Thread: Dangerous modifications. What’s your mind set?

Have made a bullbar or two for my cars. Would they comply to every reg?.....Maybe, but probably not.

Would i attempt a front bar for a car with SRS? Noooo

If you wanna play around with important bits that may seriously effect your cars ability drive in a straight line, go around corners and stop...and keep the diifs from falling out.....fine, but at least get it approved. If they wont approve it, they may just be a good reason for that.

I understand that some mods get done by some more than capable people that never get signed off. Dosn't necessilary make them unsafe, but may cause someone dramas later if the unthinkable happens.

Then there are some that would be better off left to a life of a trailer sailor or bush truck......

My old boss had a C30 dual cab chev, low as you could get it....on airbags. Rear chassis was chopped above diff and raised a bit......moved straight up with a couple of bits of flat bar, no bracing what so ever. Rear airbags were on rocker arms due to lack of space, rockers were a piece of 2" SHS with a 1/2" hole drilled in the middle for a pivot bolt...no bush welded in, no crush tube or the like, not even a flat washer. Front wheels rubbed on the top of the inner guards, had car low profile tyres with a load rating no where near the weight of the chev unloaded.
This was all done in the USA, and went through engineering here in this state after they done the RHD conversion. Not really sure how.....
Rear rockers and tyres lasted a few 1000 km at best.

While he was in the US buying this prime piece of automotive misery, he got pix of a 32(??) Ford at a car show. Blown BBC, beam front axle, rack and pinion steering bolted to beam axle, socket extension type uni joints connecting rack to steering coloum . Aparently wasn't an uncommon way to do it over there

Missile mods?....Bunnings down the road, see plenty drive outta there

A pair of headlights that were not adr approved... living on the edge there.

285/75/16s on 7 inch wide rims.... would have been ****ed if they were flagged in an accident. They gave good service, even down to 8psi.

Might have been over GVM once

Tombie throwing stones in a glass house?

It all comes down to what risk you are prepared to accept .I have 350g of bang gas in the AC, carry a 2kg and a 1.25 kg LPG bottle in the 110, one bottle in test the other just out 10 years ago.If it all turns to crap I will at least had a hot feed and shower and a preview of where I will end up

AM

Originally Posted by Ancient Mariner

It all comes down to what risk you are prepared to accept .I have 350g of bang gas in the AC, carry a 2kg and a 1.25 kg LPG bottle in the 110, one bottle in test the other just out 10 years ago.If it all turns to crap I will at least had a hot feed and shower and a preview of where I will end up

AM

I regularly carry up to 58 litres around in the back of my POS.

DL

Jeez, I think of all the station vehicle I have seen out west with any number of home made mods.
Most probably by necessity not choice, and engineered?

Bullbars, Rollbars, Spottie mounts, spare mounts, bodgie lifts, etc, etc.

Does it concern me? not in the least, more dangerous on a pedestrian crossing up here.

Paul.

Originally Posted by Homestar

Exactly - make you FEEL safer. In a collision they actually hinder the performance of the vehicles crumple zone regardless of being compliant or not. Australia is one of only a few Countries any more that even allows bullbars to be fitted to modern vehicles.

Does this apply to my 2013 Defender? Would fitting a bull bar to my barge hinder the performance of its crumple zones?

Originally Posted by tact

Does this apply to my 2013 Defender? Would fitting a bull bar to my barge hinder the performance of its crumple zones?

Certainly would. It might prevent them from being called upon.

Originally Posted by manic

A pair of headlights that were not adr approved... living on the edge there.

285/75/16s on 7 inch wide rims.... would have been ****ed if they were flagged in an accident. They gave good service, even down to 8psi.

Might have been over GVM once

Tombie throwing stones in a glass house?

Not at all.

Just a thread of interest. To help understand the mindset that makes us who we are when it comes to taking risks and what we perceive those risks to be.

I recently worked in a role that could have easily cost me my house, my savings etc because people wouldn’t support the systems and regulatory requirements.
Whilst it was unlikely anything would happen; it definitely could happen. And then it would cost me everything.

In your example - tyres - what if one had popped from a rim, at speed, sending you into another vehicle?
Because you fitted what are deemed globally as oversized tyres for your wheel width, you are now deemed to have been driving a non-roadworthy vehicle. Your insurer can then walk away leaving you to pay for any and all damages - road surfaces, vehicles, property etc.

For the sake of $400 in wheels you could be sent to the cleaners. It does happen.

Am I throwing stones in a glass house? Well, all my vehicles had engineering and compliance where required. Were fully signed off (lane change tests are interesting) and all parts fitted are approved or meet requirements.
This has applied to all my 4wdrives, not so much my earlier street cars.

My vehicles are even under GVM access to a weighbridge helps.

My only breaches in recent years would be infractions of the posted speed limits, even then I’m very tame by comparison to what I once was.