[Question] Structural calculation report(?) and other paperwork to register overseas

[VENOMASO]

Hi all, first time posting here.

I am really interested in importing and building FFR Mk5 to build my own cobra, but I did some digging (including this forum) to see what is needed to make it drivable on the street.
Here in Japan, it is very uncommon to drive on the road with hand-build kit cars and it needs to go through 2 stage process - first need to check all the boxes based on documents provided to the Dept. of Motor Vehicles equivalent, and then once it passes then it'll go through physical testing (make sure lights work, brakes, ride height, body dimension, exhaust loudness and emission, etc.)

One of the requirements is to hand in a structural calculation report - basically to prove that chassis frame is built in a way that is good and safe enough to drive on the road. There is no requirement to do any crash test or anything (this is if you want to mass produce and sell the car - like car manufacturer but unnecessary for individuals who just want to drive the car for themselves) but I think they need to be convinced that the chassis frame was designed properly.

So my questions is:
Is there a place here or any other place where I can acquire such information (or maybe just reach out to FFR directly?)
Have anyone imported FFR kits to their country and went though all these hassle? Anything I should know or be careful beforehand?

I've been doing some heavy research to make this happen but... it's pretty steep uphill battle....
It's probably easier to build it in the states, register in one of the states, and export as a complete car (in this case, it goes through a whole different process - same as importing a foreign car) but I've swapped out SR engines in my Nissan 240SX, did coilover and brake upgrades when I was in the states so I would love to work on a project like this.

Any thoughts? Thanks in advance

[narly1]

A good start would be knowing what structural calculations need to be made and what values for same are acceptable. Stating that the chassis needs to be "designed properly" is a subjective, qualitative specification. What are the minimum quantitative results the dept of motor vehicles require?

Earl

[VENOMASO]

I appreciate your quick reply

I might have to do more digging and asking to find out the required values and specs, but Japanese authorities are notorious for being very vague and strict at same time. (One example is when taking the actual driving test to get your license - there are section in the course (which they don't tell you where) where you have to drive "at safe speed" but they will NEVER specify how fast you can go. I personally asked them 5-6 times but they refused to answer. You think I'm joking but these things do happen)

So basically from their standpoint, it's basically "give us what you can show and we decide if it's sufficient or not"
Yes it's subjective so you (and I) think they should have some quantitative requirements, but it's not always the case.

Maybe I should just ask DMV directly or consult a middleman who does these things professionally (only a handful) but I was just wondering if there was some information to show them to start the conversation.

[VENOMASO]

Hi all,

I got updates on the topic so here's my follow-up.

So... I called local Dept of Transportation who specializes in these things had a good 40min conversation. It may not matter to many but if you plan to import kits to Japan and want to drive it on the public road, I got answers.

[TLDR] It's damn near impossible - or in other words "they have no intent to give approval"

It's basically a 2 step process - Provide necessary documents -> Do actual vehicle test
They have a PDF showing what kind of proofs and documents are needed
(e.g. Strength/Structural calculation sheet, material certificate, welding drawings, various test data, inspection records, etc.)
Although they have a list of 7-8 categories, it doesn't say exactly what kind of proof/data is needed in each of those categories (it's not like a checkbox).
They summarized it like

"Oh our test is flexible and we give freedom to the applicants on what they want to do"

At this point, I already saw where this was going.

I asked bunch of follow-up questions like what happens if the documents were insufficient, or how would I know what information is missing, or is there any sample documents that passed for me to see as a reference and the response I got translates to this

"Convince us that your kit is worthy of driving on our street and THEN we might give you permission if you're lucky (you won't). But if we don't feel like it then we can fail you for no reason without telling you why. Oh and no there is no samples for you to see because those are confidential information"

They probably don't even have a sample since there is none

I asked what would be the average amount of documents to cover all these and was told anywhere from 80-100 sheets of documents or more - and also was told that the work you have to do to prove is basically equivalent to what car manufactures have to do (e.g. like when they drive their prototypes on the road).

The person I was talking to framed it as positively as possible but I can tell from his voice that I had zero chance to move forward with this option.
He mentioned about importing a registered car from overseas and he even told me that if he was to do what I was trying to do - he would just import the car instead of building it here.

So, my journey to importing kits/parts, building it locally, and registering as a kit car ends here.

Should I settle with Superformance Cobra like every other 95% of the people here in Japan? Should I give up on Factory Five Roadster?




















F-that I want FFR Mk5 Roadster dammit

I will start a new post asking about builders in the US who is also able to register in the states and export (or at least get it on the boat so we can take care the rest) and if you guys can provide me with any information, it would be appreciated. (or maybe there is a directory where I can look?)
If the shop allows it - I'm planning to fly to the shop and work on the car myself (that's the half of the fun right?)
I'll create a list of things that are needed (what kind of builder I'm looking, ease of registration, timeframe/delivery, communication, etc.)

I'll keep yall posted so stay tuned!

[Papa]

You might find this interesting:

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?52855-Mark-5-Cobra-for-sale