What procedures must be followed to ensure that my car modifications are legal?

 

 

Have you ever thought about what happens to cars when their engines get taken out and replaced with newer, more powerful ones? Movies and reality shows never show these processes, because there is no appeal in them whatsoever, but they must be done. The same goes for cars that have been out of commission for an extended period of time. In many cases, the wear and tear caused by exposure to the elements leaves the engine and its various parts unsafe for use, as they may be faulty and become a hazard on the road.

 

New or overhauled engines need to be recognized legally by the authorities, as all engines and chassis’ have VIN numbers that are used to identify them in any needed situations. In most cases, when cars are stolen, these VIN numbers and any other form of identification is scraped or welded off to make the part untraceable and sellable on the black market. So engines that are installed in cars need to be checked for the relevant information on the VIN number (i.e whether or not the number is still visible, and if not, if the part has been declared a recovered part by the police.

 

The process of getting the car declared roadworthy is also important, as some parts need to be measured and evaluated according to the laws that govern them. For instance, engines with a BHP (Brake Horse Power) rating above a certain level are not meant for use on public roads, hooters must be clearly heard at a certain pitch and range, and tire treads must be within a certain limit.

 

Once all of these procedures have been completed, the engine you fitted into your car will be legal on the road, as long as the documentation has been approved and declared to be in working order.

 

If you are planning on fitting a custom body kit to your car, whether it is self-made or shipped in via a licensed modifier, must be fitted professionally, in order to prove the quality of the work done. Fitting the parts any other way may lead to issues such as obstruction of view, recommended measurements and specifications being ignored, or even loose parts that become hazardous to others on the road.

Who invented the car?

 

Modern automobiles as we know them have been around for little more than a century now. However, before that, many different designs were thought up and used as early, largely primitive versions of self-propelled transport. Because of this large base of designs and the time and distance between their uses, there have been countless arguments as to which one can actually be seen as the precursor to the modern car.

 

What we know as the modern automobile was created by Auto industry pioneer Karl Benz, founder of the Mercedes-Benz company in 1886, which became the benchmark (although somewhat loosely) for later designs such as the Ford Model-T, the first recorded mass-produced model. However, as technology progresses, times change and methods are adapted. 

 

The mid-to-late 17th century saw what could possibly have been the predecessor of the engine. Designed by Ferdinand Verbiest in 1672, a cylindrical device capable of pushing steam backwards onto a set of turning wheels. But it is not certain whether or not the device was actually built, and even so, it was only about 2 feet long, which made it more of a toy for the Chinese Emperor it was built for than an actual working car. The idea remains the same though.

 

The first notable combustion-based engine was designed by Dutch scientist Christian Huygens. In 1673, his work on an engine driven by gunpowder began. By combusting a load of powder inside a cylinder, Huygens was able to create a vacuum, forcing a piston to move up and down, much like they do in modern engines. This can be seen as the earliest working predecessor of the internal combustion engine (because plans have existed for few centuries before this, but were never created), however it was much too primitive and relied too heavily on the use of volatile substances to be of much use.

 

These two men, while not able to cement their designs in history as well as Benz did, but their work made it possible for later designers and inventors to advance the internal combustion engine over time.

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