WarpSpeed

Here I was thinking that Thailand was all about using your horn .

There's definitely good money in tuning engines to be made. I've even seen instances now where tuners would tune remotely and not even have to leave their desk/sofa/bed.

Yep that's what my neighbor does as well, he does it both in person for locals and online, I hardly ever see the guy outside, unless he's tuning a car, he says he doesn't like the outdoors, sadly his little boy doesn't get out much though either.

I guess you can argue with the Dyno then..

Remark: To be permitted or not is up to the discretion of the officer at port of entry.

There it is! I was wondering when the disclaimer was going to show up? This is just waaaaaay too scary and subjective for me.. I hate statements like this, and frankly it is quite typically Thai. It is just way too ambiguous and leaves entirely too much wiggle room to the authority at the time with no certain recourse to fall back on. Most importing agents are not to be trusted either, though I can honestly say the agent that handled my property upon entry in Thailand was more then when I returned here. The agent that handled our shipping on this end was Thai as was the agent on that end, but on that end when I went there they were representing a US shipping agent and as such did business in a manner that reflected that relationship. Returning was typically Thai which also included some significant damage to some property without recourse, because a release had to be signed as it is loaded by Thai customs, we had enough trouble even finding an agent to return ship our property at a reasonable rate and then they stuffed our shipment underneath the cargo of the shipper we shared with instead of separating our stuff front to back, they did it top to bottom . Here in the states I dropped it off at the port and shipping agent in person and they stacked and wrapped it on the pallets for shipping in my presence so I was able to oversee how it was stacked, got the entire load including a lot of fragile items without a single significant piece getting damaged. In Thailand customs does it and you can not be anywhere near when it's being done.

Ironic question Ace, my neighbor across the street from me has developed his own program and hardware for the GT86, Subaru,BRZ and the Scion FRS (also Toyota, American youth division if you will) Now, he has the regional rights also for the Subaru WRX STI tuning, he can flash the N/A cars to develop over 250hp but if they have a turbo kit he can get well over 550 safely without additional upgrades (at least not mechanical, suspension etc. that's another thing altogether) and has gotten over 700 but it was enough to explode the OEM Aisin tranny just a weekend or so ago. If they don't know what they're doing (and many don't) they can wreak havoc on their engine and many do but my neighbor does programming for another company while he does this on the weekends, he's a young guy and makes 8 to $10,000 extra per weekend flashing other guys cars (around $1000 per car depending on hardware needs, most of his cost is labor though) and or installing his hardware and programming.

He has a brand new Jeep SRT in his drive way and his Yota GT86 in the garage, he's looking to get himself a Hennessy super charged VelociRaptor before years end, he's in his mid twenties, so he's making a killing. I have read recently that several manufacturers are now petitioning the government to shut down people like him as technically, it's their contention that WE don't own our new cars with the current software copy write laws in place, we only lease them, regardless. Right now it's a massive market for these young guys who can hook up their own lap top with many kits available like him and he also provides online programming support from almost anywhere for a fee which is what he does as well.

http://jalopnik.com/carmakers-want-to-make-working-on-your-car-illegal-beca-1699132210

Hope this addresses your question, some others have also posted similar briefs.

With the Vtec we had in our Acura there wasn't a heck of a lot we could do to increase the power on the N/A car, it was pretty maxed out already, we tried several things on the dyno but all were unsuccessful and most made it worse, for example we tried fuel pressure numbers and found it's sweet spot was very limited at around 36 PSI go up or down 2 Lbs either way and it cost an immediate 10hp. The next year Honda came out with a new exhaust cam that had slightly better lift and duration, that added about 10hp but that was all we could get both with timing and fuel settings on a stock Vtec. Admittedly that was an older model and now the ECU's have more programming flexibility, but I'm dubious as to just how much understanding these guys really have about the whole picture of what they're actually doing? Too much expensive potential damage for my taste on a street car not for the purpose of track competition.

WarpSpeed will be one of the first to take it to a track to sort it all out. Whoops - I let the cat out of the bag!

http://driving.ca/auto-news/news/a-near-perfect-woody-convertible

Now, you're just teasing ...But just in case ...

^For some that's a true statement but for the largest percentage of capable drivers there are plenty who would benefit from the technology ANYWHERE they live .

I wasn't saying you were bashing, I was saying I'm not bashing your car or your dreams to have it there and compete. Ok, well that is a bit different, anyway I wish you luck, once you get a response from RAAT you should have a better idea if it is even possible and which class it would fall under if so? I agree with the poster above that said it will likely NOT be in the classic class for a number of reasons, not the least of which it is mostly a clone purpose built race car with modern upgrades and all of the cars in the classic class began as street cars, but it also has very large displacement with high Hp in comparison.

Who cares about a Thai licence. It's s total waste of time & money having one.

Name the benefits of a Thai licence over a western one?

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It is valid in almost every Asian country.

The Thai police wave you on at traffic stops instead of trying to shake you down.

You can use it as ID to board internal flights, open bank accounts, book into hotels.

You can get into dual priced venues for the Thai price (maybe).

You can use it as ID to register your Thai SIM card (compulsory from next month).

What about insurance? Will they insure you to drive in Thailand for any length of time without one?

There was a guy there in Thailand that used to manufacture a fiberglas kit for those a few a years ago and had a couple left, haven;t heard about in a few years however, they could be used on a beetle platform, as I understand it the beetle has to be shortened slightly to fit the spec wheel base, don't know much more then that anymore, it's been quite a while since researching that or discussing it so sorry can't help much more then that.

OK but SCB let's be realistic, no bashing going on here just a reality check, the super car class has cars with 600Hp and more and fully independent 4 wheel suspension, massive brakes, in some cases maybe even carbon, etc. Like and Audi R8, purpose built Yota's and Porsche 911 GT3 R/S and this car will NEVER compete with them on the mostly small, tight tracks in Thailand either with modern brakes or more modern suspension, that car still has a solid rear axle and trailing arm suspension, with all of the sophistication of the Corvette Z06 it would still have it's hands full with the cars in that class and it's far more advanced on all fronts, including weight. What you're showing there is more of a NASCAR suspension set up.

Nope...rules did not change.

i also got my RAAT license few months back and needed to get an official letter from my country stating i hold no other racing license.

Look, if you plan to run in events such as (bobby hunter, Thailand super series etc) i would contact them to discuss how to do it.

Note---before doing it blindly ensure you check and qualify for the class race/series....not any car, spec etc can compete....so email them first and give specs so they can say its OK or not.

And if you are looking for super car class they also started BOP....frankly speaking i dont think the Trans am will pass in these classes (2)-cup cars, (3) heavily modified cars and cup cars nor would it pass in classic race events as the power level if far to high compared to others racing the series.

Ok so what I never understood is that several Thai drivers compete in other series outside of Thailand that I know require an FIA license and then back in Thailand, how do they do that? Are they changing their license every time? Thailand is an FIA member now so I doubt very seriously that you have to change your FIA license to compete in Thailand as you did when I first applied for my RAAT license. Maybe the other series credentials but no longer FIA, that's the primary purpose for having FIA accreditation.. It is a nonsensical requirement that is cutting Thailand off from the rest of the world in terms of competition but, maybe that's what they want so they can say they're the best on their little tracks, but without measuring yourself against the world you have no idea what your talent level is or how to improve it and that has been a factor when they go to compete in series outside of Thailand, they just don't measure up.

Nope, it's a rather large investment to do so, you have to be competing in the relative series at some point in the recent past and it's been years since I gave them up while i was offshore, and I've no idea why it was required at the time? Never got a sensible explanation, I guess it was a Thai thing, that dates back over a decade ago and now things have changed somewhat since then, (I won't go into how many of those suggestions came for me, my contention of such always get shouted down) over the next several years I stayed in Thailand, didn't compete that much and haven't yet since being back here either, and you're right it took a hell of lot to earn them both financially and decades of competition invested and I don't really think they cared, I did complain heavily but it just fell on deaf ears at the time.

Good luck, you may need to give them a call directly, they do have some pretty good English speaking staff there, or you can also have your missus make initial contact and some of the officials speak good English.

No....taxes is paid for legit race cars.

You will need the deposit a solid amount with customs, you will not receive a licenses plate nor will it be road legal.

you will have to prepare and provide proper documentations and it may be necessary to bring your car in and out of Thailand and provide evidence of which event you are racing in.

my recommendation is contact DSI/customs and talk to them about it.

Agree, this car won't require being street licensed which is why I suggested it may likely be entered into the Super Car class which is all cars that are full on race cars for no other purpose, they need to apply this to some lower classes as well as eliminating the stupid bond, it would help grow their participation numbers quite a bit. Yes a bond will likely be required however and it will be likely be pricey but this is why I suggest getting RAAT involved as they can help with the red tape and taking it directly to the proper people who can help get around, or at a minimum reduce the hassle and the cost, they want outside participation in their series so they are more active now to get reductions in cost and red tape down as much as possible, easy enough to note when it will compete just tell them you intended to compete in a given series, that is more then just one race

http://www.fia.com/about-fia/member-clubs/royal-automobile-association-thailand-raat

Now they are FIA accredited/member, kind of crap since when I applied for my license they made me give up all of my other licenses FIA, Grand American and SCCA PRO and I had to have them all write letters stating that they had released me, now I have to work to get all of them back . But they weren't an FIA member at the time.

An old vintage T/A clone eh? T/A has revived here in the states in a big way, and it's really fantastic timing because it's retro with all the same past competitors like your Camaro, they actually have 3 T/A classes from mostly stock, to a Euro class right up to full blown race spec tube frame but that's another topic. Contact RATT in Thailand the authority on racing and licensing and they should be able to help you with the in and outs of the regs regarding importing and the red tape too. As I understand you'll have to take the car out of country every 6 months to renew the temp import visa, usually that is done by racing it in another country once every 6 months or so, but I'm supposing you can just trailer it across the border like to Malaysia or north, but I'm not sure how the countries north would handle it, since they have no racing venues like Malaysia which sees cars come and go for that purpose all the time.

It is also not a bad idea to look up the race schedule and head down to Bira or the closest track to you for a race and speak with some of the Supercar teams to see how they handle their imported cars, I think many of them actually base them in Malaysia since they also run there as well. I believe you'll be classed with them as well, but that's not speaking with certainty based on experience just having some knowledge of the classing so, in spite of and also because of the HP your car will be putting out it'll likely just be fun laps for you most events as it won't really be able to compete with those other cars just based on handling alone, Thai tracks don't generally favor high HP over handling, you'll never come close to seeing the top end long enough (if you even see it) for it to make much difference. On some tracks like Bira though the Torque will help out but sadly it's likely not going to be enough in the end, probably a fun drive though and definitely an attention getter.

Yeah you can hire a lawyer to sue them and pay the lawyer 3 times more then the company or business screwed you out of and then make your point IF you win, and that has become a regular part of doing business now that the company's and businesses have learned it's profitable to give it a try since most will just walk away instead. In Thailand often you can call the police (in this case tourist) and many times they'll help you work it out right there and then, or at least you can file a complaint with them which will aid in future pursuit of the company and refunds, in the west they'll tell you to slog off because it's a civil case and your only recourse is an expensive and time consuming law suit.

Wish I could agree that customer service is very lacking just in Thailand, it seems to be a rather lacking skill EVERYWHERE now.. This is a Thai based forum so I'll refrain from a rant about the service here now, it seems the monopolies have it all their own way anymore and competitive or regulative recourse, it's the bane of the capitalist system anymore.

Check the great Thai website about camping cars: http://www.thairv.com/ .

Great stuff, Mike, both the camper project and the link, and in fact there are those aluminum cargo carrier/Seangteow (spl?) frames there for pick ups, much like the one you're building, all over Thailand and they could easily be converted to do exactly what you're doing with the basic frame already outlined. Love the wood work, are you going to leave a lot of it visible? Based on your link it seems there is an underground group of campers and market for them that is much larger then it appears on the surface.

They were, you just didn't know about it I guess? As did few others including me, so maybe bookmark the website link provided and next time....................... Personally I'd choose to do that anyway, so much less hassle and so much more convenience.

Yah see IMHO now you see why no one posted the obvious answer, frankly I'm surprised you took the chance? Anyhooo, there was no way that was going to work..

Harrier jump jet was pretty comical though.. Does anyone still fly Harriers?

Yeah well, as per your usual, you're too thick to comprehend that he opened by saying he couldn't understand Thai.. But of course you already knew that since you're chief knob head around here. As for the rest of your post it's not worth a response and in fact neither was this piece of rubbish but sometimes you just need to tell a knob head that he's a knob head..

It's has nothing to do with that, people who camp or travel that way don't want to stay in hotels, the whole cost of camping these days is no savings over hotels in ANY market, that's ancient thinking, at one point is was, but no longer.. The cost of the camper alone could support hotel costs for many years if you traveled constantly, then you pay for fuel, and camp sites if you stay in a camp ground, it is no longer cost effective to do in any market, people do it because they want to get out and get away and have the freedom they provide to go and stay most anywhere they wish in nature without the hassle of making reservations. locating a hotel in a given place they're unfamiliar with or having to be on a schedule all the time and that's what a camper provides. To this point it has been strictly about economics, mind set, information and availability and all of those trends are changing like they have everywhere. In my life time (and that's not that long as many old gits here) I've seen the evolution of the trend even in the US I grew up with it and now they drive multi-million dollar motor homes, where I live there is at least 10 massive dealers within a 10 mile drive that has millions in inventory.

Our first camper was an old converted VW bus (it wasn't that old at the time) and we traveled all over the states with that, 7 people and also packed and carried a tent and screened dining area, some slept in the van and the older ones in the tent and those memories are with me forever and I'd never want to replace them with memories of a nasty hotel room, that looks like every hotel room, what's special and memorable about that? it has to start somewhere and I think the timing is right and it will grow, it already has, these conversations have been going on now some years and when they began it was just a conversation, now there are people doing it like the company posted here and Carryboy for just a couple examples.

Agreed, but what to do if you can't let them by, because of heavy traffic.

Slow down and make yourself space in front of you. Personally tailgating never bothers me I drive ahead of me and on those rare occasions when one does I do what I suggested, but it is seldom necessary.

Google translate the pages, it's not perfect but it gives you some better indication of what is being sold and after looking quite a bit you begin to get a sense of what is being said. Things like autogear for example.

Nonsense.. Short sighted thinking..When I was there, there was multiple times my missus and I discussed having one to tour the country with, especially with little ones, perfect for them to lay down when they get tired, play games watch TV, feed them if they're hungry, let them use a bathroom (which they do constantly) when they have to without stopping, drive as late as I want to without worrying about where we'll stop or whether or not there is a hotel available and where it is in relation to where we are or are heading in unfamiliar territory and hopefully it's not short time, the list is really endless with just a little bit of critical thinking.