What the Code counts as a street rod
A street rod is a vehicle modified for safe use on the road that has a body and frame built before 1949, or is a replica of one (the Code, clause 1.8). It must be right-hand drive (clause 1.6) and must have a section 163AA exemption in force (clause 1.9).
The Code itself describes street rods as different from historic and left-hand drive vehicles: they can be built from a combination of vehicle parts, or from the ground up on new reproduction parts, and they rely on modification to produce “highly individual creations of showmanship and craftsmanship” (the Code, clause 1.6). Age alone does not decide anything. What decides it is how the rod was built and what paperwork it has.
Three paths, depending on the paperwork
If the Department’s exemption documents already designate the vehicle as a street rod, the rules in this section are not needed. If they do not, the rod must have been built or modified to standards the Registrar of Motor Vehicles accepts, and which standard applies depends on when its Statement of Requirements was first obtained (the Code, clause 1.10).
| When the Statement of Requirements was first obtained | Built or modified to | Extra steps |
|---|---|---|
| September 2007 or later | The National Guidelines for the Construction and Modification of Street Rods in Australia | None beyond the exemption |
| January 1982 to 1 September 2007 | The South Australian Technical Advisory Committee Manual for Street Rods | Department exemption documents issued after January 1982 |
| Never obtained, rod built and registered before 1982 | Built as a street rod at the time | Certificate of compliance from the Australian Street Rod Federation, sighting by the Technical Advisory Committee, then a Department inspection |
The third path is the one that catches older members by surprise. A rod that has been on the road since the 1970s may have no Statement of Requirements at all, and it cannot simply be signed onto the Scheme on the strength of its age. If you are unsure which path a member’s rod takes, the Scheme guide sets out the categories side by side and the glossary explains the terms.
Imported rods and left-hand steering
An imported street rod over 25 years old can be registered in the left-hand drive category instead, if it meets that category’s rules (the Code, clause 1.7). That means a Left-Hand Drive Exemption, and the vehicle is then a left-hand drive vehicle for Scheme purposes, not a street rod.
For the club, the practical point is that your members’ rods may sit in more than one Scheme category. The authorised person must enter the eligibility category on every MR334; it is one of the mandatory vehicle details, alongside the plate, make, body type, year and chassis or VIN (the Code, clause 2.8). Our page on left-hand drive and ICV clubs covers that category.
Your association’s part
Street rod clubs work within a wider structure than most. The Code gives two associations a role in the Scheme: the Australian Street Rod Federation (SA Branch) and the South Australian Hot Rod Association.
- Eligibility. Both associations support street rod clubs in working out whether a rod is eligible for conditional registration (the Code, clauses 4.15 and 4.16).
- Pre-1982 rods. The Australian Street Rod Federation keeps a South Australian Technical Advisory Committee to assess street rods built before January 1982 (the Code, clause 4.15).
- Log books. The Federation of Historic Motoring Clubs SA, as the Issuing Body, issues bulk log books to both associations for distribution to their associated member clubs (the Code, clause 4.14).
The log books may reach you through your association, but your club’s duties do not change. Before issuing a book, the club must check the member is financial and owns an eligible vehicle (the Code, clause 2.27). The club cancels the book when a member resigns (clause 2.29), sends the Logbook Declaration to the Issuing Body within two months of its financial year end (clause 2.30) and reports the books it issued within three months (clause 2.32).
What MemberCrew records for each rod
A street rod’s details rarely match the factory specification of the car it started as, so the vehicle record matters. MemberCrew records each rod against its owner with the plate, make, model, year, colour, engine number and capacity, body type and VIN, and whether it has historic registration. A notes field on the vehicle record lets the club note anything else it wants to keep, such as the rod’s category and the details of its exemption.
Each rod on the Scheme carries its log book history, and every log book shows as current, expired or cancelled. The owner carries the exemption documents with the vehicle (the Code, clause 3.5), and takes the originals to Service SA with the MR1 and MR334 when registering (clause 3.3). The vehicles and log books feature shows the register in more detail.
Builds, shows and the 90 days
Many street rod members are mid-build at any given time. MemberCrew’s register is not limited to Scheme vehicles, so a rod under construction can sit against its owner long before it has an exemption. When it is finished and approved, it gets its log book and joins the Scheme like any other vehicle.
Once on the Scheme, a rod is limited to 90 days of use in each 12 months of registration (the Code, clause 3.5). Each run, show or display day goes in the log book before the owner leaves (clause 3.6). Your club’s shows and runs can go into MemberCrew as events with public pages and RSVPs, so you know how many rods to expect.