Importing a JDM S14, need registration help!

[SidewaysS14]

After my insurance company totaled out my Zenki S14, I have decided to go all out and pick up the real thing. Now I need some advice on what is neccessary for legalizing this car. My friends shop has purchased my totaled out car and will be using that as a track car, so I have that resource there. Now all I need is a list of things I need to do, buy, replace, etc... to the car. Thanks for the help.

[Burmonster]

You will need lots and lots of money. And time.

[SidewaysS14]

Ok, I have that, now all I need is more info!

[Flybert]

You can switch the vins or you have to know people in the system. Also, I believe you have to have a racing license or something like that so that you can assure that it will be used for offroad purposes. Not sure on that last part but I heard that somewhere. Not sure about it though.

[crash153]

well... you may just want to go for the tricked out s13 on ebay with the hks gt3037!!! but anyway, you're going to have to get a salvage title on the car, then you are going to have to get the vin either registered, or like someone else said, get them swapped. what state are you in? half the time, its more of a pain in the ass then what its worth. my parent's good friends just got back from 5 years in kuwait, and they wanted to bring their rhd supra with them. it would have been free for them to bring it back,b/c of the whole army thing.... but they told me it was somewhere around 5-7k for registering, and making sure the car is approve by the d.o.t
if you're that crazy about an s14, and you ahve the g's then just do the swap here. save yourself and 100 others the headache...besides having and rhd here in the us is pimp no doubt, but unconventional at the same time.

[aznpoopy]

the true legal route is totally and utterly beyond your means...

motorex dumped a lot of money in legalizing skyline engine and chassis for legal sale. after that, they do mechanical work getting on each and every car they sell getting it up to US spec for emissions and safety. that's how they justify their enormous mark up in price... easly 10-20k i think depending on which year and which trim. that should give u an idea of how much money and time this could eat up.

perhaps with a s14 u might not run into the same problems. for instance the s14 is a chassis that actually exists in the US... i don't know the legal specifications or the exact differences; but u probably wouldnt have as much trouble there. maybe its identical and so is already approved for use in the US? the engine however is 100% illegal... legalizing that would be an enormous hassle. but u would benefiting alot of sr20det owners. sr20det has passed emissions before on a few occasions (still illegal of course!)

presonally i would think its not even worth it... just get a 240sx and swap in a s14 sr20det. yes its illegal and not a true jdm s14 but considering $$$, time and energy i would call it close enough. hell do a rhd conversion. it'd still probably be cheaper. what does true jdm mean anyway? according to the plate in my engine bay my 95 was manufactured in japan. *shrug*

[crash153]

agreed. just got off the phone with my parents friends, the total cost for them to import their supra would come to 7500 usd, that is without shipping. this is one of those go big or go home type of deals. i could understand if you really wanted an s15 and did that, but an s14, so many of them in the us. besides, their chassis is no where near as rigid as an s13, ever consider what you could do with an s13 comparetively? that's an extra say... 20k that you'd be able to invest in the damn thing. you can't go wrong with that. besides, the drive in an s13, compared to an s14, is so much more rewarding. once you drive one, you'll never want to stop.

[Danio]

Originally Posted by crash153

besides, their chassis is no where near as rigid as an s13, ever consider what you could do with an s13 comparetively? that's an extra say... 20k that you'd be able to invest in the damn thing. you can't go wrong with that. besides, the drive in an s13, compared to an s14, is so much more rewarding. once you drive one, you'll never want to stop.

S14 chassis should be more rigid than S13. Where did you hear that S13 is more rigid? And the rest of the stuff you said is subjective. :P

[SidewaysS14]

Well if worse comes to worse, I'd buy a MotorRex car, i just don't really know the prices they charge, kinda steep...I heard.

[steve shadows]

Originally Posted by SidewaysS14

Well if worse comes to worse, I'd buy a MotorRex car, i just don't really know the prices they charge, kinda steep...I heard.

If i were you i would bulid an s14, for the price of being "jdm" you can have a 500whp s14 with a 2.2 liter sr20det fully tuned and even streetable with switchable maps on a full standalone computer , fuel cell, cage, suspenion, aero parts for sub 200mph runs, extra rims and suspension for the drift events and another for tougue or wangan etc. We have the connections and the knowledge you just provide us the means...

Or you can go thru HELL trying to legalize an s14 or just pray you never get pulled over and swap the vins but the cops arent stupid anymore my friends, they know what to look for, they know what an sr 20 looks like in most cases and they difintly know that rhd drive normally isnt DOT kosher....

I know auto con X ion in signal hill also in socal near us (rpsport.net) imports s13 and s14 and even have an s15 right now, however you CANNOT register the car legally in any way, and even if you "beat" the system you will have to drive around much like a drug smuggler does looking over your shoulder all the time....

-steve

[fliprayzin240sx]

IF your curios bout importing a S14, go talk to NEO (christian) hes rocking a JDM kouki he bought for $10k. He doesnt have it registered registered but he got his foot in the door. he got a registration extension sticker for it even tho it doesnt have a US vin for it. But if you seriously wanna do it rite...itll cost a lot to get it registered. You gotta go tru all kinds of stuff for it. Gotta make the car mechanically up to US spec then you still have the smog issues being in caLi.

[Brian]

autoconXion in signal hill is getting a couple s14 from japan on monday. one is a K's and one is a Q's. you might want to check them out.

[DuffMan]

Keep your totaled s14, convert the jdm car to lhd and transfer over all the vins and whatnot. Its the only way.

[gogeeta13]

too bad you live in cali. In ohio, you can get a nascar car approved easy as can be. Then again, our laws allow you to drive a tractor around, so things are different.

[kazuo]

DuffMan is on the right track. Easiest thing to do is swap VINs from your old car to the JDM car and re-register it.

The only issue is the firewall VIN... how you handle that, I don't know...

I wouldn't recommend getting a JDM car due to the hassle involved. There is one cat up here that has a RHD S14 but he hasn't been able to get the proper tags for it...

Good luck

[kpxchonnom]

drive without registration -.-;; well i've seen one at the SUNSHIne stree meet
there was s15 zenki(black) with jap license plate in the back and front driving around at street

[Caps Lock]

I know a guy that has a RHD JDM 4 door civic as a show car. He probably stated that its very similar to the USDM civic. You could probably do that, but I dunno since the engine is different. There have been some SR20DETs that have passed emissions. I think I heard with just a catback exahuast and the turbo being retarted.

[kazuo]

The guy you mention with the Ferio either brought it in as a show car (doubtful but possible) or more likely just swapped VINs.

He couldn't bring that in legally cus the engine is illegal (just like the RWD SR20DET) and it wouldnt meet US DOT crash testing standards.

RWD SR20DET engine is illegal, period, even though when properly set up it will pass a tailpipe emissions test.

How do you retard a turbo?

Yeah, only way for dude to bring that JDM S14 in is the VIN swap... no way he's gonna get it through otherwise. Show car, he'll have a tough time, race car, not a chance, and thats about it as far as how he can get it here legally.

Again, good luck

[Red]

The SR20DET engine is already legal... you have to make it LHD if there is a LHD version in the USA... and there is... You need to make sure it passes smog... I think thats it...

Ohh and BTW get the engine taken out of the car when it ships so it does not count as a "car" just "parts"

EDIT: I saw a list once of cars that were legal to import and the silvia S13 and S14 are on the list... So are the skylines... The S15 is not leagal still...

You need to search the web and find some .gov sites about importing... they will have all the info you need...

[nightwalker]

Originally Posted by Red

The SR20DET engine is already legal...

who gave you this info?????

[HyperTek]

why go thru the hassle if the JDM silvia has a US counterpart as a 240? Id rather import a car thats not over here, like a FTO or something.. or even a oldskool EVOIII.

[Red]

Originally Posted by nightwalker

who gave you this info?????

As far as I remember I found it on a gov site... I dont have the time right now to find it again or I would.

[Blues13]

red - Haha.. yes, please find it when u have time,.. I think that would be helpful to a lot of peeps here if it's true.

caps lock - I think you meant the timing being retarded.. not the turbo.. plus most sr swaps have the egr removed so won't pass nox levels among the visuals stock.. of course there's always ways to get around this.

[Var]

Maybe it would be easier to first register it in another state, then bring it into california.

[phrozen]

hey ray remember the white jdm kouki from the meet? think it waws rollin on some r33 rims, that thing was clean

[SidewaysS14]

Thanks guys for all the info, I always had dreams of importing a S14, after the countless RHD ITR's, but that is the past, and I just might have to sit on my totaled out fools gold S14, for just a while longer. Goals are to just get her up and running again, and make her a clean lookin' Kouki drifter. In the meantime I must cruz around in the freekin' 04 Cavalier 4dr, haha, e-brake fantasies lived out in this little beast...Thanks again for the feedback, hope to see everyone at DD14...peeez

[ridebmx]

you guys do know the fine for switching vins dont you? iirc it is very steep. I wouldnt recommend switching vins, not worth it if u get caught


10802. Any person who knowingly alters, counterfeits, defaces,
destroys, disguises, falsifies, forges, obliterates, or removes
vehicle identification numbers, with the intent to misrepresent the
identity or prevent the identification of motor vehicles or motor
vehicle parts, for the purpose of sale, transfer, import, or export,
is guilty of a public offense and, upon conviction, shall be punished
by imprisonment in the state prison for 16 months, or two or three
years, or by a fine of not more than twenty-five thousand dollars
($25,000), or by both the fine and imprisonment, or by up to one year
in the county jail, or by a fine of not more than one thousand
dollars ($1,000), or by both the fine and imprisonment.

found that on a site, its California law, it wasnt a .gov so it might have been updated. and im sure there are other laws you would be breaking in the vehichle codes, and you also might be freaking fedral laws, lol, if you do decide to switch vins, be damn careful

[phrozen]

RWD sr20 is not legal.. FWD sr20 is legal. s13 and s14 are not legal to import, ive seen that list and looked at it many times... unless it has changed very recently they are still illegal. If RWD sr20 motor was legal, it would be all over the various forums and in magazines like a wild fire...like ray said talk to neo hes driving a jdm s14 kouki around the bay.. i seen it at one of the meets his car was sick, just to see a real jdm s14... lol come to think of it all our cars are jdm and imported hehe stupid me... well back to the subject, its more then your moneys worth... ur better off buying a s14 of ur choice doing the rhd conversion, drop the motor of ur choice, add some "jdm mad tyte yo" stuff to it and making urself :ghey: lol jk but its not worth your money. im soo tired done even know what i wrote above... im goign to sleep

[bustav13t]

is a RHD conversion even legal?

[brianglawson]

why not do kind of what RED said but have it come back as parts and "build it" and then register it as a kitcar???