[Chrysler300] Importing 300's from overseas

["christopher beilby" <thelastbestgenius@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

apologies for the typo on this morning's rushed post, where in the last 
sentence, I changed 'good luck', to 'god luck' - although to some/many, this 
may mean/be the same thing?!

And re importing cars, luck can indeed play a role.  Just the day before, I 
was helping a friend unload 2 cans with 8 cars, engines, diffs, trans - one 
57 Forward Look Plymouth - ripper car out of Oregon via LA - NO RUST!!! Pity 
you don't find too many same years 300s like this nowadays.

The shipper he uses out of LA (supposedly one of USA's largest, certainly 
normally one of best)  sort of builds a timber house inside each 40 footer, 
so he can double deck the cars - 2 on bottom, 2 on top, often top ones 
angled skyward to fit more in front/behind, wheels removed, mezzanines at 
rear to put things above the (lower level/height) trunk of car on bottom, 
etc.. Enough timber used to near build a house frame too - all new, real big 
and fine stuff, and has to be burned, put in a special 40 foot skip you are 
charged for. Nice easy day  --- with jemmy bars, sledges, fork lifts used as 
demolition tool  !!! Forget about going to Gym after a day doing this.


Normally 2-3 of us can do the 2 cans in a day, but luck was against us this 
time - sort of the bemuda triangle shipment - only good things, the 110 
degree weather of few days earlier was past, and the 2nd 'ggood luck', was 
although the brother of the owner had gone out on one of his legendary all 
weekend benders/boozing, however on the first morning after, first day, he 
was still pretty jolly.

So to the 2nd day, yesterday, and just me and his/this brother George go 
down to finish off - me hopefully to finally get some larger car parts his 
brother was bringing in for me.

Now usually one can get tripped up on some new just decided law that says 
all airconditioning equipment on cars must now be evacuated of old ozone 
destroying aircon gas before leaving US, or else ALL airco gear must be 
seized/removed from car.  (A special Form bypasses this, but only if lodged 
before shipment leaves US)
Or it can be Quarantine are training new staff, and so they refuse to clear 
the vehicles (they can in extreme 'law enforcing', make you return the car 
to from where it was shipped), until they have made a big show to the new 
recruits - by making multiple extra inspections you are charged for at so 
many extra $hundreds a time.

But today the bad news/luck, was everywhere, like real simple things like 
the cars were in the can put in park, with power windows up - no matter the 
doors were shut - there is not enough room to open them!? And rear tires at 
bottom rear of can where all timbered in for supporting car above were flat, 
and if finally getting cars to front of can, there the two locomotive 
engines and mining equipment were still taking up the concrete quarantine 
area nothing is allowed to leave until govt inspectors give the OK.

And these loco engines are a warning to those who are thinking of importing 
things, 300s?, of how things way more basic than your goods getting damaged 
can go badly wrong - that here in Australia today at least.

These loco engines are I forget the brand, but I think V16 supercharged 
turbo diesel - about  8-10 feet high, maybe same width, and about 16-20 foot 
long - maybe around mid late 60s-70s vintage - couple of thousand 
horsepower, maybe even three thousand - big mothers, double o/head cams 
under steel lift up covers!!
They were imported here to be rebuilt with nos parts, then fitted to new 
locos, as pairs, to replace now current used 3 smaller motors.  Great idea - 
win for USA, gets rid of brand new unused parts, win for Aust, employs staff 
at State Railway Workshop, sees better loco with morre power, etc.

And here is where 'lady luck' trips the whole thing - Quarantine won't 
release them because of the old oil in the motors - they have been sitting 
there costing someone, many someones, plenty if yard fees, who knows how 
many other fees, for now near 4 months.   It will likely end up cheaper to 
send them back to USA, where they will be scrap.  Commonsense seemingly is 
lost - like an internal coating of s/hand diesel oil is so unacceptable? 
Smacks more of someone with an agenda blocking these, than usual process, 
fair play?

But re anyone thinking of importing something large like a car/300 which has 
to come over a wharf where often 'luck' is the last/least risk, back to 
where my only bit of luck re ever getting the cans finished.
Just as the quarantine guy turns up to do his 2nd inspection that the last 
cars and s/hand diffs/engines etc have all been steam cleaned, leaves and 
grass seeds removed, etc - George throws another temper tantrum, hurls one 
of the 9 foot pieces of 4 by 4 pine framing towards the stranded loco 
engines direction (George looks like a sort of stocky shaved head 'Hells 
Angel' bikie/bouncer type), and says he has to get out of f****ing here 
before he does something violent, and stalks off behind the can shouting 
obscenities, although we cannot see where he is.

Brief silence on our side of the can as I say nothiing, nor the govt guy who 
is early 50s, a decent bloke. Then he, the quarantine guy, does the quickest 
walk past of the stuff, before he says 'bit of a hard day? - these are all 
oK, you can take them' - and then gets in his govt car and is gone before 
his words are near just finished. The old 50s cars were clean, but if he had 
wanted, he could have found things, 50 year old engine grease he wanted 
cleaned better. But George fixed that!!  Is/was that luck/karma, or who 
knows/cares?


No doubt others who have imported cars, 300s even maybe, have weird tales of 
things that went right, and other things that went wrong.
My day ended without a length of pine in my skull, my stuff was undamaged, 
and George - who cares if he needs anger management, I'll just be making 
sure I do not have to try to work with him again. Now our 300s are not so 
bad after all maybe?, lot easier to 2nd guess in advance?!  Get out there 
and drive them if your hell not frezen over - that's what I'm planning to do 
this weekend with one of mine, even if gas prices here are now up above $5 a 
gall again - Oil Company mongrels!!

Christopher


>From: "christopher beilby" <thelastbestgenius@xxxxxxxxxxx>
>To: dee_63_300j@xxxxxxxxx, Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>Subject: [Chrysler300] Importing 300's from overseas
>Date: Thu, 08 Mar 2007 07:02:25 +1000
>
>One might hope that all is as simple as Dee alludes to re no extra charges
>than say $10 here or there ?
>
>Oil companies are maybe near as rich as shipping companies, and why? -
>anyone remember your former President Kennedy's wife getting involved with
>some slightly well off person - who did guess what??! - owned as shipping
>line !!  But then maybe he did not get rich running that?
>
>My not too great experiences of shipping cars, items, near always sees 
>them,
>never mind the freight forwarders, etc, all present lists of items on their
>bills for all sorts of amazing little items that makes one wonder - ok you
>can understand quarantine, fumigation, but it seems they see old car
>importers as sort of suckers like gas/petrol buyers - namely we have 'got
>you' buddy, you are going to fill our pockets even further!!!  Old cars to
>many are seen as toys, a luxury, and therefore a soft touch.
>
>Things your end may be way better than here - if so, god luck to you still,
>
>Christopher in Australia
>
>
>
>
> >From: Dee Utu <dee_63_300j@xxxxxxxxx>
> >To: Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> >Subject: [Chrysler300] Re: Importing 300's from overseas
> >Date: Wed, 7 Mar 2007 10:15:26 -0800 (PST)
> >
> >Dear friends:
> >
> >      Thank you all for your courteous and informative replies.
> >
> >      I was encouraged to find out more about this scenario because of 
>your
> >different comments.   So, I called and spoke over the phone with the a
> >representative of the U.S. customs in the Long Beach Sea Port.
> >
> >       If the vehicle is an american made car that is 20 years or older,
> >you do not paid any import tax, duties, or whatever, nothing.  You only
> >need to deal with smog compliance, etc, but obvioulsy not for the 300's.
> >
> >      You just go over there and pick it up yourself.  You do not need 
>any
> >help or broker.  You will have to pay a fee of $10 to $20 and that's all.
> >Of course, you have to have the title and either a bill of sale, or a
> >purchase receipt from the seller.  The price you pay does not make any
> >difference to customs.
> >
> >       However, the only catch is that if the car was restored, or
> >modified, or fixed while it was overseas, THEN, you could be prepared to
> >pay some fees on that, and could be a good amount.    I don't know how 
>this
> >can be verified, but, that's a different subject.
> >
> >        This is a sweet deal!
> >
> >        Take care!!
> >
> >   dee
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >---------------------------------
> >Don't pick lemons.
> >See all the new 2007 cars at Yahoo! Autos.
> >
> >[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
>
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