Jesse OBrien Posted March 26, 2013 Author Share Posted March 26, 2013 German TUV and Japan have similar perforation requirements. Universally they are taken care of by putting metal tape on the holes and then body undercoating heavily to hide evidence of any repairs. You then repair when it suits you. That repair will work just as good as welding. And if it's TUV passable, it's 1,000,000 times better than any stateside 'safety' inspection. Not to get political, but surveys have repeatedly shown absolutely NO correlation between states with safety inspections and any statistical impact on mechanical-related deaths or injuries. They are identical between inspection and non-inspection states. Somewhere around 4% of all accidents involve a mechanical failure. Really, all it does is force people into garages that can get the inspection franchise for the state to give them business. And I'm sure bribery to pass is common. What are the penalties for a shop caught passing "unsafe" vehicles, and how is it quantified? It's all subjective, and people (as in any state with safety inspections) know where to go to "get the easy pass." Now, you want a REAL brake check? TUV/Holland...puts your car on a rolling road with wheel dynoes, and when you hit the brakes if there is a 3% variance side-to side you FAIL! No soup for you! Something about being let into the Bar-Under 200 Lane on the A1 I suppose... Conversely, though, there is a statistical correlation with Emissions Testing and cleaner air. And at least in CA, even when bribery was possible it STILL cleaned the air. It's much more Difficult these days to get a 'easy pass' or 'clean pipe' simply from the sting operations and PUNITIVE fines and penalties imposed on the techs doing the work.... Bigtime hammer falls! I took an out-of-state truck into be smog tested in January... Tech was an older guy, is real interested in what I have in back says "What's in the back of the truck?" "BAR90 SMOG Machine" Took me 1 1/2 hours to get my test done! Guy checked, rechecked, then rechecked AGAIN everything. I mean, the truck was CLEAN (as in 0.0 on NOx!) for a Federal Emissions Vehicle, I piped clean to CA standards, and he was SURE I was a Sting Plant. Poor Guy! I just needed a Smog to get my registration...which I still don't have... but let's not GO THERE! My only real smog complaint comes in with arbitrary parts swap laws in CA. You can't simply build a car with a hyper-clean, hyper-efficient engine. It has to come from a mass manufacturer, have a CARB certification label on it, and be newer than your car. It's a little silly, but it's an easy problem to solve: Leave California (that's what I did, and it's one of the best things I've done in my life). I'm definitely interested to see the data from those surveys. If it all adds up, I'd love to write a feature on it for Driven Daily. In theory, I find it hard to believe that safety inspections don't prevent accidents. The only reason I can see to weld my floors vs metal tape or similar is structural rigidity. I've been toying with the idea of making some composite floor panels, since they wouldn't ever rust (just crack and break, then I make new ones) and they don't actually hold anything up anyway. I haven't researched anyone else's previous experiences though, and I'm not ready to get started on body work yet. Welcome to what most of the western world have to deal with, NZ has the same basic thing, car Warrant of Fitness, or WoF checks. every 6 months we have to get our cars checked against a list of required performance settings. If they pass, we get a sticker in the window. If you fail, you can't drive it anywhere except home from the testing station or from home to the testing station after repair. The UK has the MOT test. Japan has something in kanji, same idea. Australia the same... So does Germany... Even Ukraine has it. China has it. Every year you troop down to the test centre, they make sure your car won't endanger other road users, and pay your vehicle tax.At least in chinas case a few Yuan tucked into your vehicle ownership papers handed to the tester means you get the approval, never mind the state of the car. Yet most of the US doesn't. From what I hear, if it runs, they let it on the road.... You just gotta have insurance to cover your ass when it breaks in half on the interstate and causes a pileup. I'm not complaining about safety inspections. I'm all for them. However, NH does not require insurance at all. If you crash and it's your fault, it's your responsibility. If you have insurance, they'll typically handle the pecuniary end of things, but if you don't, you could be paying for someone's physical therapy for the rest of your life. NH leaves the choice open, and allows people to ruin their lives at will. You can be as irresponsible as you like, as long as you aren't harming anyone else. We also don't require helmets on motorbikes (because you wearing a helmet really only affects you, NOT wearing one isn't endangering anybody else), and after you've been alive for 18 years, you're not required to wear a seat belt (it's debatable as to whether or not this endangers others, but that's another topic altogether). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesse OBrien Posted March 31, 2013 Author Share Posted March 31, 2013 Picked up an n42 long block yesterday, so it doesn't look like the l24 is going to see any use. I'll pull the rods, and send it off to be scrapped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 I wouldn't compare any MOT inspection with anything done in the US... The level of actual inspection in the USA anywhere is a joke compared with yep the others listed I'm familiar with... But even in Japan, YOU can do the repairs yourself, and take it to a government run inspection centre. Pay and pass/ fail. You don't HAVE to take it to an official GOJ Garage. Almost nobody knows that... It's nowhere near the level in Australia for modifications. Turn the block into a wine rack or table base! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesse OBrien Posted April 1, 2013 Author Share Posted April 1, 2013 Turn the block into a wine rack or table base! I was actually JUST thinking that. I think it's a phenomenal idea, I'll just have to clean it like crazy to get it presentable enough to pitch the idea to my girlfriend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D Posted April 2, 2013 Share Posted April 2, 2013 Take it to an industrial media blaster, then have it powder coated. Sitting horizontally, it is a stout base for a 1" thick Lexan top bolted into the head bolt holes! You can make leveling pedestal feet to go either in the front and rear mains position, or use the oil pan bolt holes. Drill oversize and retap around an M8x1.25 on the four corners and standard table feet screw into it and level the table. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwi303 Posted April 2, 2013 Share Posted April 2, 2013 Get an empty 44 gallon drum and whack the top off, tip in a bottle of degreaser concentrate such as simple green et al, run a garden hose in and drop in the block. leave it to soak for a while and the cleaning will be easy as. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bfg Posted April 2, 2013 Share Posted April 2, 2013 3/8" glass works pretty well as a table top as well. Been using the same glass for a coffee table for the past couple years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xnke Posted April 2, 2013 Share Posted April 2, 2013 Use it as a mock-up block, you know how it's positioned in the car so you can use it for measurements for engine swaps, transmission swaps, ect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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