Page 1 of 1
The Gauntlet... Renewing Historic Registration on a Model T in New South Wales
Posted: Wed Aug 20, 2025 9:12 pm
by ModelTMitch
In New South Wales, keeping a Historic vehicle registered for road use is somewhat a gauntlet!
In short: In New South Wales, to be eligible for NSW historic vehicle (H plate) registration, a vehicle must be at least 30 years old from the year it was manufactured, be in near original condition with limited or no modifications, and be registered with a Transport for NSW (TFNSW) recognized historic vehicle club. Additionally, the vehicle must comply with NSW vehicle standards applicable at the time of manufacture and the registered operator must be a financial member of an approved club.
In my new video, I walk you through the process involved in renewing the registration for a historic or "H plated" vehicle in New South Wales, and since the Model T was due, I seized the opportunity to make this video!
Enjoy the video 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E19ePBx_vvQ
[/size]
Re: The Gauntlet... Renewing Historic Registration on a Model T in New South Wales
Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2025 2:09 pm
by OilyBill
AWESOME! Thank you very much!
Re: The Gauntlet... Renewing Historic Registration on a Model T in New South Wales
Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2025 5:29 pm
by 1925 Touring
Wow, what a riga-ma-roll...
Like I commented in your video, I think its easier to get an airplane registered and certified here in the states than it is to get your Model T registered and certified over there...
Re: The Gauntlet... Renewing Historic Registration on a Model T in New South Wales
Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2025 12:53 am
by mbowen
1925 Touring wrote: ↑Thu Aug 21, 2025 5:29 pm
Wow, what a riga-ma-roll...
Like I commented in your video, I think its harder to get an airplane registered and certified here in the states than it is to get your Model T registered and certified over there...
As an airplane owner here in the U.S. since 1982 I haven’t found that to be the case. To register, send a form with not much more than you name, address, N-number and serial number of the aircraft, and $5 to the FAA and you’re good for seven years or when your address changes. An annual inspection and a logbook entry by an A&P mechanic with an Inspection Authorization and you’re good to go with NO restriction on how many days you can fly it for the ensuing 12 calendar months. You don’t HAVE to a be a member of any club for it to be registered or certified (though membership in a type club can provide a lot of valuable information).
Re: The Gauntlet... Renewing Historic Registration on a Model T in New South Wales
Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2025 1:00 am
by Luxford
Mitch,
You have outlined a set of steps far over the actual process needed to register an historic vehicle in NSW.
I have just renewed my Fronty speedster registration, all I needed to do was fill in the details on the white sheet which is for my name address and car details -Year, engine number/chassis number ( as its a Model T the engine number is the number accepted as there is no other number)
The club delegate inspects the car fills in his name and the date, stamps the clubs identification in the square at the end of the page and I take the paperwork to the transport office, hand over the registration paper and the club page (white paper) and pay the money. Usually clubs have an inspection day at the end of the year and most members take their car on that day, if you register in a differnet time period you arrange to take the car to the inspector or have him come to you.
There is no need to have a garage issue a "pink slip" ( the transport department does not want or ask for it) and I would suspect you were charged by the garage to do the inspection. Car clubs usually have an appropriate person to do the inspecting and usually don't charge as they are volunteers /club members and are there to help members. This was decided years ago by the government when it was realised often the garage people (who would be licenced mechanics) often have no idea of the mechanics of such old vehicles, so the responsibility was placed with the car clubs to police the inspections. Garage inspectors often get it wrong, when Rover 2000's came out in 1963 they were refused registration as the inspectors thought they had no brakes on the rear wheels (the disk brake were inboard)
My Town Car has full registration on it, that requires it to be inspected the same as a modern car. I have to take it to the garage, get the inspector to sit in the back seat while I drive the Model T, he then asks me to brake with both the foot and hand brake while he uses a machine to measure the braking effect. Usually the machine is connected to the brake pedal but Model T coils affect the machine often destroying its electronics so the machine has to be kept away from the coil box. That little exercise costs about $39.
As you mentioned only the standards imposed on the vehicle when it was made apply, in my case the lights are gas, when I first applied for registration I was told they were unacceptable, except they had no way of knowing that as there was no devise to measure the affectivness. I appealed and they sent out 3 inspectors at night to my house and I had to light up the lights. after some tests ( such as one inspector in black going up the road and asking the others if they could see him) the Ford was passed.
Over the years the government has realised letting old vehicles drive on the roads (as they do very rarely) it pays to make it simple to have them able to do so by having the club plate system, they step aside and make the clubs responsible, they just collect the millions of dollars in revenue. I hope your club is not putting in place extra rules.
Re: The Gauntlet... Renewing Historic Registration on a Model T in New South Wales
Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2025 5:50 am
by 1925 Touring
mbowen wrote: ↑Fri Aug 22, 2025 12:53 am
1925 Touring wrote: ↑Thu Aug 21, 2025 5:29 pm
Wow, what a riga-ma-roll...
Like I commented in your video, I think its harder to get an airplane registered and certified here in the states than it is to get your Model T registered and certified over there...
As an airplane owner here in the U.S. since 1982 I haven’t found that to be the case. To register, send a form with not much more than you name, address, N-number and serial number of the aircraft, and $5 to the FAA and you’re good for seven years or when your address changes. An annual inspection and a logbook entry by an A&P mechanic with an Inspection Authorization and you’re good to go with NO restriction on how many days you can fly it for the ensuing 12 calendar months. You don’t HAVE to a be a member of any club for it to be registered or certified (though membership in a type club can provide a lot of valuable information).
Woops, I meant to say it the other way around... I'll edit that
Re: The Gauntlet... Renewing Historic Registration on a Model T in New South Wales
Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2025 8:24 pm
by ModelTMitch
Unfortunately, yes, our club has opted for the "Get your own pink slip" approach as opposed to how we used to do it, having a responsible club member inspecting the car and signing off on it. We do also have a "club inspection day", but it's become more of a car show now, than actual inspection for rego, since everyone's rego falls on a different date.
The white sheet I believe you're referring to is the Historic Vehicle Declaration (Form 1259), which must be completed upon every renewal.
I took my Model T to the closest workshop to my home, and even they had basically no idea what to do, besides checking that the lights and horn worked, and jacked up the front wheels to check the wheel bearings.
The brake test is an absolute joke, as even cars as recent as the 1970's can and do fail the modern brake test. But in order to be deemed "roadworthy", a brake test ticket is required. So they just "test" another vehicle to get a reading, and that printout gets stapled to the inspection certificate... The system needs to change, as it does not make allowances for older cars.
Luxford wrote: ↑Fri Aug 22, 2025 1:00 am
Mitch,
You have outlined a set of steps far over the actual process needed to register an historic vehicle in NSW.
I have just renewed my Fronty speedster registration, all I needed to do was fill in the details on the white sheet which is for my name address and car details -Year, engine number/chassis number ( as its a Model T the engine number is the number accepted as there is no other number)
The club delegate inspects the car fills in his name and the date, stamps the clubs identification in the square at the end of the page and I take the paperwork to the transport office, hand over the registration paper and the club page (white paper) and pay the money. Usually clubs have an inspection day at the end of the year and most members take their car on that day, if you register in a differnet time period you arrange to take the car to the inspector or have him come to you.
There is no need to have a garage issue a "pink slip" ( the transport department does not want or ask for it) and I would suspect you were charged by the garage to do the inspection. Car clubs usually have an appropriate person to do the inspecting and usually don't charge as they are volunteers /club members and are there to help members. This was decided years ago by the government when it was realised often the garage people (who would be licenced mechanics) often have no idea of the mechanics of such old vehicles, so the responsibility was placed with the car clubs to police the inspections. Garage inspectors often get it wrong, when Rover 2000's came out in 1963 they were refused registration as the inspectors thought they had no brakes on the rear wheels (the disk brake were inboard)
My Town Car has full registration on it, that requires it to be inspected the same as a modern car. I have to take it to the garage, get the inspector to sit in the back seat while I drive the Model T, he then asks me to brake with both the foot and hand brake while he uses a machine to measure the braking effect. Usually the machine is connected to the brake pedal but Model T coils affect the machine often destroying its electronics so the machine has to be kept away from the coil box. That little exercise costs about $39.
As you mentioned only the standards imposed on the vehicle when it was made apply, in my case the lights are gas, when I first applied for registration I was told they were unacceptable, except they had no way of knowing that as there was no devise to measure the affectivness. I appealed and they sent out 3 inspectors at night to my house and I had to light up the lights. after some tests ( such as one inspector in black going up the road and asking the others if they could see him) the Ford was passed.
Over the years the government has realised letting old vehicles drive on the roads (as they do very rarely) it pays to make it simple to have them able to do so by having the club plate system, they step aside and make the clubs responsible, they just collect the millions of dollars in revenue. I hope your club is not putting in place extra rules.