mk1-forum.net

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MORRIS-MINI-1 ... 3f0cbca186

I know people have discussed re-shelling a million times but things like this still annoy me. On what account is this car a 1967 Morris mini? New shell, subframes and running gear. Surely this would not be aloud according to the VOSA standards.

Rather than go to all the trouble of swapping over the shell why not just drill out the rivets on the chassis plate and swap that to the new car along with the number plates. Job done. Tax exempt mini.

dhenry wrote:
why not just drill out the rivets on the chassis plate and swap that to the new car along with the number plates. Job done. Tax exempt mini.

I thought that was what most "tax exempt" Mini sellers on Fleabay did

If it’s a new Heritage shell then perfectly legal and the only way to re-shell. But that does look like it would ring like a bell.

All Mini's up to 1986 would now be tax exempt and more likely to be saved from being scrapped if Gordon Brown as Chancellor for Tony Blair had not removed the 25 year rolling tax exemption for classic cars in 1997 as soon as Labour gained power, (probably because the Tories had introduced it). Maybe ALL classic Minis should be made tax exempt now anyway as a tribute to a Historic British motoring Icon...........

If it saves a few more of the rapidly declining number of 1980/90's Minis from being scrapped for future generations and is not done blatently for profit (buyer beware) then I will certainly shed no tears for the 'authorities' losing an insignificant amount of road tax from cars that would anyway now be tax exempt under the original scheme. This is also not exclusive to Mini's........several other cars which cross the 1972 tax cut-off date relatively unchanged in production are also subject to 'Re-VINs' such as MG Midgets, MGB's, Triumph Spitfires, Range Rovers and Land Rovers.......

(The FBHVC has asked the Treasury several times for a return to the rolling date for the VED exemption pointing out that UK is the only country in Europe where such a concession employs a fixed date, and that the threshold for concession is set at 20 or 25 years in other countries, except Denmark which uses 35. By the end of this year, the youngest vehicles qualifying for the British concession will be 39 years old).

I dont reckon it is a heritage shell and besides he admits to it having new subframes and running gear which only leaves the engine as the only major component left. Under VOSA's 8 point system this car would not be legal. I count a possible 3 points for motor and trans although its still unlikely that the engine isn't even original. Oh well. What can you do?

dhenry, doesn't the VOSA 8 point regulation count suspension/engine etc to be any type that was fitted during the original production run.

If it has to be original then a good 60% of Mini's would be illegal - subframes rot out constantly, people dump the 998 for a 1275, change from Hydro to Dry, drums to disc's etc.

Not really sure. I guess its all a little bit grey isn't it. Actually I think It may just have to be of the same type and kind as opposed to the original component itself. In which case there is little to stop anyone swapping chassis plates for the sake of saving the road tax. Still, it doesn't take an expert to see that the car in question wasn't built in 1967. Just found this from DVLA.

In order to retain the original registration mark:

Cars and Car-Derived Vans must use:

The original unmodified chassis or unaltered bodyshell (i.e. body and chassis as one unit - monocoque); or

A new chassis or monocoque bodyshell of the same specification as the original supported by evidence from the dealer/manufacturer (e.g. receipt)

And two other major components from the original vehicle - see list below

Suspension (front & back)
Axles (both)
Transmission
Steering Assembly
Engine

If a second-hand chassis/monocoque bodyshell is used, the vehicle must pass a ESVA/SVA test after which a "Q" prefix registration number will be allocated.

Big can of worms about to be opened

I've seen plenty of cars featured in a certain magazine, where the owners have said that they don't want to re-shell, in the interests of originality, but then go on to replace every single panel on their cars, and I mean every single panel (including both bulkheads and roof) and refit the interior with the newton parts catalouge, to get that as new look!.While I'm not trying to say that their skills aren't unbelievable to save such cars from the scrapman, surely these cars are built with brand new panels, so are recreations of a 60's/70's car?
Any car re-shelled into a shell of the same vintage as the original car can claim to be an original 60's/70's car. Both cars have completely different panels, but one of them is brand new!
Just swapping vin plates and reg plates is clearly wrong, but if someone purchases a completely bare shell that has been repaired (without any ID) and rebuild the car using all the original cars parts, including interior and engine, is that OK?

Two different ways of saving a classic car, despite my points above, both are fine (in my humble opinion) by me. But I know which I would rather have If the shell was not worth saving.

john

I think your right minimade. If you have a totally rotten mk1 mini and you re-shell it with a brand new (restored shell) with no identity then that is fair play. Although I think it should be like for like. The only area where this becomes an issue is in particularly rare cars. For example reshelling a Cooper S 1071 into a standard mk1 shell. You just have to be honest about the history. But you should not be able to reshell a 1967 into a 1993 and still be able to call it a 1967. Which technically you cant but people do get away with it.

This is my reshelled Mini
Identitiy from 71 and shell from 90.
But this is my car, everyone can hear the history and I will never sell it....

almondgreen wrote:This is my reshelled Mini
Identitiy from 71 and shell from 90.
But this is my car, everyone can hear the history and I will never sell it....

Like I said above, 2 ways to save a classic, both fine by me. Its your car to do with what you want .Its just that I would prefer to re-shell like for like.

Very nice car there almond'

john