HP,
At the moment when you start a club permit the car is issued with yucky dark red numberplates in the form "99999.H" with "CLUB PERMIT" at the top, and you don't get to choose the number.
The old number must be put on self retention or handed back to VicRoads.
As per my previous post, VicRoads is considering allowing use of normal plates with an extra badge or tag attached to identify the car is on a club permit.
It's up to each club to say how they administer the scheme and what they will accept.
Some one marque clubs will only approve cars of that marque. Some clubs require x months of membership before you can apply. Some clubs allow modifications, some don't. If you are not already in a club it would be worth shopping around the local clubs to see what their requirements are.
To give you an idea, the Toyota Car Club of Vic requirements are:
- You attend at least one meeting before joining and/or applying for the permit.
- You submit the club's own form to the Club Permit Admin with photos attached giving details of the car and especially all modifications.
- If the club is happy with the vehicle in principle you pay a $40 fee to have one of the club's two scrutineers attend your home/work and inspect the vehicle for safety issues and ensure the description matches the club form. Or you can get an RWC if you prefer.
- Once the scrutineer is happy he provides an inspection report (or you provide your RWC) to the Club Permit Admin who will then sign the VicRoads form.
- You take the inspection report (or your RWC) and VicRoads form to VicRoads, pay the fee and get your plates, rego label and logbook.
The issue of not requiring an RWC is a contraversial one but I personally think one of the benefits of the scheme. I'm sure most of us have stories of cars being failed for an RWC on the stupidest of things. But if my club under the Club Permit system does not require me to get an official RWC, then I'm happy with that.
I'd wager that many Mokes on this forum would have features that are perfectly safe or even normal for a Moke, but don't necessarily meet RWC guidelines. These are things a club scrutineer will understand better than an RWC inspector who does 20 Falcadores a day for the local used car lots. Some examples of items commonly seen on Mokes that should fail an RWC:
- Non-standard rollbars that have seatbelt mounts technically need to be engineer approved.
- Non-standard seats in cars after 1968, front or rear, should be engineer approved.
- Minor oil leaks.
- Wheel/tyre combos that stick outside the guards slightly or contact any part of the bodywork or suspension on full lock or rebound.
- Missing or inoperative pollution controls (air pump and/or charcoal canister) after 1975.
- Wipers that don't park after 1971.
I once had an RWC inspector who is very familiar with Minis/Mokes tell me a Mini/Moke was designed to have a tiny amount of ball-joint play, but he still needed to fail the car if any was detected, because that is what the law says.
I wouldn't drive my Moke with any problem I consider unsafe and I do check it thoroughly every few months.
Cheers,