Moving to UK, I should bring my toy, right?
Discussion
Hey there Pistonheads, I'm a US servicemember moving to the Mildenhall area next year and really want to bring my '83 SC. I've been scouring the MOT regulations to make sure that I'll be good to go and just had a few questions that I hope you guys can help me with.
Car is US-spec and passed California emissions when I picked it up 4 years ago. Since then, I've rebuilt the motor and ripped out all the old CIS stuff, and replaced with EFI and ITBs. Car runs really well now, much impler setup than the CIS and has proven reliable, but I've not had to deal with emissions, so I'm unsure how much it would have affected things. The car still has its California catalytic converter, so it should still run fairly clean. Is there a visual inspection portion of MOT I'm not seeing? My car wouldn't pass in CA based on the visual inspection alone...
Also, I'm planning to daily drive it, at least for a little while. One thing I've read a little about is cars rusting over there, is it just due to moisture or are roads salted? I can handle the former but the latter gives me pause. Is undercoating a pretty common service?
Regarding lighting, I'm looking into some creative rear fog solutions, but I've got projector headlights retrofitted with a sharp beam cutoff; do I only need to ensure they're aimed properly or will MOT want them modified somehow?
I think that's it for now...one more picture because who doesn't like pictures? Cheers!
Car is US-spec and passed California emissions when I picked it up 4 years ago. Since then, I've rebuilt the motor and ripped out all the old CIS stuff, and replaced with EFI and ITBs. Car runs really well now, much impler setup than the CIS and has proven reliable, but I've not had to deal with emissions, so I'm unsure how much it would have affected things. The car still has its California catalytic converter, so it should still run fairly clean. Is there a visual inspection portion of MOT I'm not seeing? My car wouldn't pass in CA based on the visual inspection alone...
Also, I'm planning to daily drive it, at least for a little while. One thing I've read a little about is cars rusting over there, is it just due to moisture or are roads salted? I can handle the former but the latter gives me pause. Is undercoating a pretty common service?
Regarding lighting, I'm looking into some creative rear fog solutions, but I've got projector headlights retrofitted with a sharp beam cutoff; do I only need to ensure they're aimed properly or will MOT want them modified somehow?
I think that's it for now...one more picture because who doesn't like pictures? Cheers!
I'd only be speculating re how it would work with MoT and stuff for a temporarily imported car (and the import bit might be harder than the MoT bit).
But just like to say that this a fantastic looking car. Get it out at Snetterton just up the road for a track day or two!
Winter, yuk, salty, not recommended. I wouldn't even consider it, but some will have a different view I expect.
And Welcome to the UK when you get here!
Bert
But just like to say that this a fantastic looking car. Get it out at Snetterton just up the road for a track day or two!
Winter, yuk, salty, not recommended. I wouldn't even consider it, but some will have a different view I expect.
And Welcome to the UK when you get here!
Bert
You should maybe reach out to these guys. They market and sell US 911s to UK and also have parts business. I've not had any dealings with them myself but I'm sure they will be able to point you in the right direction if they can not help you themselves.
https://www.design911.co.uk/cars-for-sale/
Your cars very cool indeed. Love it!
https://www.design911.co.uk/cars-for-sale/
Your cars very cool indeed. Love it!
How long are you over here for? I live very near RAF Fairford and back in the 90s before it ramped down (now ramping back up I think!) there used to be quite a few vehicles on US plates* that I'd see regularly. Not sure what regulations they had to conform to but rear indicators etc weren't converted to UK spec as I remember.
- caveat that they may have been USAF plates
You’ve two options depending on how long you intend to have it here for? I’ve experience of doing it the other way around (UK to US) and was able to temporarily import for 12 months ( I did three). My understanding of doing it the other way round is the car can be here for 6-months full use, or six months of use over a 12-month period which would mean you leaving the country in that period (but the car can remain). After that probably needs registering here and tax paying. I’m not sure if there is a loophole by driving it across to the EU and back, or if there are special rules for US military.
Rust is mostly when the roads are salted in winter. It’s not all the time.
Car looks beautiful. You’ll have a lot of fun with that here. Nice to have a bit of home with you too.
As far as I understand it, the California smog test is much tougher than UK emissions - which won’t be all that hard on a car of that age.
Rust is mostly when the roads are salted in winter. It’s not all the time.
Car looks beautiful. You’ll have a lot of fun with that here. Nice to have a bit of home with you too.
As far as I understand it, the California smog test is much tougher than UK emissions - which won’t be all that hard on a car of that age.
Edited by Aircooled_Bug on Friday 17th April 09:18
Lovely looking car...stance is just right ! The good news is Mildenhall is in a part of our crowded island where it is actually not that crowded so you’ll be able to find some lovely roads to enjoy it on. Salt is definitely an issue in winter, many people here with something special in the garage do take there cars off the road in the winter or use them sparingly. It’s probably December to Feb you need to worry about it...most people wouldn’t use there car for two or three days after the roads have been salted if they are worried about it. It wont seem like it coming from California but you’ll be living in one of the driest parts of the UK and a bit warmer than further north so the weather doesn’t get too bad in winter. Underseal wont protect things like exhaust mounts, suspension components etc but there is probably something you can coat them in to protect them.
I’d recommend talking to a few specialists and see what they would recommend, they would probably know about emissions. These two are a couple of hours from Mildenhall and both have good reputations. Both would be used to seeing/selling LHD cars though normally from Europe.
https://www.jzmporsche.com/
https://rpmtechnik.co.uk/
I’d recommend talking to a few specialists and see what they would recommend, they would probably know about emissions. These two are a couple of hours from Mildenhall and both have good reputations. Both would be used to seeing/selling LHD cars though normally from Europe.
https://www.jzmporsche.com/
https://rpmtechnik.co.uk/
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