'85 Monza GSE arrives...

[ard674t]

Getting a car into the US isn't too difficult, although it does depend on the state you're in. I'm in California (not the UK, Otto...) and it's nigh on impossible to get something in unless it's pre-1976. Here's why...

There are two set of regs that keep cars out - the DOT and EPA. One (pretty sure DOT) only cares about cars <20 years old, the other only cares about cars <25 years old. In other words, when a car gets to 25 you can bring it into the USA without either agency caring, as long as you have the right paperwork. I've done this and it's a breeze.

To get it registered you need to worry about state regs. In California all cars from 1976 onwards need smog. Now if you need smog and have a "grey market" car you're bringing into the state, you need to go to one of the state testing laboratories and put it through an expensive manufacturer test (cost $5000 in 1998 and I was doing all the work...) to prove it can meet state regs for the year the car is.

Other states don't care as much (Achim lives in North Carolina and he can do what he likes, they don't care).

This is true regardless of where the car's coming from, so it's just as difficult bringing a car in from Canada as from the UK.

Of course, there are always ways round it, but not all of them are things you want to put on an open forum!
Cheers,
Nick

[tekenaar]

Originally Posted by ard674t Getting a car into the US isn't too difficult, although it does depend on the state you're in. I'm in California (not the UK, Otto...) and it's nigh on impossible to get something in unless it's pre-1976. Here's why... There are two set of regs . . . Of course, there are always ways round it, but not all of them are things you want to put on an open forum! Cheers, Nick

. . . yes, I know, Nick, but you're a transplant like me, right? . . . so, I guess I still consider you a Brit, since you don't exactly speak 'mercun!

[Gary]

My '84 Senator was a "Grey Market" import when it was new.
When it was brought into California, Someone did several mods to bring it up or close enough to, US spec. Like welding 1 1/2" channel iron behind the bumper skin and adding Toyota side marker lights. Must have been legal as there is a sticker on the door jamb with all the owners info.

[kwilford]

Originally Posted by RallyBob Well then, hello Louis! Long time since we've talked (2000 OMC I think). Bob Legere

Might have been 2005, at the 25th OMC anniversary, since IIRC, you were both there. Louis was driving the yellow Holden disguised as a GTO

[ard674t]

Gary, you're right. But you know what? The year I moved here from the UK (1992) was the year after they killed off the law that allowed you to bring a grey market car in. Prior to that you could bring a car in and meet either DOT or EPA regs for the year your car was manufactured. From 1992 you needed a full type approval test for any cars over 20 or 25 years. I asked the DOT how much that would cost and they told me I had more money than sense to even ask (seriously - governmental abuse at its best), but they did put me onto one of the official importers who quoted about $200k.

Yeah, well, if I had $200k to spare do you think I'd want to bring my Manta B's with me? LOL.

Likewise, my Monza was grey market when new in 1983. It was officially imported by Amerispec and I've got a sticker in the engine bay to prove it. Didn't matter worth a jot to California who wanted a BAR label on it and made me go and get one.

You got the Senator Roger Wilson worked on, right? Not the one Gary Swaim had?

OK, Otto, busted. I try to pass myself off as American but the accent is a bit of a giveaway...
Cheers,
N.
(Oops, sorry Rob, your thread has been hijacked. You better bring this Monza or the i200 to Carlisle next year, really want to see both!)

[Gary]

Originally Posted by ard674t You got the Senator Roger Wilson worked on, right? Not the one Gary Swaim had?

Correct. All the problems with the original engine and the overheating and "diesel rattle" with the rebuilt one were traced to chunks of melted catalytic converter blocking the exhaust.

I believe that Gary S. got the '79 that was imported by the same guy I bought mine from and that it was sent back over the pond.

Hey, maybe we should add a Bitter forum!

[ard674t]

Ouch. Oh well, good you got it sorted out. Sounds like you ended up with a second engine to find that out, though? That must've been fun to get over here, they're heavy buggers to move around.

I looked at Gary Swaim's Senator before I got Rick Graham's Monza. It was a nice car, but just way too expensive. It was unusual in that it was a 2.8S; I guess that's why it was interesting enough to ship back to Europe.
Cheers,
Nick

[timemachine]

Originally Posted by tekenaar . . . going from Canada to the US can't possibly as bad as trying to go the other way!

That's for sure, NHTSA is like Soviet bureaucracy. (You can't get there from here.) At least I'm not in California.

Nice Monza Rob! I am hoping you'll run out of money at some point so I can get back in the game. On the other hand, if you open an Opel museum, I'll be in line.

Jim

[Gary]

Originally Posted by ard674t Ouch. Oh well, good you got it sorted out. Sounds like you ended up with a second engine to find that out, though?

The original owner had "overheating" problems with the Senny. Recored the radiator, had someone modify the fans so both came on together, etc. He finally cooked two pistons and it ended up at Rogers. After Roger rebuilt it, the P.O. said it sounded like a diesel. Roger attributed the noise to the Venolia racing pistons he used.

It ran a little warm on the highway for me and it was during troubleshooting that problem I discovered the bad cat. The melted cat pieces would bounce around in the cat housing and occasionally would block the exhaust, causing back pressure, overheating, etc. New exhaust cured the overheating and rattle and it runs great. It's in storage now waiting for it's 25th birthday so I can get cheap insurance and drive it.

[Rionart]

Originally Posted by ard674t (Oops, sorry Rob, your thread has been hijacked. You better bring this Monza or the i200 to Carlisle next year, really want to see both!)

Not at all Nick, this is good reading...
Carlisle next year....Hmmm....I have a funky looking red GT that some people want to see....but I may have something else different to bring by May....

(cackles manically and wanders off towards the workshop...)

[tekenaar]

Originally Posted by ard674t Gary, you're right. But you know what? . . . . . . OK, Otto, busted. I try to pass myself off as American but the accent is a bit of a giveaway... Cheers, N. (Oops, sorry Rob, your thread has been hijacked. You better bring this Monza or the i200 to Carlisle next year, really want to see both!)

Yeah, it's kind of hard to get that 'Mercun lingo just right . . . you have way too many personal "Queensland" contacts to be seriously believed to be 'Mercun anyway!

[DutchOpel]

Well hello there Bob & Otto. As they say in the comedy series 'Allo 'Allo, "it is I, Louis". Indeed it has been a wile since we last spoke or for which event we were in contact: the 2000 OMC Picnic. Still alive and well and getting a bit more into the forum.
Rob, I had a closer look at all the photos from Billing you posted and Nico's Manta was in there!! Sorry for not noticing sooner.
Monza GSE boot spoiler on a Bitter SC?! It's too narrow Otto, don't think it will cover the bootlid. You might want to have a closer look at a Manta B GSI Exclusiv 3-piece rear spoiler. Look up a photo of Rob's i200 Manta and you'll see it on that car. That's also a flatter bootlid too.