Hi out there,
I am new to this site and thanks for letting me join up. The question I have is I need to be able to confirm the ride height of my recently acquired 1988 2wd Sapphire Cozy is within the manufacturers spec re front and rear ride heights from the centre of the wheel to the guard or wheel arch. I need the info re a road worthy inspection I have to have before I can register the car. Really hope someone can help with this. Regards Simon.

 

Hi Simon welcome to PassionFord. I presume the car has just been imported into Adelaide ? There has just been a thread on here about standard ride height and it seems that from the top of the tyre to the centre of the wheel arch on the front it is 610mm and on the rear 625mm.
I used to live in Adelaide and years back the Police used to have the specification of most cars which they used to make sure it was standard. There have been other people posting on here from Australia who seem to have modified Cosworths which are road registered ok. Do you still have to take it to the Police Garages at Theberton for them to check it or is it done by the Dept of Transport?
Hope this helps. Where do you live in Adelaide, I lived in Salisbury.
Cheers Richard from Southampton.

 

Hi Richard, thanks for that. I live in Happy Valley south of the City. I have lived here for 12 years and am originally from Chesterfield. I have had to take the car to Regency Transport SA for the road worthy. All is good at the mo with the car as it passed the ride height but I need to adjust the exhaust as the centre muffler is only 75 mm from the ground and has to be 100mm. It's a large bore all the way through but it looks like its made up of none genuine parts and the welds look pretty average. Once that is done I should be ok. I drove it for the first time yesterday (Jesus) I used to own a prepped Mk2 Rs 2000 back in the uk and thought that was quick off the mark. lol...

 

Hi Simon, sounds like there is still a lot of rules, wonder where they got the 100mm from the ground for the centre silencer? The way around it is to go to a an exhaust place that makes systems and get them to make you a new centre silencer that is either oval shaped or still round but smaller. From what you have said it sounds like it could do with a new system anyway. My Sapphire is lowered by 35mm so I had a custom made oval centre silencer made for mine as it used to ground out with the standard mongoose one.
My Brother-in-law lives in Salisbury and he worked at Holdens in Elizabeth where they made the HSV V8s. Last time He came over to visit us I took him out in my car and he was well impressed and said he thought it was a lot quicker than the HSVs! You will have fun in yours humbling some of the Aussie " performance " cars as most people there have no idea what your old 4 cylinder Ford is capable of!!! Mind you last time I was over there your cops are pretty hot on speeding so keep alert!
Cheers Richard.

 

Thanks for that Richard, So true about the cop's. I am expecting to be pulled over just for the type of car and its look. I opened it up on the express way yesterday and my son could not believe how quick it was. I recon your right with the exhaust. I am taking it in tomorrow for a quote. Cheers. Simon..Adelaide....

 

Hi Simon, did you get the exhaust sorted out ok?
Cheers Richard.

 

Yes Thanks Richard. Finally........

 

Hi Simon, so what did you have done to the exhaust? I presume it now passes the requirements of the Motor Vehicles Dept.
What stage of tune is the engine? Has it got standard suspension, wheels and brakes ?
Do you plan on doing any upgrades if it is standard?
Cheers Richard.