RTA Shitfight

[reddo]

Hi Guys

Had a shitfight at the RTA yestreday when i went to pay the rego fees.
I thought my dramas where over when the van flew through the pink slip inspection.
The Pvan was in a major front end smash back in the mid to late 90s and had a replacement FC subframe fitted
Van is registered as an FC. Has 1957 FC on the rego papers, Their system doesnt list a 1957 FC.
 System states 1958 onwards. Plates on firewall id state
 FE 2104 - 19 -A
Trim - 6 - 586.
Paint 256 - 7449
RPO - 333
 Plebs at RTA didnt wanna know about what the ID plate says and cant understand that it is an FE that has had a front end reconstruction with an FC subframe  ( number is something like FC008*****). and refuse to reg it as an FE but at the same time say that thier system states Holden didnt make FCs until 1958.

They ended up registering it and i walked away with a new 2008 label and papers stating "1957 FC". It gets better ...They have the model as "00CAR"  shape: Pvan   Eng Capacity : 3.298cc
The office chick is still chewing it over. She is gunna ring the brain surgeons in Sydney head office and get a ruling on what it is.. FE or FC.
Dont ya just love beaurocracy .

I didnt wanna make waves with them and i ended up walking out cuddling my paper work and the all imprtant sticker that says " 22 Nov 2008"

Forgive me for my ignorance but did Holden release the FC in late 1957 or not.
Just need to know in case i have to front the RTA again.

Meanwhile....
If it quacks like a duck, looks like a duck... then its a duck.

Reddo

[ridgey_didge]

Reddo,

No FCs until 58.  My FE is definitely a 58 build and looking forward to her personal 50th next year.

At least you have the label - the RTA can go figure on the rest of it.

Cheers,
David

[mcl1959]

Reddo, try to see it from the RTA point of view - official records kept since the start of motoring in Australia list engine number and chassis number as the 2 identifying numbers on a vehicle.
Information on the ID plate has NEVER been included on registration databases.
Therefore if your vehicle no longer has the engine or chassis number that it was last registered with then you present them with a problem.
When the chassis number or engine number is changed it is the owners responsibility to update this information with the RTA at the time it is done - This does not appear to have been done in your case.

Just because you tell them it is an FE means nothing - you could tell them that it is a Morris Major - do you think that they would register it as a Morris Major if you told them it was one?
What they are looking for is a traceable proof that the vehicle is an FE.
If you had the old chassis number and advised that it had been subsequently changed after an accident, then this would have been traceable proof. The emphasis here is on having the old chassis number.
The fact that they actually registered your van as a 1957 FC shows that they were flexible enough to understand that something had been changed - they couldn't figure out what, you didn't appear to be a criminal - so they registered your van.
There have been times in the past when your vehicle may have been seized until a full investigation of why inconsistencies were there had been completed. Thankfully those times have passed (hopefully)
Hope this is of some help
Ken

[customFC]

Sorry to hear of your rego issues.
FC was released on May 6 1958.
It would be easier for someone to change a firewall ID plate than a whole subframe.
This has been done in the past, so don't always believe the stories you may have been told.
Regards
Alex

[NO NAME]

ihad the wrong number, i had to leave my car with the forensic police, they said i could have it back if they found nothing wrong, otherwise they would destroy it, fortunately i got it back but they striped the area around the number with acetone and the engine bay had just been painted, i then had to get a police number to replace the original number.

[TTV6FC]

The Black FC I am restoring at the moment has a totally rusted out front end.I have a good front end from an FE to straight swap.While it may not sound completely legal,I intend to cut out the section of stamping on the FC front end and graft it back into the FE front end just so that all the numbers match and hopefully avoid a whole world of confusion....

[Glenn 'Stinky' Stankevicius]

Just make sure your engine isn't stolen 
If you have parts that you are unsure of the history of you can call the police with the number (engine, subframe, chassis etc) and they can let you know if it is listed as stolen.
That one phone call could save you a heap of drama.
I don't care what the Dept of Trans call my car, as long as they give me the rego sticker for it .

[mcl1959]

I tend to agree that swapping the old chassis number into the new chassis is the way to go, especially if you want to preserve the vehicle's originality - BUT WHATEVER YOU DO - don't tell them you did it, and make a really good job of it so that there is NO indication either above or below that it has been changed. 

Ken

[Ed]

Good advice Ken,

you may also want to run an engraver over it so you can actually read it too.

Cheers

Ed

[NO NAME]

yeah, all you are doing is a big rust repair, you are still using the old body but in the interest of safety swapping the subframe for a more solid one. no different to changing a door but the rta wouldnt see it that way.
 also since the number is on a bolt off part its a good idea to put some ID on the body just in case it went missing.

[customFC]

TTV6FC
You could try replacing the entire FC drivers side inner panel by cutting through the spot welds. This panel does not usually rust and it would be neater and almost undetectable.
Regards
Alex

[TTV6FC]

Thanks Alex,but this front end has rusted in places that I didn't know it even had places.Will see how we go.I'm pretty confident that I can TIG in the patch and make it look real sweet.Will let you know how we go.Sorry for almost hijacking the thread Reddo.Cheers,Jamie

[reddo]

Hiya Guys

All of the above ideas had crossed my mind when i took the pvan for a pink slip.

They baulked at the RTA counter when they read on the existing rego papers ... 1957 FC. 
True the plates on the firewall mean nothing to the RTA.
I ended up saying to the girly "it wasnt me who typed in 1957 FC on your paperwork". She ended up handing over the new papers and label .  She was going to make some enquiries with head office and post the details to me.
So i sweated for a few days. . I recieved  a letter on tuesday with an exact copy of the paperwork i was handed the day i paid the rego .

So nothing has changed. I am the registered owner of a very, very, very rare  1957 FC windowless panno with FE indicators, bonnet mould and FE Id plates....
Bottom line: I dont give a rats. The car will never be a show winning concourser .. nor do i want it to be one.
 i have my label and i am enjoying driving the old girl every day.
Just gotta go through the same crap again next year when i walk in to pay my money and someone detects... "1957 FC" . i will definitley be taking the letter i recieved the other day in the mail.

The shitfight might be over for this year but i will probably be shovelling the same shit about this time next year.

Reddo

[customFC]

Hey Reddo.
I doubt they will even notice next year.
The rego papers will come in the mail, you will get a pink and green slip and the RTA will just process a payment. Most of those guys/gals don't know an FC from a UC.
I think the reason they looked this year is because you transfered rego into your name and they had to retype the details.
I wouldn't sweat it.
Regards
Alex