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Low Volume Vehicle Technical Association Inc

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Low Volume Vehicle Technical Association Inc

Welcome to the official page for the Low Volume Vehicle Technical Association (Inc).

'To promote and retain the right of New Zealanders to use motor vehicles on the public road that have been modified, or constructed in limited volumes, for sporting, recreational, special mobility or business purposes'.

20/08/2026

Rotisserie meatballs....

Or, unexpected chicken cooker.

While we do see a decent number of Volvo's come through this place for certification of modifications, this car caused a number of double takes from the tech team.
This car is determined to not be the 1980's movie cliche car, where everyone's "mom" drives a hearing aid beige or another equally vanilla coloured Volvo station wagon. This car is in no way beige in colour, or performance.
It's rocking a 13B turbo (Mazda, not the old Toyota 13B, which would be a whole different and much slower adventure), with an aftermarket turbo and ECU, it seems likely that there's some very non Swedish power output figures. The aftermarket dash display will help them keep an eye on the engine information, although we're not sure you can get a Haltech display at Ikea.
The car is still running factory brakes and diff, but they've built adjustable struts for the front and gone for some 18" wheels.
You can't build adjustable struts from an Ikea kit, but if you look in the Suspension Standard, page #13 onward, the requirements are there to build your own set at home if you can’t buy a compliant direct replacement off the shelf!
https://www.lvvta.org.nz/documents/standards/LVVTA_STD_Suspension_Systems.pdf
They applied for an exemption from the Geneva convention requirement, so that they didn't need to run the mandatory camo door cards that go with a rotary swap.
Thanks to the certifier and vehicle owner for permission to use the photos and tell the story.

16/08/2026

Munted Monday!

Alternative title could be "Idiocracy was not a documentary". Which was a suggestion from the certifier who picked up this issue.

Just as a reminder, they're out there on the roads with us.
This was discovered by a certifier during a vehicle inspection.
The modifier's solution to breaking the end of the balljoint off, glue in a split pin.
Not much more that needs to be said really.
Thanks to the certifier for providing the pictures.

11/08/2026

This is a good little build, nothing tricky in it, just some Toyota-Lego swapping going on.
Looks like it would be a mid level sales rep car from the 1990's (but not a good enough sales rep to get the Camry).
Back in the day these shape Coronas were a pretty common sight on the roads, but the tin worm and decades of unpopularity have made them a rare survivor. This one especially so, as it's a four wheel drive variant (as proudly displayed on the door decals). Presumably a model from the snowy north of Japan.
Instead of a 3SFE (usually) wheezing along and getting out of breath when you asked it to venture toward the redline, this is running a turbo 3S. So it should perform more like a Caldina GT-T, or a Celica GT4. Possibly the GT4 may have been inspiration for the white OZ alloys.
The paint is looking a bit weather beaten, not unlike admin-robot. But looks like survivor paint.
Stock brakes are adequate for the job on this car, pulling the car up straight and true for 0-100k-0 tests.
The NZCCM Vehicle Operation chapter, starting page 16 is where the cyclic brake testing requirements can be found.
https://www.lvvta.org.nz/documents/nz-car-construction-manual/NZ-Car-Construction-Manual-CH19-Vehicle-Operation.pdf
Adjustable suspension has gone in, as even if it had been a Kiwi new Corona with Amon tuned suspension, that would have been a bit tired after 32 years.
Apart from gauges, headunit, and shifter k**b, the interior is strictly 1990s.
This is a nice example of having a modified car that's potentially unique in NZ, but without going for a big dollar, or exotic build.

Thanks to the owner and certifier, for their permission to use the photos and tell the story.

05/08/2026

This one is a real breath of fresh air, with a subtly but extensively modified Ford Zephyr body, on top of a Nissan 300ZX "skateboard".
Resculpted classic looks but with 90's Japanese dynamics under it, along with some safety features like ABS, along with a customised interior to suit.
Adjustable Nissan suspension has been added to get the stance looking aggressive.
Because there's so little Ford left in the build and because it has a Nissan floorplan, this one becomes an LVV Replica Ford Zephyr and stops being a Ford. Being scratch-built introduces some more hurdles for compliance, as it is considered a new vehicle, and as such it needs to meet newer requirements. As always, so long as the owner works closely with his certifier, follows the Car Construction Manual, and carries out the mods to a good standard, cert isn't a big deal.
If you've got plenty of time, have a look at this link, as there are just too many variables determining if a car is a scratch-built (as to a modified production) to even start to cover them in a social media post.
https://lvvta.org.nz/documents/infosheets/LVVTA_Info_02-2018_Modified_Production_&_Scratch-built_Low_Volume_Vehicle_Definitions.pdf

If you have technical queries, remember to send them to [email protected] rather than add them as a reply to a Facebook post. With the volume of notifications we get, we may not see your question.

Thank you to the owner, and certifier for permission to share the details and photos.

31/07/2026

Let your balls hang freely

A note of caution (but about certification, not medical diagnostics). This one's a high note too.

If you're lifting your vehicle (as has been known to happen to the occasional vehicle here in NZ...), check your balls. You might have ball joint bind or bottoming out against another suspension component. If it's present, ball joint bind can cause serious issues such as premature wear and can cause damage to the ball joints as well as the suspension arms and ball joint mountings. It is a serious issue for lifted vehicle owners and may need to be treated by a professional.

With the vehicle at its normal ride height, there should be at least 40 mm of suspension droop remaining.

If you’re mechanically inclined, raise the vehicle on a jack or two-post hoist to full suspension extension and confirm that the relevant suspension and steering components still have some articulation remaining, and that 40mm+ droop has been achieved*. Taking your vehicle to the certifier without running through the range of suspension travel could result in additional inspections being needed, adding more to the time, and cost of your certification.

*Also check you don't have other components fouling (upper control arms and sway bars being common trouble spots), and that you're not endangering your brake lines. All are on the list of popular cert fail items, and ways to wreck your vehicle or yourself. Watch also for excessive wear on CVs from a big lift.

Solutions will vary in different scenarios. It might be larger droop stops, a changed suspension arm, less lift etc. We're not going to usefully cover every outcome or scenario in a social media post, but we do recommend that you get in touch with your certifier, or a reputable 4wd specialist.

Photos courtesy of one of our certifiers.

We now await with interest, the series of dreadful dad jokes and puns that will arrive in the comments section, as we know that there are some experts here who can talk nearly as much balls as FB Admin Robot can.
Alternative titles we had for this post: Droopy balls. Check your balls. Balls too tight? No ball clearance?

26/07/2026

We saw this tastefully modernised Holden EH wagon come through for a cert.
The front end is now a Jalopy Engineering custom IFS, with tubular A-arms and a rack and pinion steering system.
Motorvation is from an injected 6.0 LS, and six speed auto. Which is a considerable step up from the old carby straight 6 that would have lived under the bonnet. This has been made possible with some tastefully done (this is a theme with this build) firewall and tunnel modifications.
Slowing things down again are a full set of Wilwood brakes.
The front seat has had a rejig from the original three seat bench, to suit the new shifter configuration (and presumably transmission tunnel changes).
Thanks as always to the owner and certifier for allowing us to share these photos, and the rundown on the mods.

24/07/2026

We welcomed a new car into the showroom display at our offices in Elsdon.
The multi award winning Haggerty family Datsun 1200 will be lurking in the lobby for the next several months, if you're interested in taking a look at it during our business hours.
Thanks to Derek, Marcia, and Liam for loaning us the car!

20/07/2026

This one is an epic build, starting from a post WWII platform Packard.
The exterior of the car has been heavily customised, with a roof chop, and then an Art Morrison chassis living under the floor.
With that Art Morrison chassis, comes an IFS and Triangulated four link at the back with the inevitable Ford 9in.
There's a sidevalve straight 8 but with a blow through McCulloch supercharger slung at it. There's a four speed Chev sitting behind it now.
The interior is dramatically changed, with BMW seats in the front and a custom seat in the rear.
Thanks to the owner and certifier for letting us use this information and the photos.

$Facepunch Friday?Airbags deploy at up to 300kph, and within a fraction of a second (20 to 50 milliseconds, which is also...$

25/06/2026

Facepunch Friday?

Airbags deploy at up to 300kph, and within a fraction of a second (20 to 50 milliseconds, which is also how long a 4AGE holds together after the oil pressure light flicks on).

We’ve probably all seen the educational videos online of apprentices being launched into the ceiling of a workshop while experimenting with beer and explosives.

Please don’t combine beer and explosives, or airbags with things that might be a fraction on the hurty side if launched at your face.

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again. If there’s a part of your vehicle interior with the SRS label on it, don’t put something on it that’s going to get turned into a fast-moving projectile (or pup-jectile in one case). An exception being the SRS seat covers that are specifically designed to allow an air bag to deploy correctly.

Thanks to Tim from TTT for one photo, and Facebook marketplace for the other.

We’re aware that this is also a WOF issue, not exclusively an LVV certified vehicle issue.

23/06/2026

‘Affordable Es**rts’

is something we’re trying to discourage Marty (Tech writer) from Googling on the work computers. But as a chap with an Es**rt, Cortina, Falcon, and Telstar, he’s just too much of a fan.
In this case, it’s a Ford Es**rt that we spotted coming through for a cert, and reckoned it was worth a shout out.
While being a four door, rather than the classic 2 door look that we’re all used to seeing in the classic race and rally car builds, this is a particularly tidy example with some good stuff used in the build.
The engine is a Crossflow taken out to 1700cc and running bike carbs, with the inevitable Sierra 5 speed behind it.
Braking duties are handled by Wilwood up front, and larger drums on the rear.
The classic Minilite style wheel always looks good on a car of this vintage, and keeping it on 13” means there is a bit of period correct meat on the sidewalls to soak up the potholes.
Some Hella lights on the front is a good nod to the rallying heritage.
As ever, thanks to the certifier and owner for giving us permission to share these photos.

Address

21 Raiha Street
Porirua
5022

Opening Hours

Monday	8am - 5pm
Tuesday	8am - 5pm
Wednesday	8am - 5pm
Thursday	8am - 5pm
Friday	8am - 5pm

Website

http://www.lvvta.org.nz/

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