread is just constantly beating a dead horse...

[prestonp06]

well when i used "VIN" i used is really loosely.

let me just call it "TNTTCGI" (The Number That The Company Gave It)

but the "TNTTCGI" issue aside, how close am I?

[prestonp06]

ok so if you want a skyline r32 or 34 you need to find a motorex. period

[Mr_Merkur]

Ok, yea I'm new here and prolly beating a dead horse, BUTTTTT a buddy and I are finally working on opening our own shop and are looking to become RIs, been going threw the details etc. to become one.

A few things that I have not seen in all my research (a lot of it to), is anywhere that states that r32 and r34s are banned, they just arnt eligible yet, due to the lack of crash testing etc.

So what stops someone from actually doing what MotorEx did, just legally and actually go threw all the loops. So "theoretically" we open up shop, become a registered importer, crash test an r32 and or r34. Then import them, do the required chassis mods to make the vehicles be fedrally legal. . . BUT have no engine or just swap in like a KA that passes emissions. The car would then be able to be 100% legal with a KA engine for example. The buyer would then be able buy a running, driving and hundred percent legal skyline. What the buyer does with the car is not my responsibility.

So if we got a fully legal shell, one could have the shop do an rb engine swap, but the customer would prolly have to sign a waiver stating that the car may not pass emissions.

The shop would then be completely covered and doing it all legal. If the customer gets busted, they wont loose their. Although they may get popped for emissions and a hefty fine, but thats not on the company as stated waiver.

Sounds like a solid plan, expensive, but solid. We can work on emissions later to comply.

and yes I red the WHOLE thread

Hey guys, I'm new to the forum, so please be easy this humble noob if this idea has been proposed before.

After reading this thread and reviewing the petition by JK Technologies, I think I am coming to grips with this information. Now, all of the changes to make the car DOT legal are contained within the petition, or were there seperate (mind you DOT-specific, nothing to do with EPA yet) changes that needed to be made to the R33 post-96 series that Motorex has still not disclosed?And then, once the car has passed the DOT inspection, it will then need to go through the EPA and their OBDII, which is what shuts down most potential buyers, correct? If that is correct, what if the car were outfitted with an OBDII-equipped engine (say an LS1 for the sake of argument), then would it be allowed to pass through the federal regulations or will it have been modified so heavily that it will no longer be considered a Skyline?

Now, with that said, what if strictly the body were imported, it was converted by an RI to comply with DOT rgulations, then outfitted with an engine that would pass the EPA regulations with an engine already in America. Would this modification, assuming that the DOT no longer considers a Skyline with a swapped motor to be the standard production model, be legally capable of being registered as a kit car (federally, not just state) because now it is heavily modified so that it is no longer a production car but it still meets DOT regulations?

[AZhitman]

If you can afford to crash test enough R-chassis cars to satisfy the NHTSA, then you don't need a new business venture... you need a cabin in the Hamptons and a harem of supermodels.



On a side note, any idea how much it costs to rent a crash-testing facility (and the equipment) and salaried engineers to oversee and certify the testing?

Might wanna consult your accountant.

[USsil80]

If you can afford to crash test enough R-chassis cars to satisfy the NHTSA, then you don't need a new business venture... you need a cabin in the Hamptons and a harem of supermodels.

umm.. can i get in on some of that please? will be the harem manger of the place

[Mr_Merkur]

It's an idea, but is it prossible? After all how many cars would have to be sold to have covered crash testing etc. I saw earlier in this post and someone said it was like 90,000 for crash testing threw JK and 8g a pop for r32s and they were the ones who did it for MotorEx, and really you think of that divided by 3 people who may not be rich but not poor, etc.

Haha, just realized USsil said why not to Minot. Been to Ellsworth?
Modified by Mr_Merkur at 1:40 PM 6/11/2009

[prestonp06]

i wonder if the employees of crash testing facilities get employee discounts for using the facility.

hmmm,...google time

[prestonp06]

Ok, yea I'm new here and prolly beating a dead horse, BUTTTTT a buddy and I are finally working on opening our own shop and are looking to become RIs, been going threw the details etc. to become one.

A few things that I have not seen in all my research (a lot of it to), is anywhere that states that r32 and r34s are banned, they just arnt eligible yet, due to the lack of crash testing etc.

So what stops someone from actually doing what MotorEx did, just legally and actually go threw all the loops. So "theoretically" we open up shop, become a registered importer, crash test an r32 and or r34. Then import them, do the required chassis mods to make the vehicles be fedrally legal. . . BUT have no engine or just swap in like a KA that passes emissions. The car would then be able to be 100% legal with a KA engine for example. The buyer would then be able buy a running, driving and hundred percent legal skyline. What the buyer does with the car is not my responsibility.

So if we got a fully legal shell, one could have the shop do an rb engine swap, but the customer would prolly have to sign a waiver stating that the car may not pass emissions.

The shop would then be completely covered and doing it all legal. If the customer gets busted, they wont loose their. Although they may get popped for emissions and a hefty fine, but thats not on the company as stated waiver.

Sounds like a solid plan, expensive, but solid. We can work on emissions later to comply.

and yes I red the WHOLE thread

here i found this independent facility that does them. i'm emailing them as we speak

http://www.calspan.com/fullscale.htm

[prestonp06]

ok so the director of operations at Calspan test facility is emailing me some quotes for facility use. and thats minus cars and transportation and labor from carriers and all that other doodah

[Mr_Merkur]

I'm interested to see these numbers, is that just for an r32 and or r33? Do they do the petitioning?

[HowlerMonkey]

Since the R31 is the same unibody as the infiniti m30, you would think the powers that be could apply the crash test ratings to it.

[93 Chuki FB]

hey just wanted u all to know that i got off the phone with the U.S customs and i got back from the DMV and getting a skyline is very easy, they will only let it over the border if it meets safety and EPA and the r33 already meets safety and all u need to do is take to a qualified shop and have them throw some emissions crap to make it pass and they will give u a receipt, take the receipt the U.S customs and pay a tax and then another tax of like 8.9% to the DMV and ur done u also need a bill of sale and a Canadian registration, i s*** u not my cousin just got back from Canada land with his new black r33 GTS and its sexy as hell and he just told me the whole process so i can get one next year, the reason i went to the DMV and called the U.S customs was to verify if the info was correct and it all checks out, he has WA plates and tabs till 10/2010 and his registration says skyline on it and he gets his title in 3-7 weeks

[Gold Digger]

You expect us to believe it's just that easy? Come on, man. We have been covering this debate for a few years now. Don't you think if it were that easy to get a fed legal Skyline, we would've found out about it?

First off, yes, the 96-98 R33 Skylines are eligible for imortation. That's old news. Yes, they are eligible becuase they meat the NHTSA's crash test standards with a few modifications to increase rigidity.

But, the engines don't meet U.S. EPA smog standards due to not using an EGR valve set up and also the RB series enigne ECUs don't have OBD II compliant systems. Gotta get around that one first.

So, while your cousin may have found another way to get a state titled Skyline in the U.S., it's far from the "legal" way of doing things.

[93 Chuki FB]

to be honest with you i dont know how he did it but as far as i know its legit, the car passed smog it scored HC PPM CO% CO+CO2% 02% RPMcruise limit:150 1.1 6 N/A N/Acruse emissions: 0.92 15.22 2.07 N/Acruise result: PASS PASS N/A N/A N/A idle limit:220 1.2 6 N/A N/A idle emissions:38 .19 11.23 8.18 810idle result:PASS PASS N/A N/A N/A

TEST RESULT:PASSMANUFACTURER: NISSAN MODEL: SKYLINEMODEL YEAR: 1996EXHAUST: SINGLECAP 1:PASSSTART DATE/TIME: 06/02/09 03:04 PMBODY TYPE:SEDANFUEL TYPE: GAS

anyway he some how got everything legit and passed, he said hes gonna do the same thing for me when i get another 6k and he said he will try to find me a R33 GTR, anyway i drove it and that thing is a blast!!! and he already got a negligent driving of the 2nd degree ticket for 600$ the cop didn't say anything to him about the car

[ventrex]

what about states like MA that do not need emissions testing for pre-1996 vehicles?

[93 Chuki FB]

i dont have a clue, i see no reason why the government wouldn't want u to import a car, they would only make money like i said my cousin went and talked to the DMV and a few other places and a month later he shows up at my house with a R33 GTS, as far a as MA goes u might only need to meet safety and that's it and u need a bill of sale and Canadian registration, since the sticker saying it meets safety is on the car the U.S customs will see it, but i think no matter what ur gonna have to get it to meet EPA as far as my cousin goes all they did was put that rod up the car's a** and that's it they didn't look for a OBD plug in or whatever, but i live in WA so the rules might be different

[AZhitman]

Insure it, and then get in an accident.

Let us know how quick the insurance company says, "Screw you".

Providing false information to obtain coverage is grounds for denial of a claim, and in some instances, a criminal offense.

Again - If someone finds a way to do it, I say "Attaboy". I think the prohibitions on importation are stupid.

But I've been researching this issue for a long time, and I keep coming back to the same dead end.

[93 Chuki FB]

it is insured he has full coverage (Allstate) and on the little paper card he has it says skyline on it, he didn't do it over the phone, he went down to one of there offices and told them to inspect cause he imported it and wanted to make sure they would insure it he pays 297$ a month and he is 27 and it will go up cause of the ticket he just got for drifting (neg 2, 600$) he tells me everything is 100% legal and i trust him, he told me to go talk to the DMV and the U.S customs and they will work with u and help u nothing is false, i went with him for the emissions inspection and before they can give the paper saying u passed they must inspect and match up the VIN and that's what they did and he passed he also had to take to the police inspection and give them the paper from the U.S customs saying it meets safety and EPA standards and its legal the cops inspected it and gave him another piece of paper and he did a few other things at the DMV and he was done (he didn't do it that order) also i have a 78 RX-7 straight from Japan and it has a 12charcter VIN with a dash in the middle and i was able to register it with that VIN just fine

[93 Chuki FB]

never mind he just found out that the government is looking for the car and hes gonna try to take back to Canada to try and sell it there........GOD DAMN IT!!!! i thought that there finally was an easy way of getting a skyline, i guess not, ohh well only four more years until there legal, i still don't know how he got passed the police inspection without any trouble, hahaha he called me saying that men in black are looking for his car and he sounded like he was gonna cry hahahahaha
Modified by 93 Chuki FB at 12:19 AM 7/3/2009

[AZhitman]

Ummmm, ok.

[ventrex]

you obviously didn't read this thread...

[Gold Digger]

As I said before. We have been covering this debate for a long time. So many people come in with questions and supposed "answers" to how to do it thinking they know something we don't. We have our ears to the deck and if something big happens, you all will be the first to know about it.

[93 Chuki FB]

wait, i thought that as soon as it was over the border they couldn't do anything about it? what if he took it all apart and just left it in his garage? and what if he registers it as a track car? and no i didn't read the whole thread, i was so excited that he had gotten and it was"legit" that i pretty much told everybody because he might of found a easy way of getting one, anyway now that i think about it, its bulls*** how the government has so much control over importation of cars that were not intended for the United States, but on a side note RHD is a lot harder to drive than i thought and the Skyline is way faster than i could have ever imagined, oh well only four more years until the r32 is legal

[Freshman1]

ok so I have a question that has probably been asked already on this post but i cant seem to find it among the countless pointless arguments about the G35 and R32-4 not being the same car... even though if nissan says the G35 is a skyline...... then its a skyline seeing as how its their car and production and all.... But What if I found a local listing for someone selling a skyline already imported and street legal but still right side drive. what kind of complications can I expect to run into when I try to register and insure the b****.

I live in NJ FYI thanks guys,-Alexander

[Gold Digger]

Well, for one, the G35 is no where near the same car as the R chassis. The G35 is the V chassis, which is also the Skyline 350GT in Japan. I don't know about importing the V35 Skyline/G35, so not sure on the rules/regs on that.

For the R chassis, they are all going to be RHD unless a conversion to LHD has been done, which has been done before, but only a handfull of times, and it's not cheap.

There are very few "Legal" Skylines in the states, and anyone that is selling a "Street Legal" Skyline is most likely a grey market car, or it's a scam by someone trying to make a quick buck.

As for registering it and insuring it, there are places that will do it, but be aware that if you try to insure a grey market car, you could run into issues should you get into an accident, be it your fault or the other drivers.

[93 Chuki FB]

wait what happens if a find a junked up skyline in like a junkyard or someone is parting it out and he has all the paper work to go with the car and lets say its a genuine parts car, now if i were to take it over the border as is no motor, transmission, some body panels missing and a few other things, if i rebuilt over a period of a year could it be a legal kit car or whatever?

[AZhitman]

wait what happens if a find a junked up skyline in like a junkyard or someone is parting it out and he has all the paper work to go with the car and lets say its a genuine parts car, now if i were to take it over the border as is no motor, transmission, some body panels missing and a few other things, if i rebuilt over a period of a year could it be a legal kit car or whatever?

At this point, I'm going to ask you to read the whole thread.