New Member uit America

[silver2kws6]

Hello Everyone ! Goede morgen !
Ik kom uit America ik ben Mike
I am still learning Dutch but will be moving to the Netherlands with my wife who is from Brabant around May – June 2012.
At which time I plan on with the help of my friend Paul buy an Opel Astra and start to modify it :)
I hope when that time comes you all will be able to help lead me in the right direction.
What is legal illegal to modify… I have lots of questions but for now I will just be looking online at all of your beautiful cars and try to figure out what you are saying !

I come from a long line of racing cars my youtube handle is “silver2kws6” you can look up my videos
http://youtu.be/oh7OK-LNXU0″ onclick=”window.open(this.href);return false; – this was a video i made when I had my 2000 Ws6 Trans Am
http://youtu.be/emrAYZY-8hE” onclick=”window.open(this.href);return false; – this is my dads old 67 Chevelle SS with a 454ci big block
http://youtu.be/74rEl0xeAgU” onclick=”window.open(this.href);return false; – this is my old Cadillac STS 325 hp 4.6 liter with a few modifications- before i got married and had to settle on my current ride a pontiac G6 with a small 3.5 liter V6

My plans after buying an opel is to focus on the motor and suspension. Then later build a project car either a 2000+ Camaro with a lsx motor or a 92 BMW and put a LSX motor from a corvette into it. I am unsure what the laws are on modifications to engines but i will find out.

Have a Great Day !

Some pictures of my old cars

[monzaruba]

welcome… :thumb

from Aruba…! :afro

[steinmetzpaul]

welkome mike…..here is where the magic is
i cant wait till you and anke move over here
so we can start on your project ……….

mvg Paul

[dion87]

nice rides!!! :wors

[silver2kws6]

Thanks everyone !! & Paul I cant wait ! I’ve been looking at cars online for a while !!
here are some of my other cars from back in the day…
1999 Pontiac Bonneville SLE 3.8 lt v6 200 hp
1985 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SC 305ci engine which was replaced with a 350ci but still a very slow car !

i have my old websites still up http://silver2kws6.tripod.com/” onclick=”window.open(this.href);return false; & http://99bonny.tripod.com/” onclick=”window.open(this.href);return false; & http://www.members.tripod.com/85montecl/” onclick=”window.open(this.href);return false;

[Astraman]

Welcome Mike,

The regulation over here are very clear but in many cases it still leaves room for discussion. In short, if you keep your car in the main line as it was when it left the factory and it’s safe you can go pretty far. Fore example spoilers are allowed as long as they don’t stick out or have sharp edges (cyclist), other wheels as long as they don’t stick out more than 3cm (2inch) from the fender. But if you use widening kits or flares as you see on 70’s rally cars than isn’t a problem.

The real difficulties start when you change the engine for one with more cilinders or one with 40% more horsepower than the original one. It is allowed to upgrade but keep in mind that in that case you need to get it approved by the RDW (the dutch vehicle safety board), and that means that they usually check the build quality but in some cases also a loudness and handling test. There are several guys here that have converted Kadett’s, Corsa’s and Astra’s with V6 engines in it, they can tell you exactly what is the way to go.

I must say I like your old cars, despite being all GM cars they differ very much from Astra’s. Do you have a specific model or range of Astra in mind?

Oww if I may suggest a movie to learn the lovely local dialect of Brabant: New Kids Turbo ;), in which also a Manta from someone on this forum plays a role in.

[silver2kws6]

haha I have that movie !! thank god for English subtitles !!
Since my budget will be tight until I can get a job and a green card im looking at 98-03 opel astra with the 1.8 i think ? or if i have to a 05 + opel corsa
I basically just want a good grocery getter that’s cheap to insure and good on gas.

Later on for a project I might just buy a used 98-02 Camaro Z28 as they came with a v8 and the govt would not notice most upgrades to that car, especially since its rare and I can put in a cam that still keeps low emissions. Do you know any websites that explain regulations ? my old trans am was VERY VERY loud and I loved it !

how do they know what horsepower you have ?? are there dynometers ? maybe just unplug 2 cylinders for the test ;) or put in a tune with low timing / cam change before and after the test :) Seems like you have to start with a healthy car if you want to go crazy which i plan to do :)

[RickR91]

Hi Mike,

Welcome to this forum!
The RDW will test the car on the dyno. And the specs will be on the vehicle’s papers.
You also need to contact your insurance company about it.
If something happens, and you didn’t tell them, there’s a chance the insurance isnt valid.

About the “grocery getter” part, it just depends on what you want.
The Astra has the space in its favor, while the Corsa does so with fuel mileage.
If you are planning to drive some distances, you may find the Astra suits you better.
But a Corsa is a nice base to start with too.
On this forum, there are quite much Corsa’s with 2.0 engines.

Some people here might think you are talking about LPG when mentioning gas.
It’s the difference between British English and American English.
Petrol/Gas is lots more expensive here than in the USA.
The mpg rate will depend on the car itself (engine,weigth,aerodynamics), your driving style.

Which car you should buy is depending on future planning for a bit.
Some engines can be easily modified, while others take a lot of effort.
It can save money when you start with a good base.

About the RDW, they have information on their website.

Hope this is useful to you.

[Astraman]

Good question, I guess they don’t but that’s an official guideline, but say if you put a 150hp 2.0 in a 45 hp 1.2 corsa (and yes that happens ;) ) and you get involved in an accident, wether you caused or not, they also do research on the car. If they find a 2 litre instead of the standard coffeegrinder you can expect questions and insurance companies don’t like that too.

The regulations are partially on http://www.rdw.nl” onclick=”window.open(this.href);return false;, it’s in Dutch, but i don’t know if there is an translation available. But there are guys here that have been there so they can tell you what to expect. I know only part of the regulations but i don’t have experience with engine swaps, apart from the 50 to 70cc on my moped ;)

[trashmetal]

Hi Mike welcome 2 the Forum!

impressive rides ;)
hope you’ll enjoy your stay
on the forum and moving to holland that is :thumb

greetz from Tilburg, Mario

[mayhem]

Ignore mikes comment… They dont dyno it.

Just ask you for the spec, and check you’re build. Use a healthy car and put the engine in decent, and you are fine.
I know people who used a 2 liter turbo engine in a 800kg corsa and just told that its the oem 204 HP while there running a intercooler and fase 2 chip (280hp)

[Astraman]

@mayhem wrote:

Ignore mikes comment… They dont dyno it.

Just ask you for the spec, and check you’re build. Use a healthy car and put the engine in decent, and you are fine.
I know people who used a 2 liter turbo engine in a 800kg corsa and just told that its the oem 204 HP while there running a intercooler and fase 2 chip (280hp)

That’s what I hear too, and if it’s good build you won’t have trouble getting it approved. I can remember a guy named Rallyastra, he build several v6 astra’s and sometimes they more or less only kick against the tires because they could see immediatly that he knows what he’s doing. But it’s important to have the paperwork in order because otherwise you can expect huge problems in case of an accident. Just what you call red tape. ;)

Given the fact you’re experience with muscle cars I guess you’ll be fine on the technical side.

[rinus747]

Hi Mike

Planning to take a car with you to europe?

I did quite a lot of travelling in USA for business in the eighties, and always liked to rent me a Corvette because of compact size and manual transmission. Actually i think i simply did not like to drive the standard USA cars, especially when they had automatic transmission.

Still rememeber me coming home for a 2 week trip. When taking my own car again, I a kind of paniked and drove to the dealer, thinking that the clutch was slipping. After a few hundreds of meters I realized that it just was power in the engine that was lacking. I had to get used again to my small Vectra.

See you

Kind regards Rinus

[rinus747]

By the way Mike…..The most tough job for you will be to learn to speak Dutch.

Do you know why?….:

You will notice that we quickly change to English, and barely give you a chance to speak/practice Dutch ;)

I dont know why that is, but most Dutch people just cant help it: If they hear the English accent in your voice they will change language in a split second.

You will find out soon. And it will drive you mad! ;)….believe me!

Kind regards Rinus

[Lex]

welcome :)
have fun in this country;altough the US can be a lot of fun 2.
hope you can get used here quickly.
will be a big struggle..my gf is from the US too.
make sure when you move thats its before 1st of august(i think)cause every year they change the immigration rules around that date.
ur gf will find out that dutch immigration just wants money,piece of cake for an american man/woman to move here

[FKsport]

hey welcome..

Brabant the party place king: king: :thumbup :thumbup :wors :wors

I hope youre immigration and all will be in good way! And welcome at the Opel forum

[ahrend]

Ik versta dur gin k*t van jongu :jerry :jerry .
Sow ,this is one of the first lines you want to learn when you move to Brabant :thumb ,it’s a very nice opening sentence witch most people really appreciate.

[silver2kws6]

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone !!!

Yeah i heard the same thing about learning dutch while in the Netherlands they always want to talk english. I’m actually taking classes from the Belgium Embassy in Washington DC because the Dutch Embassy doesn’t have classes and I am online learning from Rosetta Stone which has been a big help !

It seems like rules there are similar here you find the right shop and your car will pass regardless of what is done. As long as you have a clean car and don’t rice it out. I like simple clean mods.

Thanks Again !

[Anoniem]

Welcome! :thumbup

[Auteur]

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