Asbestos in older Chrysler Corporation/American cars.

[crv]

So now the rules are getting quite stringent when bringing cars into Australia, any imported vehicle must have zero asbestos present. Penalties for not declaring asbestos can range up to AUS$180,000 for individuals, or three times the value of the vehicle, as well as costs for testing for any presence of asbestos, not to mention the repair costs for any damage caused to the vehicle by customs officials (this has been reported to have taken place recently to two cars). If intending to import a car it is advised to obtain a report (from the country where the car is located) stating the absence of asbestos in that particular car.
With this in mind, where may we find asbestos on older cars, other than gaskets, brake linings and other well known areas?

 

[CBODY67]

My curiosity is HOW and WHERE the customs officials know where to look? Other than the items mentioned? From the regulations I found online about what the Oz Customs operatives require/scrutinize on imported vehicles, especially "modified" vehicles, it seems like an exercise in futility. The asbestos situation seems to intensify that.

The other thing is "What are the approved replacement items?" If the alleged asbestos-containing items are removed, what shall they be replaced with in order to maintain the form and function of the vehicle?

CBODY67

 

[330dTA]

1) Brake pads, drum brake linings, any parts inside the transmission taking up friction, clutch plates; those most certainly if OEM parts.
2) Engine gaskets (including elastic sealants), and any heat insulation around the cowl area, yes, perhaps.
3) Unlikely to find asbestos anywhere else, although somebody mentioned the radiator shroud. Kind of makes sense, since the shroud would be exposed to heat, and asbestos fibers were very good at taking the heat.

Asbestos fibers were a double edged sword. Very strong, and very good at taking the heat. But positively lethal if any strand ended in your lungs. (Lethal in the long run, say in 25 years, so...)

 

[cantflip]

1) Brake pads, drum brake linings, any parts inside the transmission taking up friction, clutch plates; those most certainly if OEM parts.
2) Engine gaskets (including elastic sealants), and any heat insulation around the cowl area, yes, perhaps.
3) Unlikely to find asbestos anywhere else, although somebody mentioned the radiator shroud. Kind of makes sense, since the shroud would be exposed to heat, and asbestos fibers were very good at taking the heat.

Asbestos fibers were a double edged sword. Very strong, and very good at taking the heat. But positively lethal if any strand ended in your lungs. (Lethal in the long run, say in 25 years, so...)

Sand blasting, lead paint, fiber glass... plus anything with VOC's... the list of what you can't breath without damage is endless. I'm not saying asbestos is good, but when the bans started... everything became outlawed (supposedly) and to enforce it to these levels seems a bit silly.

I to go find a little R12 to test my choke and thermo-vacuum switches according to FSM directions. (note: sarcasm only... don't bother the EPA with this)

 

[ceebuddy]

Asbestos fibers were a double edged sword. Very strong, and very good at taking the heat. But positively lethal if any strand ended in your lungs. (Lethal in the long run, say in 25 years, so...)

I don't want to hijack the thread, but I think it is all a matter of statistics. One fiber may be enough for one person to kill it while others never get sick. Statistically, of course, the more you're exposed, the more likely you are to develop a disease from it. Asbestos was almost everywhere around us in the 1970's (yet often in compound with other materials) and not all of us dropped dead.

 

[crv]

This was a move to prevent dodgy products being imported from China, particularly in the building industry, but some pencil pusher in the government saw the opportunity to make money at the docks, not to mention unscrupulous customs officers being able to take bribes on the side, while targeting the car hobbyists who are little more than punching bags to these over paid public servants.

 

[goldfish65]

What much of the public doesn't understand of course is that the asbestos in most applications is not going to harm you. Yes if you go cutting into let's say asbestos shingles with a sawzall and don't wear a mask, you run a risk but otherwise asbestos does not jump out and kill you.

 

[Jeff]

So now the rules are getting quite stringent when bringing cars into Australia, any imported vehicle must have zero asbestos present. Penalties for not declaring asbestos can range up to AUS$180,000 for individuals, or three times the value of the vehicle, as well as costs for testing for any presence of asbestos, not to mention the repair costs for any damage caused to the vehicle by customs officials (this has been reported to have taken place recently to two cars). If intending to import a car it is advised to obtain a report (from the country where the car is located) stating the absence of asbestos in that particular car.
With this in mind, where may we find asbestos on older cars, other than gaskets, brake linings and other well known areas?

There was asbestos in the undercoating of a 1948 Chrysler I had.

 

[crv]

There was asbestos in the undercoating of a 1948 Chrysler I had.

There are reports that a car brought in a few months back had asbestos in the undercoating used underneath the car, not sure how the owner fared, but it seems like customs is doing their homework and pinpointing what cars had asbestos other than in the areas mentioned above. The outcome is always extra expenses, and I believe that was the intention.

 

[Big_John]

What you have is some bureaucrats enforcing the letter of the law rather than the spirit of the law.

 

[Wonderwagon]

A link for more information, an attorney site, but a start http://www.asbestos-attorney.com/asbestos_product_brands.html

 

[Ironwolf]

Asbestos is essentially everywhere ....

Asbestos in cars - In every mans garage - Asbestos Global

Asbestos in Automobiles

Goods that could contain asbestos | Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency, Australian Government

 

[LeBaron1973]

Must be many more Australian assembled or made cars with Asbestos than will ever be imported as collector cars. Idiots.

 

[cm23uoc]

What you have is some bureaucrats enforcing the letter of the law rather than the spirit of the law.

I totally agree. In most of the extreme cases they come to their senses. They tried to ban certain Isolation materials from being burned in waste combustion without giving any alternatives. With the housing and renovation boom in Germany contractors drowned in this material with no place to get rid of it in no time. Just as an outrage was on its way the Regulation was "temporarily" taken out of order.