SPI outside of the US

A

Ash

Hi all,

Just joined up after finding this forum a few weeks back. I've read a lot of your threads, lots more to go though and my head sure is swimming! But you have all sold me on using SPI on my Mustang rebuild.

Unfortunately though, I'm in Australia and can't seem to see any dealers locally to me at all. I'm not sure if in fact this is the case or I just haven't found them yet.

Can anyone tell me if there are any dealers in Aus? Or if I can buy from the US and have some sent over?

I hope I have posted this in the correct forum too, please excuse me if I haven't.

Cheers,

Ash
 
Thanks for the reply Bob. I had sent an email but I sent it to the general information contact. Maybe I got the address wrong or it got lost. I'll try that email and if not, try and ring at a good time.

Thanks
 
Well, if you wake up early enough, you might catch them before they go home! If I have my time zones right, their closing time (5:00 PM EDT, GMT -4) is about your start of day (8:00 EDT, GMT +11). At least til April 1, when the time difference gets worse as you go off Daylight Savings Time... I think...
 
That's right, we don't have much longer on day light savings. The days are getting shorter now and the weather is starting to cool off.

I shot through an email to the address Bob provided, so will give it a couple of days to see if I get a reply before I call.

Thanks guys!
 
Welcome to the forum, by the way! I look forward to hearing more about your Mustang. Is it or will it be RHD?
 
Thanks Crashtech!

I have two Mustangs, I brought them both last year from the US. The first one I flew over and brought from Louisiana, had it trucked to California and then shipped over. It is a 69 Mach1 R-code, 4 speed car. I've had it for almost a year and still haven't driven it here in Aus. It turned up with a few mechanical issues which only snowballed as I found more issues. A couple of weeks ago it then got to the point where I decided to do it right and rebuild the lot. The block is on the engine stand and the body is almost back to a shell. There are mountains of new parts on it, but it still needs much time spent to do things right. I've found a bit of rust and the paint prep was poor so issues there have arisen too.
The freshly built engine dropped a lifter, bent some pushrods and rounded over a cam lobe. There's metal through the whole engine, wasn't happy!

This is it when I met the truck in California before I left it at the exporter. The plan is now to fix the body and rebuild the engine. Going to change the colour to black with the red Mach1 stripe. The crank is also not looking like it can go back in so I'll most likely go to a Scat stoker to take it out to 461 cubes. Should be lots of fun!

DSC00061.jpg


My second Mustang is a little 66 coupe with a 200 6cyl and 3 speed. It's really original, different colour from factory but all in standard form. I love it, i drive it everyday to take my kids to school in it. The kids love it, they know it is really special and something really different to what everyone else here drives. I picked it up in Oregon off Craigslist and had it shipped over as well. It arrived in October last year.
Luckily I have this to drive and scratch that Mustang itch while my big block gets the treatment it deserves.

Both cars will be staying LHD. I haven't had to do a single thing to the 66 since it arrived except for having to change the headlights for our regulations. The 69 has a lot of aftermarket gear under the hood but other then that it will stay original as well.

PA090235.jpg
 
Thanks for sharing your cars and story!

I know that here in the US the modern oils no longer contain the proper additives to ensure the life of high-performance flat tappet cams. Many of us have switched to roller cams as a result, I know I have in my Olds and will never look back!
 
No worries!

I think that was thew issue of the previous owner during the break in period, wrong oil. The engine is only 300ish miles sold, as is the car. And your spot on, a roller system will be going back in!
 
Of course. It cost me just under $600 to have the car picked up and trucked to Orange, CA. From there it was $3300 through my exporter to deliver it to Newcastle, NSW Australia. It goes from California and dropped off in Sydney, but my exporter then has the container sent to Newcastle on a train and unloaded there. Newcastle is about 2 hours north of Sydney. I'm local to Newcastle so that works out well.

Import duties on the 66 were about $1100. We have to pay 10% GST (Goods and Services Tax) on the receipt value of the car. There are some other cost included in that other then GST as you'd expect too.

We then have to pay a further 3% stamp duty tax on the car when we pay for the registration for the first time. To get it registered for the first time and for 12 months cost me about $1100 as well.

Ended up costing me more to get it to Australia and registered then what I paid for the car!

The 69 cost me about $900 to have trucked from Louisiana to California. Was the same price to ship to Aus. Import duties were more as the car was dearer and I'm yet to register it so I'll be up to a big hit of stamp duty then.
 
Ash, I feel your pain. I think every muscle car in Australia cost double what it would cost in the US. From 1989-91 my wife and I lived in Manly, NSW. When we first arrived, I thought I'd pick up a used 733 BMW for 20 grand. Used 525 was just over $100K so I ended up with a 4-cylinder Toyota Camry for a mere $27K. Petrol seemed cheap but the price was for a litre, rather than a gallon.

Not sure if it's changed but my $600 registration fee included basic liability insurance. I like the idea that every car on the road had insurance. Everyone has to pay the RTA (Roads and Traffic Authority) and they don't offer time payments. I know there were people in New South Wales that didn't have legal registrations but they were the rare exception. Half the cars in Miami have no insurance -- they give the insurance agent $50 to get the 'proof of insurance' and never make another payment.
 
You're absolutely right, Bob. Car's here in Aus are worth a lot more then in the US. I only paid $5200 for my 66 but it is a 20k car here. The 69 is insured for 3 times of what I paid. Sure it does cost a bit to get them here and it is a bit of a gamble, but you are still way ahead price way buying in the US.
With our dollar so strong at the moment, there is a flood of US cars coming over. Which has dropped the market price a bit for the lower run of the mill cars. But unfortunately with that is a lot of rust buckets making their way by people looking to make an easy buck.

That's it, the RTA make us pay registration annually which as you mentioned MUST include third party insurance. That doesn't include any insurance for vehicles, it's all if someone is injured.
We also our medical system is very different to the US as you would know as well. Here we have free public medical. Anyone can get treated or see a doctor, regardless.
It would be very scary to drive around knowing that you may hit someone or they may hit you and there may be no coverage for you if you get hurt.
The RTA is only a state department, each state has their own rules but are all still roughly the same sort of rules. The biggest difference between them is the regularity of vehicle inspections. In NSW we have to have the car inspected each year to pass for safety reason to be eligible for registration. Other states you may not have to get a check every year but they still have strict inceptions. I know that is also something else that is different to the US in a way.
 
Hello Ash we have an excellent retailer in Las Angeles Ca who will ship to you. His name is John Young and his number is 661.312.5231. His hours are 7 am til 6 pm pacific time. John carries our entire line of products. Thank you for your intrest in Southern Polyurethanes.
 
JAMESA;18403 said:
Hello Ash we have an excellent retailer in Las Angeles Ca who will ship to you. His name is John Young and his number is 661.312.5231. His hours are 7 am til 6 pm pacific time. John carries our entire line of products. Thank you for your intrest in Southern Polyurethanes.
Click to expand...

When that paints gets to its destination it will be waaaaaay Southern Polyurethanes,lol.
 
JAMESA;18403 said:
Hello Ash we have an excellent retailer in Las Angeles Ca who will ship to you. His name is John Young and his number is 661.312.5231. His hours are 7 am til 6 pm pacific time. John carries our entire line of products. Thank you for your intrest in Southern Polyurethanes.
Click to expand...

Hi James,
I've been in contact with Andy Kives who has helped me out with some info and has said to me he is happy to forward your products to my exporter in LA. I've just now got a reply from my exporter so have a green light to go ahead. I'll get back in touch with Andy and start to get them on their way to me. Way way way south as Senile said! haha
I appreciate you forwarding John's details to me as well. I'll make note of his details as I know I'll be in touch again in the future and hopefully actually be in LA early next year.
Cheers!
 
Just to clear this up a little, here is where we stand at this point and things are changing fast.

John in LA can export anything to about anywhere that is serviced by the LA ports.
John is in process of setting up distribution in HI, South Korea and a good possibility a jobber in Australia sometime this summer.

SPI, itself at this point can only ship items to your exporter for overseas shipping, as has been the case for some time.
 
SPI Global, gotta like that! Ash, you're going to like this stuff!
 
Barryk;18444 said:
Just to clear this up a little, here is where we stand at this point and things are changing fast.

John in LA can export anything to about anywhere that is serviced by the LA ports.
John is in process of setting up distribution in HI, South Korea and a good possibility a jobber in Australia sometime this summer.

SPI, itself at this point can only ship items to your exporter for overseas shipping, as has been the case for some time.
Click to expand...

Thanks Barry. Looks like you guys are on the move up in a big way! It'll be interesting to see who and where an Australian retailer is.
For my first order, it is under way being organised through SPI.

Bob Hollinshead;18460 said:
SPI Global, gotta like that! Ash, you're going to like this stuff!
Click to expand...

I'm only a noob painter, Bob. I've done a bit, a lot more with timber, still have a lot to learn. But there is only one way to do so right, jump right in and have go!
 
Look what I got today, woo hoo!!

P5180029.jpg


P5180033.jpg


Sure is way way way waaaaaay Southern Polyurethanes now!!

And thanks for this guys, wasn't expecting it, a great surprise!

P5180034.jpg


I'll be hitting up again soon once this new black is out. I've got my F150 to practice on before I do my 69 Mustang.

Cheers
 
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