richard1.. the engines only have to bee 21 years and older to IMPORT  . but has to be OEM to import in car or truck  bit of CATCH 22 ..  and all 336 ports of entry in the USA  have their OWN rules.   is you truck  stillRHD ?? you can NOT change from RHD to LHD either..    I would ship to mexico and just DRIVE it over.   you can call me at home. I have a custom broker in  Neuvo laredo / mexico..Laredo Texas. that can help..  bc  001.704.487.6797

That is what is now worrying me. I was considering that the 92 engine 92 would be 25 years old.

richard 1..  didnt you convert your pickup to SPI?/  all imports NOW must be totally stock or OEM including the engine that CAME in the pick up.. later bc

Reading through this bothers me a bit, as I planned on eventually sending my pickup to my granddaughter in the states. I thought the 25 year rule would cover me. Now I'm worried, as all parts are more than 25 years old, but it is a mix of the basic 1975 with later doors, 1992 power train. 7.5" power disc brakes up front. All original Mini from their time.

What are your thoughts?

1963SV2.. the problem NOW with CBP ( US CUSTOMS) is that they just up and SEIZED every land rover that Dr Aaron Richardt had imported for the last TEN years..statute of limitations on cars is FIVE years..  78 land rovers SEIZED total.. and thanks to Will Hendrick..  all have been RETURNED..   bad info from Jag/land rover north america on the tenth digit in the vin.s..  so NOW CBP has their panties all in twist on ALL imports like land rover defenders.. classic minis and nissian skylines.   later bc

Read NHTSA's own words.... but then, that has never stopped US Departments acting in contradiction to the actual laws... they call it "asserting jurisdiction.."

Cheers, Ian

1963SV2,,  CBP ( US CUSTOMS ) only allows OEM cars and trucks.. NO exemptions.. like shorty or after market cabrios into the USA.. I have seen land rovers SEIZED this year and CRUSHED for NOT having the OEM windsceen and  OEM seatbelts.. later bc

Thats correct, but i would call NHTSA first to be sure. They are the ones that stoped mine.

..Unless it comes with a certificate saying it was "remanufactured" before (import date - 25 years)

Cheers, Ian

I might have what you need Ron.
My contact info is in my profile.

Also anybody know of a shorty for sale in the states or a cheep donor car.
thanks, im not trying to bring in another modified cars and neither should anyone else.
leason learned.

Thanks for everything BC i will let you know if i need help getting my money back, i would think the car should be back to England in a week or so.
BC is awesome and knows his stuff on importing cars and i would highly recommend him.

This was quite the story. Hats off to you BC for stepping up for beane1! Ron came to the right place looking for help. It would be a nightmare trying to sort something like this out on your own. I hope everything works out to everyones satisfaction in the end.
Mini Estate

bean1..  when does the shorty arrive back in the UK..?? I do NOT recommend trying to send back as motor vehicle parts.. ( box 2a) on the DOT. as the mini has been RED FLAGGED by CBP there in LA..  If you have trouble getting your FULL refund of  $5k.. from david ellsion  / dba mountain minis..  I will make the call  to DLVA for you to their enforcement section and sure my friend will put the FEAR of GOD into the prick Ellison.. later bc

hi beane1.. anyupdate on this mess with CBP and david ellison giving you a refund?/ thanks  bc

bluedragon..  you are quite right..  btw.. this all started with Jag/ land rover north america  giving FALSE info on the land rover defenders 90 and 110s..  stupic bastards did NOT tell CBP that vin number sequence  is NOT the same on a euro speck truck.. and they reuse the 10 digit there. as a 1984 will show up as 2011 here on  DMV date base.. all about GREED from land rover ..  btw.. beane1  got your wire transfer / refund from the prick  ellison yet?? later bc

My recollection is that these laws were really targeted for newer cars. Let's go back to the 80's. As you may recall, US cars had many different standards than foreign cars, and many enthusiasts preferred the home-market versions of these imported vehicles (primarily European.)

Taking the European cars as an example, they didn't have passive safety systems (aka airbag or motorized seat belts), 5 mph bumpers, various crash structures such as door beams, and probably most impactful, emissions control systems like the USA did (particularly when US standards really were tightened in 1980.)

So many people were hot to bring in the lighter, unsmogged Euro vehicles instead of their Federalized counterparts based on perceived superior performance (which in many, but not all, cases was true.)

These regs helped kill that loophole. The big manufacturers didn't have any problem with the law because they needed to protect their US distributorships from sales poaching.

I also agree true classics are no threat to the well being or safety of the US driver (nor the Canadian driver if Canada had similar laws at the time) but this is the mire that lawyers are born from. Someone would figure out a way to exploit the lack of these regulations for more widespread sales purposes, and so classic cars are swallowed up in the regulatory tide.

These days, it's not nearly as big a problem because Euro/Japanese and North American standards and regulations are much more closely aligned. (California and similar US states excepted.) But the laws remain.

I'm glad to hear that the shorty saga is coming to a decent if not great ending...

Dear Port Director Perteet:



This is in response to our collaboration regarding what was declared as a 1988 Austin Mini vehicle with VIN SAXXL2S1020392163 that was presented for importation at Port Hueneme, California under Customs Entry No. 9TN-10259505. You provided NHTSA with a series of photographs and information from inspections that were conducted on the vehicle. You asked whether the subject vehicle may be lawfully imported into the United States under the statutes and regulations administered by NHTSA.



By way of background, NHTSA is the agency within the U.S. Department of Transportation that is responsible for improving safety on our Nation’s highways. To achieve this goal, NHTSA develops and enforces the Federal motor vehicle safety standards (FMVSS), which require minimum levels of safety performance for motor vehicles and equipment. As part of our enforcement program, we monitor vehicles being imported into the United States to ensure that they comply with all applicable FMVSS.



On October 31, 1988, Congress enacted the Imported Vehicle Safety Compliance Act of 1988, as amended, 49 U.S.C. Chapter 301. Under 49 U.S.C. § 30112(a)(1), a person may not permanently import into the United States a motor vehicle manufactured after the date that an applicable FMVSS takes effect unless the vehicle complies with the standard and is so certified by its original manufacturer. This prohibition applies to both new and used motor vehicles, but does not apply to motor vehicles that are at least 25 years old (based on the date that the vehicle was manufactured). This is because vehicles at least 25 years old are exempt from the need to comply with the FMVSS under 49 U.S.C. § 30112(b)(9).



The importer declared the 1988 Austin Mini vehicle as being eligible for importation under Section 30112(b)(9). Based on photographs of the vehicle and your report, we have reason to believe that the subject vehicle is ineligible for this exemption. These findings are amplified below:



· The subject vehicle’s body floor boards were cut to shorten the vehicle resulting in a 50-inch wheelbase in contrast to a 78 5/32-inch wheelbase as originally manufactured. The vehicle’s overall length has been shortened to 7 feet, 5 inches from 10 feet, ¼ inch.



· The vehicle was manufactured as a 2-door sedan. The subject vehicle has been remanufactured to such an extent that it has no doors.



Assuming that the vehicle presented for importation was manufactured in 1988, it has been remanufactured to such an extent that it is no longer regarded by NHTSA as a relatively original vehicle at least 25 years old. The agency has stated that if remanufacturing involves sufficient manufacturing operations and new parts, the vehicle may be considered newly manufactured. This means that the subject vehicle would be required to meet all applicable FMVSS in effect at the time of remanufacture and to be certified as conforming to those FMVSS. The remanufactured vehicle is considered to be a “new” motor vehicle rendering it ineligible for importation under Section 30112(b)(9).



In conclusion, the subject vehicle is ineligible for importation under Section 30112(b)(9) and I recommend that you deny entry. NHTSA will reconsider our recommendation to deny entry if the importer provides evidence that the vehicle remanufacturing operations were completed at least 25 years ago.



This was the response from NHTSA so beware when importing a car.

ron..  ( beane1.) sounds good.. let us know you got the FULL REFUND..  ( btw. I drink STELLA ARTOIS these day..  you can send me couple cases for sorting for you.  glad I could help.. and the folks here KNOW I HATE scam artists... like BP ...  later  bc

Haven't got it yet but we are working on the paper work to get it done. Thanks for all your help and advise.