NEW Shell old parts

[jacko lah]

On another forum there's a guy that bought a NEW Shell for a car that was in production from 1981 to 1988. Using all sorts of second hand bits he has gradually built it into a MODIFIED version (He's fitted an engine that was not fitted originally producing maybe twice the power)

Most (if not all) the parts used are second hand, I can't imagine he'd have kept any paper trail of where he got each and everything.

Now the guy is selling it as an unfinished project.

I have it in the back of my mind that who ever buys it will have a problem when registering it ?

Maybe he just planned to transfer the 'paperwork' from a cheap 'sh 1 tter' along with any chassis plates etc? But VOSA/DVLA are not stupid.

The other thing I'd have done is not publish on the web details of the build until I was happy that I could legally register it. For me a Q reg would be fine.

People reshell old Mg's with new shells but this is not exactly a reshell ?

Discuss ?

as a footnote the cash he wants for a none running unfinished project is daft, and I wish I'd seen the shell on ebay all those months ago.

[Dougie.]

The shell was never on Ebay, I was contacted by a chap looking to sell both the saloon, and its estate counterpart. I posted information about them on the net and they both sold.

I'm quite sure that once the car was built he (or a prospective buyer) could simply transfer the VIN plate from a recent MoT failure, get his mate down the MoT station to stick a ticket on it and no authorities would ever know. These cars are notorious for having the shell number completely rust away due to the location on the floorpan, leaving the only identifying mark as the registration plate and the VIN on the front panel. Not legal, but not exactly a crime either in this case. There are of course cases where it most certainly would be and that's why we have these sorts of laws etc.

[Gallen (BPH)]

Cant see it would be a major problem - or any reason why you would you tell the MOT Tester or whoever that it was a brand new shell if you have the paperwork from the "donor" car.

[jacko lah]

Dougie : I'm happy that morally there is nothing wrong with what you are saying, and I think there is not one person that would agree that the spirit of what you suggest is FINE, but actually isn't it technically illegal?

I'm certianly not here to get anyone into trouble, I just want to understand the legal implications.

[Russian Rocket]

load's of "classics" have been re-shelled.

My MGB (see profile) whilst smart is probably only about 10% of what left the factory

[Dougie.]

Yes it's actually illegal, but going 75mph on the motorway is illegal too. I won't tell if you won't etc.

I'd only see a problem morally in these circumstances if it was something like an old RS Escort or similar where the parts/identity were transferred to a different shell and the car was sold on as the genuine article to obtain a much higher asking price than that of a replica.

[jacko lah]

Russian Rocket said:

load's of "classics" have been re-shelled.

My MGB (see profile) whilst smart is probably only about 10% of what left the factory

You see TECHNICALLY it's not a reshell. I agree that if you were restoring a classic and ended up replacing 90% of the parts including the bodyshell, it would be a reshell, but in this case parts have come from all sorts of different cars and sources and yes when it's finished it would be easy enough to take the identity of a scrapper, but I want to know the legal implications, and the RIGHT way.

[cptsideways]

If its been untaxed for a few years & or subject to plate change or eligibale for free tax it will require a VIC check which might highlight any such desrepencies, be cautios

[jacko lah]

cptsideways said:

If its been untaxed for a few years & or subject to plate change or eligibale for free tax it will require a VIC check which might highlight any such desrepencies, be cautios

I know someone who had to bring their car to for a VIC with Vosa when he MOT'd Taxed and wanted to transfer the number plate after many year dead. He was bricking it despite it being all proper.

[Gallen (BPH)]

ok! ...get the MOT failure, rebuild the parts into the new shell then register it.

Then replace the old parts in the new shell with the new parts from the project ...or just do the vin plate! Same difference! LOL!

[streaky]

jacko lah said:

Russian Rocket said:

load's of "classics" have been re-shelled.

My MGB (see profile) whilst smart is probably only about 10% of what left the factory

You see TECHNICALLY it's not a reshell. I agree that if you were restoring a classic and ended up replacing 90% of the parts including the bodyshell, it would be a reshell, but in this case parts have come from all sorts of different cars and sources ...

That description would fit rebuilding many an old TVR - Streaky