Anybody know anything about these Chinese mokes? They are coming out of Chongqing China. As advertised, you could buy them as CKD form and try to get a government industry grant to assemble them here.

http://www.alibaba.com/product-free/104 ... _jeep.html

After watching several crash tests on vehicles designed/manufactured in China, I would never take the risk of driving anything that originated from there....even in kit form.

I have had a look at one and the build quality was poor and some of the key structural elements are gone - eg the side boxes didnt have the sperators so the entire side was one big empty box and flexed if you sat on it.

I wouldnt get one as they arent suitable for registratiion in NSW/Vic

Um, you mean they crash tested the original??? Now that would have been ugly.

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1964 Cooper UK 970 S 'CZ 4289'

The problem with registering the Chokes is they have no serial numbers on the body.
It is technically illegal (in Australia) to stamp you old Moke's numbers on it, put your old mechanicals in and then trash the original shell. Unlike UK...

California has a scheme where you can rebody your old rusty or bent car with a new one and keep its identity. Here, that doesn't exist.

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

If vehicular safety is your priority, I think you're on the wrong forum!

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"I'm sorry, but a lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part!"

Frightening but true. Especially for Mokes!!!

I disagree - I think the primary saftey - that is the ability to avoid an accident is fantastic on a Moke.

Its not like the visibility is impaired , the handling is good, the brakes ....well.... brake.

The secondary safety solves lots of car injury causes

Alot of injuries in accidents happen when the occupants hit their head on the inside of the car - what inside.

In a side impact you have 30cms of compression before you hit the meaty bits - if you get hit in the back - so what all you loose is the tray (or the people in the back but for these purposes assume its a two seater )

As for a head on accident its no worse than most cars pre 1990s.

Absolutely, agree 100%. I've avoided plenty of accidents in my Mini which would have ended in a *CRUNCH* in another car. Good handling is one reason, the other is that it's tiny and can squeeze into an emergency space where anything bigger will hit.

Secondary safety sucks, but the point is to avoid needing it

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Simon

The adventures of an owner builder in the Tallarook Ranges

Alsminik (now known as lilute) had a choke registered in Tassie but he has since sold it.
Another guy in Qld has an orange on registered, I thinkhe may have photos in this forum in the last month.
There has been plenty of discussion of these on this forum and the moke forum,
most of it around how do you get them registered, legally

Up to a point. That logic would indicate a motorbike is safer than a bus. Having said that, I commute by motorbike and couldn't tell you when I last caught a bus (It's literally cheaper, and more fun, to run than catch the bus)

Has anyone seen these shells? Or is the point moot if you can't register them? I think in NZ you could build a car with one and get it engineered, but not sure. You'd need webbing grabber seatbelts and a lot more, which would make it uneconomic (unlike all the other car projects...)

Angusdog , the main issues here (in most states) are you cannot fit an older engine in a newer shell (all engine transplants need to be from a car that is the same age or newer ) and also you cannot legally transfer one cars identitiy onto a new shell (without special permission from the registration body which is hard to get , the rules were made to stop people rebirthing stolen cars but covers everything) . These are a grey area and most of the new moke shells I know of have been assigned the identity of the rusted out moke they took the mechanicals from , it's hard for someone to say at what point when you replace a heap of panels you are just using an entirely new body . In the UK and other countries that is a perfectly legal way to do things but not here as of yet .

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I should have been more clear. In NZ, you could possibly build a "new" car from a new shell, motor etc and get it engineered as a hot rod is. I appreciate the transferring of identities, presumably to combat car theft / ringing etc.

And while it's all a state of mind, I don't feel particularly vulnerable in the Mini as opposed to the Volvo wagon, but then again I do ride a motorbike and mountain bike for commuting, so what would I know

Yes , there is that here too though you have to make the car meet the current emission and safety rules , you can't do it to say , 1978 rules and register it for normal driving . You could possible do it to club plates though most clubs wouldn't allow it as they would insist on it being an original shell and not a new one .

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Hot rods here are a special case, their frame has to be original and pre 1948? I think.
Can't build a Moke or Mini to their rules.

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.