New Jersey Builders - Inspection

[montyals]

Passed inspection at the Asbury Park DMV station yesterday. Process took almost two hours from start to finish. They said it was a really solid build and made a few minor suggestions like adding an extra clip to the x-member mounted brake line for extra rigidity, and keeping an eye on the front tires rubbing on the aluminum wheel wells. The main items they are looking for are ground clearance. But they said the Mark IV doesn't seem to have that issue. The items that are a MUST include,

1) ground clearance - nothing hanging below the frame. This includes bell housings, etc.
2) all lights and signals must work - you'll be asked to sit in the car and toggle through all the lights including high and low beams
3) brake low pressure light - they ask to see the light - it should be on the dashboard
4) if you're running cats they want to see the emissions sensor installed, not the plug.
5) you have to do a driving brake test where you drive the car about 15 feet, throw it into neutral, jam on the brakes, then a computer determines if your rear brakes lock up first. (passed this with flying colors after three attempts, I think the words they used were "perfect" or "the best they've seen" lol.
6) Gotta have wipers.
7) They check the front wheels for play! Can't be any side to side play in the wheels so make sure your tie rods are nice and tight.
8) Non-slip pads on pedals

Dispelling myths: ONE ROLL BAR IS PERFECTLY OK. There's no need to get two roll bars, or remove a seat if you only have one roll bar. There's no "one roll bar per seat rule". So yours, like mine, will pass with one roll bar.

After you pass they say that Trenton will send you the title in 7-10 days. After that, you take the title, probably back to Trenton, to register the car, then emissions.

Good luck with your builds!

[Fdxav8r]

Congrats on your inspection! That's gotta feel good. Also, thanks for all the current inspection info. One question. I've heard that I will need a brake fluid quantity light... not a low brake pressure light... a little confused here. I just pulled my engine back out because the oil pan was about an 1/8th of an inch below the bottom of the frame rails. Sounds like that was a good idea.

Congrats again,

Bob

[montyals]

Thanks Bob. The "brake fluid quantity light" you mentioned is the same light I mentioned. Seems like there's a few different ways it's described but you're right. They will definitely check for that light. They also mentioned about low oil pans also so it's good that you're taking another look at that. I was surprised at how much time they spent checking ground clearance. They said that if the car had four flats they want to see that the rims would keep the chassis at least 2 inches off the ground.

[Olli]

How did they rule on the emissions? When I went last year I was giving a letter that stated what year that the car was to be tested as based on the year of the block. Does this still hold true?

Olli

[montyals]

Olli, you're correct! They still issue a letter that indicates the year of the engine so that when the car is taken in for emissions the emissions folks will know what year/type of test to do regarding exhaust fumes. I was told that the letter would be sent in the mail.

[cChrisM]

Congrats, glad to hear another made it through. I don't follow the brake test? They want the rears to lock up first? How fast is the car going. The computer makes a guess? How will this work with ABS???

Anyway, congrats and look forward to seeing you on the road.

[MPTech]

Wow! congratulations on passing!

not saying any of these are bad things, but they are serious about their inspections.

how do they test brake fluid light? (or just make sure you have one(?), doesn't have to work?)

Isn't there also something about the gear-shift also has to display the shift pattern(?) (don't see the safety there)
that one I don't get, is that so the guy stealing your car knows if it is a 4-speed or 5-speed (don't see the safety there)

don't you also have to have bumpers? (thought I remembered the '33 crowd complaining about this)

Well, good for you, that's a major milestone out of the way and that much closer to being LICENSED :D

[montyals]

cChrisM - the car is supposed to be going at least 10mph when you jam on the brake but I think I was going about 15-mph. I don't understand the brake test except that I guess they figure that they want the brakes on a rear wheel drive car to engage first. I don't have a dime in that dollar but it's what the computer test is looking for. The night before the test I adjusted my proportioning valve one extra turn to the rear just in case. I guess it worked. I guess the same applies for ABS.

MPTech - They are VERY serious about the inspection! Which is a good thing. They made about four minor "suggestions" like, "the emergency brake cable looks good but you could have probably moved it over another half inch or inch" I just nodded and said, "ok". And, "you could add another clip to the brake line on the x-member for extra rigidity". I said, "ok". I don't know what the test is for the brake fluid light but I did point it out to them. The gear shift has to have the shift pattern on it, or the pattern needs to be on the tunnel or the dash board.

NO BUMPERS ARE NECESSARY. I passed with quick jacks.

All in all they were actually very helpful and asked a few questions, like how long did it take to build, etc. They wanted to see receipts with vin#'s for the engine and tranny and the YEAR of those components. Those are the only two purchases they really care about. (And the only two I took) Oh, and they want to see the serial number that's stamped by Factory Five on the chassis. They also prefer that you rivet the F5 vin plate to the car chassis prior to inspection.

Thanks for the well wishes!

[Fdxav8r]

Interesting about the ground clearance issue. I'm not sure how much I will have but I bought the 17" inch Hallibrands. I would think if the 15" could pass I would be ok on the 17's.

[djcarpenter1241]

All,

Quick Question; how firm are they on having the receipts for the engine and transmission?

I purchased a Boss 302 and T-5 in 2008. my house was flooded 2 years ago by Hurricane Irene and all of my documentation was destroyed. Main reason for the delay in completing my build. :-(

I was lucky enough and had the certificate of orig from FF in my lockbox. The rest of my receipts were destroyed. the place I purchased the engine and tran from went out of business.

does anyone have any advise/recommendations?

Thank you in advance.

[mrmustang]

All,

Quick Question; how firm are they on having the receipts for the engine and transmission?

I purchased a Boss 302 and T-5 in 2008. my house was flooded 2 years ago by Hurricane Irene and all of my documentation was destroyed. Main reason for the delay in completing my build. :-(

I was lucky enough and had the certificate of orig from FF in my lockbox. The rest of my receipts were destroyed. the place I purchased the engine and tran from went out of business.

does anyone have any advise/recommendations?

Thank you in advance.

Write a letter about what happened, they will find the casting numbers and the VIN numbers and run them to see if they were reported stolen. Yours will not be the first car that has not had receipts for everything. If possible though, they will want to know what you paid for them (cancelled check will do) for tax purposes.

Bill S.

[KeyserGogo]

Hello everyone. I have been dreaming of building an FFR roadster for over 10 years. I may finally be able to purchase a kit this summer (2014), so I have been spending more time lurking on this forum than usual. This thread caused me to finally sign up as a member so I can join the conversation.

I am curious about the roll bar and wheel situation. I have read a few posts about 17" wheels being mandatory in NJ - is this true? I plan to use 15" wheels and would prefer not to use 17s. Also, I planned a no hood scoop / no roll bar car, but it seems that a roll bar is mandatory to pass inspection - is this also true? I've seen a green "street roadster" with NJ license plates on one of the forums, so I am wondering how to make it happen. Thanks!

[KeyserGogo]

I forgot to mention, I want to use a pre 1973 non-roller 302 block. I want to buy a used one locally and tear it down to rebuild myself. What is sufficient as a "receipt" if buying an engine from someone locally?

[montyals]

Well, as far as the wheels are concerned, at Asbury Park, you definitely won't pass with 15" but you can get a cheap set of17s" have the car inspected, and put on the 15" afterwards. You have to have 17" or larger to pass. Rather than getting a variety of opinions on your desire not to use a roll bar, I'd suggest you call Asbury Park DMV and ask to speak with Joe B. (732) 869-8333 (He's not working this week though) He does the inspections and will be able to give you the correct answer.

Regarding the engine purchase, you can get a typed or hand written receipt from the seller with the vin# of the vehicle it came from. You could even have it notarized if you'd like, or accompanied by a signed affidavit. They just want to make sure it's was acquired legally. With a brand new built engine (with no vin#) you'd just need the receipt for the purchase with the name of the seller or company.

[KeyserGogo]

Thanks for the super quick response. I will give Joe a call eventually to ask about the roll bar requirement in NJ. I know that can be the start of an opinion war, but was only interested in the legality so thanks for the straight answer.

As far as wheels go, I will have to try and see some cars in person that have 17s installed, perhaps I can budge on that aspect of the build - beats having to buy an extra set of wheels/tires just for the inspection.

I know of a guy that scraps old fords that I can buy a 302 from, so getting a VIN and name/signature when I buy a used block should be no problem. I'm glad to hear the requirement to produce a receipt doesn't mean that I have to buy a crate engine or an entire vehicle to stay legal. Thanks again for the help!