I like the structural grommet description!

I posted this on another thread I think regarding the same car issue??? but got no response, I'm still curious if anyone cares to fill me in.

"From reading everything on this site over time I've seen many posts referring to rego's & have been somewhat perplexed.

I kind of feel bad for you guys down under, up here (the US) the only things we seem to have to comply to are emission standards & thats only after a certain year, I think it's 1977 or 78,prior to that anything goes, thats why you can have a 1000HP 68 Chev nova & be street legal. There are laws regarding cat converter removals & things like that & you wont get your car licensed unless it passes emissions inspection. That is unless it fails & you go spend I think $300 & it still fails then you get an exemption & your tabs anyways. So you can still have a POS emissions spewing failed inspection car & get your tabs, go figure!

Other then that the occasional safety inspection if you re-register a car into another state, but when I've done that they never check engine size, or brakes, or anything else other then making sure it has the proper running/brake lights & general safety overall, it's a rather cursory inspection.

You guys must have the safest cars in the world if they check all that stuff! Why are they so strict about this, did too many people go off driving into the outback & die ? Here there's a lot of wide open country but somebody usually drives by to save you butt if your stranded.

I've just always wondered why it seems so difficult to deal with licensing there."

I was interested in the description of your cover over the original gear lever hole being descrbed as 'structural'. Particularly when you remember that it was originally filled with what must have been a structural grade of rubber grommet.

The problem with welding it now is that you need to remove ALL of the brass or it will tend to screw around with the weld quality.

Going to get mate of mine who has a fabrication business to come out and certify my welding on the mounts. Will ask his oppinion, but will probally pull the carpet etc out and MIG it up.

cadet1200 the gearbox mount does not attach to the chassis rails. It bolts to custom mounts attached primarily to the sides of the tunnel and the floor pan. Originially it was bolted to the floor pan with backing plates and was told this would cause stress on the floor pan and could be done better. Hense all the effort I have gone to to fabricate moutings.

Hey out of interest did your engineer specify that the gearbox crossmember be attached to the chasis rails. I was told that one of the engineers in Vic was demanding this and at the moment mine just bolts through the floor to large backing plates.
Good luck with it!

$50 an hr is real cheap. I was thinking you might be able to find a bloke who's cheaper, cut your losses and go there, but I doubt you'll find cheaper.

Probably best to just MIG it. You could try and prove him wrong but it'll take time, and that's precious time you could be spending with the datto on the road or track.

Engineer has been paid his initial fee ($250) and now at $50.oo per hour. He said get the car running so I can inspect and drive it on race track. I feel this is quite reasonable.

I then started asking questions relating to all the mods done to the vehicle. As last thing I want is to take vehicle to him 99% completed and been told to re do this and that. As was the case with the fuel system I had to remove a month ago.

I could remove the seats and carpet and drop the box a good 3 inches on the trolley jack and mig weld the plate once I get rid of the bronze. Its hard to get a good mig weld over bronze.

Its a huge job to drop the motor and box as I have standard tunnel and cant just drop the box. (So if you doing CA conversion get big tunnel)

Do these engineers talk to each other ? They may be a bit snakey if one of them has done his $ ticket 'cause of you. Built an enduro bike in '78 nickel bronze brazed up the frame in cold drawn seamless. Put on a stock tank instead of the alloy hand made one,stamped a # on the frame and went to rta @ Roseberry
then rta headquarters. It was a wet day so they just got me to do a little circut in the yard to 'check the brakes'. Nutin like the good ol daze.

How much of the folding stuff have you handed over to said engineer? Would it be easier just finding another one, one you won't open your trap to?

Given the position your in I assume you've coughed up a bit already, just thought I'd throw the question at ya.

i agree it would be dissapointing to be knocked back for something so arguable.

but i dont see it as a huge problem.

pull the box, mig her up, and your legally on the road with a ca powered 1200.

thats what id be doing...

Exactly - The interior is all in and I told him how it was done. Should have kept mouth shut.

AS1554 covers appropriate welding technique and a basic tafe cert covers this.

Your right about the national standards - I checked these before I disclosed how I had done the fitment of the gearbox.

Engineer wants fitment of gearbox mounts certified to AS1554 by an approved person. So might get a mate to do that and leave old gear stick hole welding as you cant see it. Get him to document that gearbox mount welding is up to scratch.

It impossibe to check without removal of seats and carpet. Maybe worth a go.

A engineer in WA lost his transport approval for passing my Auto trimmers Comaro with a 454 chev big block and some serious mods.