What's the hot rod world in Australia like?

What is it like down under? Are there enough old cars laying around? Are you guys short on coupes & 2door hardtops? Resto parts? Speed parts? How previlant is the hot rod community & industry in general?

Is ther enough room down under for a Texas family?

 

There's plenty of room down here, but you've got to behave

 

There a lot of cars around in Australia as Australia sold Ford GM and Mopar car new (mostly sedans) and there are still being built. Most of Aussies that are building US cars get their Resto parts & Speed parts from US and there are a lot of cars coming in. Their still are some Speed shops. We have a good range of early glass bodies. You didn’t see a yard full of cars like you do in the states there’s not a lot of old cars lying around. There is a big hot rod community & industry in Australia, but not big enough. There are a lot of rules when building rod or custom, not like the states where you can build something cool and get it rego. I mite have the shit on here because I’m having trouble getting Rego. for my Chev. There is also a lot of companies bring parts from the US and selling here.

There is always room for a Hamber

 

yeah man we always have room for hot rodders. Where in australia you thinkin of moving?

 

As has been said.. pretty big industry.. but its gettin huge.

Good luck finding decent late 30s to 50s cars laying around.. and ive never seen on the internet even.. more than i think three A model Coupes in a field.. as for 40s and 50's coupes.. good luck finding those anywhere either unless their high dollar restos / rods.

It aint like it is over in the US..

 

Yea, I'm thinking a move might be in order. Carla & I have always wanted to check it out down there. We know everything there is to know about Australia because we've seen Mad Max & Crocidile Dundee. ... Sorry. ... We don't really have any solid info on Australia.

My best guess is that Australia is a lot like Texas was. We are not looking to escape. A new positive perspective...a little adventure...a chance to build a strong life. Australia seems inviting.

We are certainly not country folks but we would prefer a fairly rural lifestyle. A smaller town or suberb near a decent sized City. I could live in a van down by the river. Carla & Sky require a certain degree of civility. We would need an economic climate friendly to Automotive
enthusiast/entrepreneurs. We would certainly need jobs there. We all have to serve & success is measured by how you serve. My own speed shop would be great but there is no chance of moving in & setting up shop strait away. I do have a two year degree in radiation protection but I have worked only in the automotive industry. About 30 years worth. I am a car guy. I'm hoping a Texas perspective will serve me well down under. Australians seem to do very well in Texas. I don't know any personally but we bump into them from time to time.

I am currently digging around on the internet for info. There is a lot to learn about your Country. Were to live, work, play.... How are the schools? We will also have to dig our roots up here. We both currenly have good jobs, a nice house, family, friends, pets...... We are also just getting to the point that our finances are getting a little stable. Moving down under with a teen age girl would certainly put a huge dent in our small savings.

It would be a very tough move. Quite a thrill ride. I doubt that we would die as a result.

 

I understand the women are very easy on the eyes as well

 

My wife & daughter may not be so impressed with the hot chicks. We Texans also often boast about having the best looking girls right here.

The cities in Australia are so far apart. Rod runs & cross country cruises must be amazing. Do you have anything like our events on our salt lakes? Drag races for low level sportsmen & street cars? I hear you have a V8 racing series that makes our NASCAR seem pretty tame. What else you guys have?

 

The motor enthusiast community in Australia is a lot smaller to that in the states, I reckon around 10/1.

Australia is a big country in its own but is pretty spread out, and the cost of things can be a lot different to what you will be used to (just look at the Aust $ compared to the US$)

I grow up in Sydney so I can say this, I wouldn't be looking to move there in a hurry.
The traffic is crap and it seems to be a breading ground for crime.
Don't get me wrong its not like the ghetto but in some places it can be pretty bad.(note:I'm not trying to offend anyone living there)

I moved from Sydney after living there for 30 years to Canberra and the difference is amazing.
People who have never lived here think nothing happens but it depends on what your life style is like.
And theres a nice healthy Hot Rod community here and a nice bunch at that.


Now with motorsports, we have the V8 Supercars (www.v8supercars.com.au) which would have the biggest following at the moment)
We also have all the drag racing incl top fuelers and funny cars as well as the HAMBters (small atm but growing).

When it comes to the dry lakes we have the Dry Lakes Australia Racers (http://www.dlra.org.au/)
Sad part is the last two meetings were rained out.

As said above the availability for old tin is pretty small compared to that in the US, a lot of the stuff that comes up for sale is imported from the US.
If you do move here, bring some stuff over because we need it! lol

But parts are here (at a cost).

Australia is a great country but is different to the US, I think you and your family would love it here.

If you do move make sure you let us know!

Hope this helps.

 

The whole hot rod thing is a big deal to me. I do think that I may be stretching the bounds of the HAMB looking for poeple to grill about Austrailia. I would prefer to get my info from Australian hot rodders but I may end up needing to find another post. Any suggestion for when this plays out?

I had a lot of experience supplying body shops with paint & materials. Dupont & PPG are the big players here for automotive finishes. What kind of suppliers do you have over there?

You mentioned Canberra. What about Perth or any other areas I should be looking at?

 

I live in Brisbane which has a southern California style climate and access to great beaches on the Gold Coast - the ones you would have seen on the recent Indy Car race if you caught it. The climate in Australia is almost as varied as that in the US but without the snow.
Cars don't have the same level of importance to most people in Australia.
We have approx 1000 rods registered in our area but getting them together in one place is not that easy.
It is not uncommon to drive 3 or 4 hours to get to a run with around 200 or so cars.
US muscle and classic 50s cars are very popular and the good exchange rate we had earlier this year meant that a couple of hundred came in this year.
Why don't you and your wife come for a visit first. Your dollar about $1.40 over here at the moment.
I'm sure if you mapped out a trip that there would be HAMBers willing to show you around

Chris

 

Before you get ahead of yourself, you should look into the requirements for immigration to Australia. Unless your company moves you there as an ex-pat, it could be difficult to get approved.

 

Tina and I have talked about the same thing, and the concerns that 36Couper states, came up for us. I gotta say though that after KIRK!s post about New Zealand, it looks like a great place as well.

 

watch out for Doc Watson. He is a poofter

 

Having subscribed in the 70s to a couple of New Zealand and Australia hot rod magazines, I can say the hot rod scene has always been strong in these nations. They are and have been very innovative and many interesting hot rod parts and reproductions have or are being made there in OZ.
Even with the incredible governmental regulation, also oppressive in Europe, the Aussie and Kiwi rodders have been able to rock on for decades and have enjoyed the flathead era for many years more than we.

 

The rodding scene in Aussie is very strong, it goes back many years just like the history recorded on the US scene.
Okay, not as large, but based on population per capita, its bigger than the US.
Oustide the US its the second largest hotrodding community in the world.
Yeah, there are registration restrictions but, all the great and fantastic work done by the ASRF´s, TAC committee has put in concrete the best solutions to date.
Aussie as a country is JUST bloody great.
Yeah there are issue down there but nothing like elsewhere.
As for immigrating to Aussie its easy, and our country wants new blood down there.
As for applying to immigrate, its simple just go onto the aussie immigration web site, down load the application, submit the paper and application fee.
Yeah, there are conditions and formalties but nowhere as hard as all make out to believe.
Good luck to all, and see you down under..

 

My stepdaughter went to school at the Queensland University ( Uni in OZ ). She worked for the Queensland Government office of tourism while in school. She was living with her boyfriend. When she finished school and her boyfriend, she lost her sponsor and had to come back to the states. My wife and I had bought her a home in an area called Cleveland. Even though she was a home owner, she had to leave after her 4 years.
It is a marvelous place. It is sort of like waking up with amnesia. Looks like the states but very few names you would recognize.
My wife went back on a second trip to get our daughter when she was ready to leave. I had told her that if I ever got a chance to go back there, I would steal a car and no one would ever hear from me again.
I lived in Hawaii for 4 years in the 60's and thought that was heaven. I now know I was wrong. Brisbane is where I would love to hang my hat. But they don't need any old guys ready to retire
Do go for a visit if you can....and don't miss the northeast coast in Queensland....Port Douglass is simply beautiful !!

 

They got new El Caminos down there! And hoons! Australia sounds awesome. I send a lot of old parts there, so there must be a pretty strong car scene. If I ever left the US, that's where I'd go, and I'd bring a few containers full of old junk with me.

 

I'll be watching this thread, now that the election is over, I think there will be a lot of interest in it.

 

Wow! I just skimmed through a thred on Mexican Merc. Tom (oz40) is an Aussie building this car in Mexico. Tom has some major chops & apparently isn't afraid of anything.

I like rods of all caliburs & quality. It all depends on what your going for, what you want to put into it, & what it's intended use is. Looks like we can expect some high calibur stuff down under. That is very promising. I expect a lot of fun junk as well.

Imported cars & parts seem to be a big supply of material. The condition of project starters very everywhere. I have seen everything from nice drivers to rotted scraps built. Some one stated that the general puplic down under were not really into cars. Slim pickings seem to be a given. How about the quality of the pickings?

American cars also seem to be very popular. Aussie versions of American cars are also expected. I am curious what I'll find that I have never seen. Hot rodded Asian/Euro stuff?

We still have a lot of stuff to consider before relocating. I have a pretty gravy job here. I'll never get rich but it's pretty darn safe. I would not consider Carla & I to the least bit too old. We may simply be too established to change our life in this way. This is a very exciting prospect. Life can get mundane anywhere but this could be an adventure for the rest of our lives. 40 years in Texas may have set us up for a lot of fun with culture shock in Australia. I can't even imagine how a 14 year old girl would react.

We need to find out what kind of shape we could be once we get there & how we will make a living & prepare for the lean times. Carla & I also need to make sure that Sky is pushed out of the nest with a strong start on her life.

Our patriotism is also a huge deal. We can't go over half assed. A commitment to Australia will have to be made. We are: however, Texans. We could be productive Texans for Australia but we will always be Texans. We are not looking to escape from America but a move like this will be permanant.

My posts are pretty thick arent they? I am long winded but it's also because of the differance in time. I'm throwing down a lot of thought since it will be tomarrow before I'll see any responses.

 

hmmmm....another Texan thinking along the same lines as I am...New Zealand...Australia....

 

Which way does the water swirl when you flsh the toilet?

 

We don't flush the bog - we pull the chain

 

We looked into going last year...met all requirements, skill,language,money to take with us,requirement for my trade,relatives living there, etc...but too old!!!cut off is 46 years old.....now I feel old at 53!!!

 

backwards

 

I've heard backwards as well....never-the-less I hope "down" is still the answer!

 

I emigrated from England to Australia 8 years ago, the paperwork and requirements were endless but well worth it. I came out by myself so probably had a slightly different outlook to someone doing it with a family.
I found the thought of living for the rest of my life in a country that I'd only been once before (when I was 10 years old) a bit daunting, so I changed my way of thinking slightly. I looked at it as working overseas for a few years - if I liked it I'd stay, if not go back to England AFTER I'd gained citizenship in case I changed my mind years later.

After 6 weeks I'd decided I was never going back to England to live as Australia is a great place. Another way of looking at it was that I had NO expectations of the Country, in my mind it was to be a new start for myself. It is a different Country, it will always be different to what you have known/grown up with. You will constantly compare it to the country you have come from - but you are the ones who have to change to Suit Australia - not the other way around. I made the move at 30 years of age, and came out for 2 years initially and therefore left my cars, tools etc at home. Two years later I went back - and shipped a container out here once I was settled.

Looking back I wish I'd kept my house in England as the value of it when I bought over here would have practically paid mine the new one off.

Other advise - give Australia a chance, you Will be homesick and the grass is always greener. I've met plenty of people who came out years ago, who then sent home asking for money to return. Most stayed here as their families refused them money and they were glad they made the decision - you need to give it a chance to work. Others I've met in England went home and wished they'd stayed in Australia but now can't come back due to the visa requirements.

Get an agent to sort out the paperwork - they Know the rules and loophooles if any. Mine cost 400 pounds with a guarantee of a 300 pound refund if he did'nt get me in. It was the best 400 pounds I've ever spent.

Hopefully I haven't put you off so far - Hot Rodding - there's plenty going on but it is different, we seem to be stuck in a 80's timewarp a bit around here anyway. There are Nostalgia Rodders out there and if that's you're thing you will find them - I did and I've made good friends.

It's a fantastic country, I've got a beautiful family, a quarter acre block with an old house and a large shed and live in the Blue Mountains in NSW. I've been out of work for 3 weeks in 8 years, am a citizen and love it. I'm a Pommie to everyone else and an Aussie when I go back to England so I can't win. I've been back to England twice in 8 years - whilst I still love it there, I won't be going back to live.

Give it a go you won't be dissapointed

any questions you may have - PM me, I'll help if I can

good luck

cheers

Bob

 

I thoroughly recommend coming down for a vacation first, it is a wonderful country and I am lucky to live in the most beautiful state too, South Australia. We have a very Californian climate, the driest state, a small but vibrant Hot Rod and Custom scene, not many more than 1,000,000 population and no traffic jams. Add to that, some of the best wine and food in the world....Adelaide rules!! Alot of people from around Australia belittle our state, mainly due to it's size, but only because they don't know what they are missing. We are also a sister city of Austin Texas, so there is a relationship there........Australia is the bomb, good luck on what you choose to do!!

 

Thats what I've heard. Never got a straight answer.

 

yeah it still gos south just spins the other direction on its way.

hey man australia is awesome im originaly a melbourne boy now living in brisbane due to work both citys are amazing climate in brisbane is much hotter and sunny than melb. rod comunity in bris is small from what i've seen but i've only been here 3 months. melbourne has a amwsome rod comunity with lots of evints and regular cruzes in the warmer months.

i would sugest coming for a visit first and traveling round a bit first.
plus at the moment your dollar is worth heaps so would be a 'cheap' trip.