importing glass cars into Canada?

Topsterguy

Topsterguy

Well-Known Member
I know supposedly there 's a law against bringing completed cars into Canada / BC , but there still seems to be guys doing it without much problem. Possibly something to do with the car being registered as a " '32 Ford" or whatever in the US? Anyone done this or know anything about it?
 
I imported my 32 Roadster from Washington, I stopped at the Canadian Customs on my way down, showed them the ad, a copy of the title showing "1932", that it had a Washington state assigned serial number, and that it was a Wescott body. They said the only thing that mattered was that it was titled as a 1932. I said to the guy would a different official tell me the same thing when I show up with the car, he said "absolutely" And they did!

I don't think anything has changed on that but stop for yourself and check it out, you will sleep better:)

If it is not titled as 1932 then it is considered a kit car and can NOT be imported:eek:
 
Importing a glass car is a piece of cake at the border. If you have a problem with the car due to an accident dealing with ICBC is a whole different can of worms.
 
You can import a kit car out of the states if it is older than 15 years old. I imported a VW kit car a couple of years ago and it was a breeze although it was quite obvious it was not newly manufactured.

Russ
 
Thanks guys! So, from reading "41's" reply then reading "hardtops" link it looks like the key is that the car be registered as" what it closely resembles" to coin a well used phrase! If it's registered in the US as a "32 Ford" then it's over 15 years old and allowed in. The trick is to get it here, then re-register is as a Ubuilt, which it is and should be to be insured correctly. Thing is, from what I found with another ubuilt is that they ask for receipts for the major components, which you're probably not going to have.
 
You might want to reseach the requirements for a "u-built" car. If it is registered as a 2010 U-built, it may require all the current motor vehicle standards like bumpers, air bags, emmisions, catalylic converters, etc.

Russ
 
You could also leave the 1932 regi on the car, but put regular blue and white plates on it. Just don't go for any modified plate status, and maybe down the road, if you happen to get an original body transfer the regi to that one.
 
johnny37 said:
You could also leave the 1932 regi on the car, but put regular blue and white plates on it. Just don't go for any modified plate status, and maybe down the road, if you happen to get an original body transfer the regi to that one.
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That is correct, it is imported into Canada as a 1932, it gets registered as a 1932, the car has to run "Blue and Whites", the vehicle staus on the registration is "Altered" not U-built.
 
I don't think there'd be a problem getting it into Canada as a "32" and having it registered etc as that, but as westernstar mentioned, if it was in an accident the insurance would be void because it's not a 32 Ford, it's a glass bodied ubuilt. We've gone through all that here in BC. The problem might be to get it changed from "32 Ford" to ubuilt.
 
You should double check at the border with all the info and with your insurance and registration folks. I was looking at a glass carout from a dealer is St Louis a few years ago. Once he found I was in Canada he informed me that he has had cars returned to his dealer because the glass cars were not allowed to cross the border.
 
Definition of altered from the ICBC site:

ALTERED:
This status is given to a vehicle that has been significantly modified after its manufacture. It is also used for homemade and some other constructed vehicles to indicate that they have been inspected and are structurally sound. The status is added when the vehicle has passed inspection.
 
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With all due respect to anyone who has a glass car registered as a 32 Ford or other, do yourself a favor & check the way the laws are being enforced lately. I've gone through that with a few clients in the past year, if you get the wrong adjuster in the event of an insurance claim you will not covered by ICBC. Just because a representative at an insurance broker sold you insurance doesn’t mean you have insurance. ICBC takes the stand & says you misrepresented your vehicle & will go after you for damages.
Trust me, unless you have a lot of time to burn & don't mind dealing with officials who have agendas, register it as a U-built or you will get the shaft.
As for importing a glass car into Canada, you might still be able to get lucky every now & again but more than likely you’ll be turned back. The laws have changed & the enforcement of them has stepped up big-time. I have a few clients in this predicament right now.
I can’t stress this harsh enough, ICBC will find out & you will not be covered if you register a glass car as anything other than a U-Built. It is not a matter of if you will be found out; it is a matter of not having insurance when you get found out.
From what I have witnessed, it is not worth your while messing with.
 
If you are not comfortable with ICBC, there are other insurance providers such as Hagerty that accept glass cars, however Hagerty will not insure Shelby Cobra replicas.
 
Jellybean said:
With all due respect to anyone who has a glass car registered as a 32 Ford or other, do yourself a favor & check the way the laws are being enforced lately. I've gone through that with a few clients in the past year, if you get the wrong adjuster in the event of an insurance claim you will not covered by ICBC. Just because a representative at an insurance broker sold you insurance doesn’t mean you have insurance. ICBC takes the stand & says you misrepresented your vehicle & will go after you for damages.
Trust me, unless you have a lot of time to burn & don't mind dealing with officials who have agendas, register it as a U-built or you will get the shaft.
As for importing a glass car into Canada, you might still be able to get lucky every now & again but more than likely you’ll be turned back. The laws have changed & the enforcement of them has stepped up big-time. I have a few clients in this predicament right now.
I can’t stress this harsh enough, ICBC will find out & you will not be covered if you register a glass car as anything other than a U-Built. It is not a matter of if you will be found out; it is a matter of not having insurance when you get found out.
From what I have witnessed, it is not worth your while messing with.
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Thats the way I understand it too.
 
The way I understand it when I was living in BC, and if it has changed, please do correct me accordingly.

ICBC is mandatory for basic insurance, no one else can provide this coverage, its the law.
Once basic is purchased from ICBC, you can go to other providers, such as Hagerty for example, for agreed to value, collison, fire, theft and glass coverage. ICBC can also provide this coverage but its not mandatory to buy it from them, just the basic PLP.

ICBC is also the registration police for the DMV.

So, if its a glass body and one registers it as anything else other than a U-built, if one is in an accident and ICBC finds out that it was indeed a U-built/glass/kit car, their insurance portion is null and void. Now, if you have the rest of the coverage with another provider, do you think they will fulfil their portion...think not.
 
Gramps said:
You should double check at the border with all the info and with your insurance and registration folks. I was looking at a glass carout from a dealer is St Louis a few years ago. Once he found I was in Canada he informed me that he has had cars returned to his dealer because the glass cars were not allowed to cross the border.
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The whole thing hinges on how it's regitered when you buy it - I checked with ICBC, customs, and RIV. If it's registered as a 32 there's no problem at the border. If it's titled as a ubuilt or kit in the US it's not allowed in, period. Once in Canada it has to be inspected, get a BC assigned VIN, and re-registered as a Ubuilt to be registered and insured properly.
 
Something else to keep in mind. When a car comes into BC from the US, ICBC takes the original title & either destroys it or files it. You don't get it back. They issue you the standard registration sheet with correct VIN# attached to either your storage insurance document or your mod. collector document. If down the road you decide to sell it down south some buyers are leery about ICBC's paper work & want the REAL title as they are used to. Not sure how it settles out back down there but I think it depends which state the buyer does the paper work. Just in case, I photo stat'ed the title & everything else I got crossing the border initially.
 
I met with Riccardo who is the head of the SVA (Specialty Vehicle Association) the other day. This is the organization who helped institute the collector plate program & has been active in keeping our "old clunkers" (ICBC term) on the road. They are meeting with ICBC and our governing officials next week in hopes of resolving these issues.
The SVA is a group of car guys who understand the importance of keeping our cars on the road with original documentation, the viability of modified & glass cars, etc.
I'll let you know what comes out of the meeting. I'm sure they will post it on their website so keep an eye out. www.sva.bc.ca
 
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