WTB Cappuccino Radiator/Intercooler Shroud

[Fatburger]

Hi All,

I just bought a Cappuccino after wanting one since I saw them in the 90's, the ACT Dickson pits are now making my life Hell,
their hatred for grey imports has not changed
Does anyone have a spare Black plastic Radiator/Intercooler shroud (please see circled pic) for sale, or if anyone knows where I can get one from in Australia (am happy to look online in Japan but need the shroud for reinspection soon).

Many thanks, Fatburger

[Brayden]

That sucks mate. I've suffered at the pen stroke of Dickson inspectors so I feel your pain. I don't have a shroud, but it looks like something that would be easy to make out of sheet alloy. Bonus is that it would look much nicer than plastic.

Out of curiosity did you buy your Cappa locally?

[Fatburger]

Hi, the Car is Kei's old Silver Cappuccino, bought it off a guy in Northern Territory.
I contacted Kei before I bought the car asking about the history of it etc, The Capp's holding up well for a 92 model
Yeah the sheet alloy is a great idea but I'm looking for the factory 'stock' look

[grant4561]

I checked my spareparts anddont have one.
Why do you need that for an inspectionit is more for looks than anything else?

[Fatburger]

A former owner (many years back) hit a Wallaby (passenger front), and the repair job where the shroud goes visually doesn't look a 100% It may have been resprayed in cold weather etc, rego guys said I have to get a structural report done, problem is all the panel beaters I have contacted say unless they fixed the damage they won't risk losing their licence by doing the report due to Intimidation from Dickson pits, one panel beater had already lost their licence once and had to jump through flaming hoops to get it back, I had the car fully checked over by a mechanic before buying the car, the chassis isn't bent and there's some welding done by repairer under car, since the accident the Capp has been registered in Canberra, Queensland and the Northern Territory.
My honest opinion is the rego guys hate Grey Imports plus the ACT Labour govt has stuffed the ACT budget so re-inspections are a must for their failing budget woes, it's overkill and honestly as a 40yr old with health issues I wouldn't drive a car that was dangerous period.
I spoke to a guy with a GTR and his manual (book) was in Japanese, the rego guys failed him and told him to come back once it was translated into English, what the!?

[Brayden]

The trick with Dickson is to make sure your car is immaculate. I took my MB for a change of engine number verification and got hosed for everything from worn shocks through to misaligned washer jets. It took me 4 visits to clear the defects they slapped on.
Interestingly when I went back for the turbo conversion I spent weeks preparing, making sure everything was neat, tight and straight - they passed it on first inspection and even missed a few things I could have been pulled up on. One of them even commented that it was one of the cleanest cars they'd seen.

[Fatburger]

I did the same, bought a standard airbox 2nd hand off Japanese actions and replaced the pod filter fitted, also got a 2nd hand handbrake From Japan and fitted that, bought new washer line, fitted that, had 4 wheel alignment done (no mention of any structural damage causing Capp not to be aligned properly) check out the pic for proof I removed the 15% black window tint, also got hotdog muffler removed and replaced with something quieter, rego didn't even do a noise test I'm sure that will be next time
My mechanic says I should put in a complaint saying the structure report was overkill plus no panel beater will do one anyway

[JB]

Do you still need the shroud?

[Fatburger]

Hi, thanks for the offer but I ordered a 2nd hand shroud from Japan, should be here in a week or 2
Then back for a ride on the pain train to Dickson pits

[playwme]

Why did you needs to take it over the pits in Dickson? It shouldn't have needed an ID check because of its age.

[Fatburger]

I had to get the hot dog muffler fitted to the Capp changed to something legal, the guy at the Exhaust place asked could i go to
Dickson shop front/pits and ask
A) Can I take it anywhere in Canberra to be inspected?
B) Does it have to go over the pits? (As it is currently registered in NT)
The answer would mean a different muffler fitted, the guy on the shop front counter said he would go upstairs and ask tech standards and the minute you mention grey import they immediately said "We want to inspect it".
Hindsight I would have just gone and got an inspection with anyone who has a Pass/Fail stamp, and got rego that way.
When i picked the Capp up after the muffler was fitted the fitter tells me he couldn't fit anything bigger even if
he wanted to
So lesson learnt = Don't be Honest as it will cost you $$$ and your health.
The Way I see it I'll put in a complaint upstairs if they pull the same crap again

[Brayden]

All imported vehicles must go through Dickson:

Please note that, vehicles over 4.5 tonne GVM, public vehicles, modified vehicles, imported vehicles or vehicles without compliance plates MUST attend the Dickson Motor Registry. A booking for an inspection is required.

I'd much rather put up with the guys at Dickson once or twice than have the NSW system where the vehicle needs to be inspected every 12 months!

[Fatburger]

Well the guy on the counter at Dickson Shop Front said the Capp has never been over the Pits when it was registered in Canberra before??
Yes I remember back in the day going over the pits each year, not much fun at all, you just lined up in your car and went through, no making a booking, that's the problem now the inspectors use to fail everyone to get their fix aka
"Little man with a big stamp" but now it's a rare occasion for them, I've avoided these SOB's for years now it's time to pay the Piper

[playwme]

All imported vehicles must go through Dickson:

Is that a new rule? I've brought 3 imported vehicles into canberra from interstate and never taken them to Dickson. At least 2 also had Queensland mod plates.

[Brayden]

The rule has been around as long as I can remember, but the Rego ACT 'system' is so clunky and broken that mechanics can get away with passing import regos without getting picked up. Heck, even engine swaps can passed by mechanics (at their risk) without raising a flag with Rego ACT.

Technically mod plates aren't recognised in NSW/ACT, and if you were unlucky enough to get pulled up then its a guaranteed defect. A good mate found that out the hard way when his mod plated roll cage was knocked back at rego, requiring certification by a NSW/ACT engineer.