KEEP IT DOWN

HOW DO YOU MAKE SURE YOUR NEW BUILD’S BONNET PROTRUSIONS PASS LVV CERTIFICATION? WHILE IT MIGHT SEEM A BIT COMPLICATED, IT’S REALLY NOT HARD AT ALL — HERE’S HOW TO CHECK

CHECK YOUR HOOD-PROTRUSION LEGALITY

New Zealand has always had a thing for go-fast gear hanging out the bonnet. In fact, it’s been a principle that’s almost as old as hot rodding itself — letting the next fella know that your car is packing some heat. However, while the local rules were once pretty lenient in all areas of vehicle modification, the 1992 introduction of Vehicle Standards saw the establishment of the LVVTA to ensure that the vehicle modifiers still had some say. Thanks to LVVTA’s negotiation with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) (or, more correctly, its predecessors), we have the freedom to have some components hanging out of the bonnet, assuming they meet a few simple requirements. Sure, you can’t go running a top-alcohol style hat and injection, but it’s far better than the alternative — of not being able to have anything sticking out at all, like some countries. Besides the visibility requirements that need to be taken into account, there are factors to consider to minimize the potential for bodily contact with moving parts. These issues may sound technical to check, but the reality is that it isn’t difficult at all. This guide aims to show you how to figure out your legality, and all you’ll need is a measuring device, a bit of masking tape, a length of string, and a flat area with at least 15m clear ahead of the car. We knew of a pro-street Pontiac GTO, belonging to Herb Ingham, that was being worked on at Mike Bari’s Nxt Lvl Automotive, so we decided to intrude for five minutes to show you how to check it.

The first, and maybe easiest, area to consider is contained within chapter 9.6 of The New Zealand Car Construction Manual (CCM) and explicitly concerns protruding engine components. It states: “An engine fitted to a low volume vehicle with a mechanical supercharger protruding above the line of the engine hood must have any exposed forward-facing moving components protected by the incorporation of a shield or cover to minimise the likelihood of contact. “An engine fitted to a low volume vehicle with protrusions extending beyond the line of the engine hood must comply with: • The external projection requirements specified within ‘Chapter 13 — Body Modification and Construction’; and • The visibility requirements specified within ‘Chapter 15 — Glazing and Vision’.”