Moving to Japan with car
 

I am an engineer moving to Japan to work aerospace programs. I already have my goods being shipped but I am also brinigng my classic 71 Chevelle SS Convert.

Before I get any "friendly" advice from folks here (I have read many threads here so get my meaning) I am putting an updted engine in it etc. so it will pass emissions stds even in the US. The car will be accompanying my household goods in the same container. My compnay does not know what to expect or do when the car hits the docks so to speak.

The question I have is; does anyone have experience in doing something like this and if so what can I expect and what do I need to do. The car is refurbished so lights and brakes etc. are in excellent condition. Basically this this thing is daily driver quality if I choose to do so. I do not. I have already been in Japan for several months and my family etc. leave Florida in April.

I will have my work permit process already in works (perhaps completed) byt he time the ship reaches Osaka. I am here LONG term.

Thanks in advance for the input.

You can't move to Japan with a car, car's can't drive on water!

HAHAHAHA sorry I couldn't resist.......

i can't say that i have ever imported a car to japan, so all i can say is good luck!

Importing Your Car To Japan | Occidental Cars, Tokyo
FAQ

Here you go.

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I`ll give "friendly" advice.
Have an emissions test done in the US, and have that translated to Japanese. It will allow you to run the engine once in Japan - otherwise no further tests can be done. I`ve never personally imported a car - however, a friend of the family brought a car in from Europe. That snagged them, and it ended up taking 3 months before they had the car in hand. Also, be sure to bring along all the documentation you have for the engine.

Updated motor, new parts, etc are all great - but there is still a fairly high probability you`ll have to have things modified quite a bit before passing the Japanese tests. Emissions are only a small part. There are limits on the exact directions for lights, the color range, materials used in the interior, etc etc - it will probably be the small things that will take the time for you.

The average cost for checks, modification, and registration is about 1,500,000yen for an individual. If they deem the new engine unsuitable, or the body out of limits, it may leap to many times that.

Anyway, out of the gate you`re going to have to have transportation set up to move the car to a private lot - you can probably contact an international dealership to take care of the rest for you.

(And everyone beat me to it. :D Here I was flipping through a 個人輸入 book...)

Pics of the car? :D

Seriously, that's a very sweet ride!

According to this site it isn't too bad but I'll find out. There are Chevelles for sale in Japan if you look at Yahoo cars in Japan. In fact there are quite a few American muscle cars here. So it is possible. But I presume it is very subjective and not consistant regarding requirements.

Thanks

Another way of saying that is that it is risky.

without actually knowing anything about importing a car into japan, i'm on thin ice here. but reading the first link i referred to, it seems like a hassle. my advice is to use a service, in that case it is probably very easy since the agent can probably take care of a lot of things granted you pay them of course.

The Japanese car inspection process (which must be performed every 2 years) is quite thorough. Pretty much every part on the car will be looked at, and tested for proper operation. The windows must roll up and down, the doors must lock and unlock, the seats should move forward and back properly.

The car's body will be examined for rust and corrosion, structural repairs, condition of paint, etc. The windows will be looked at to make sure there are no cracks, no significant scratches, and no hazing of the safety glass in the windshield (this is a problem in some older cars). Tail light and turn signal lenses must be clear, clean, and not hazy.

The there is the mechanical inspection, which will include the belts, hoses, vacuum lines, wiring connections, suspension joints (ball joints, tie rod ends, shock/strut bushings), drive shaft u-joints, brake pad thickness, brake drum and brake rotor thickness, brake line condition, etc.

The fluids will be fully checked to make sure that they are clear and not contaminated in any way.

The emissions check will probably be the quickest and most easy inspection to perform and pass, Japanese cars in 1971 didn't run any cleaner than American cars of the same year. So long as your car is running well, and in a decent state of tune, it should pass okay. Make sure the air heater hose which runs from the exhaust manifold to the air cleaner is in place, and make sure that the valve inside the air cleaner snorkel is functioning. Make sure that the choke (electric or thermostatic) is hooked up and functioning.

There are a couple of things you can do to make your car run a bit cleaner for the test. First, make sure you are using a hotter thermostat. Many people sometimes change the factory thermostat for a cooler one in order to bump up the timing slightly, and get a little more power. This increases NOX emissions, and NOX will be one of the things they are looking at when they perform the test. It will also help to adjust the ignition timing backward by 2 degrees. This will also reduce NOX emissions. Make sure to install new spark plugs, Bosch Platinums usually run the cleanest.

I thought of bringing my GTO to Japan with me. It was a 2006 model, so passing the inspections would not have been difficult, but unfortunately I managed to total it out not long before I moved here. Luckily, there are plenty of interesting cars in Japan, and I've been shopping around for one. One of my neighbors owns a '70 440 6 pack Plymouth 'cuda, I've thought about asking him if he is interested in selling it...