DVLA and Replacement Chassis

[billwill]

It was a close thing for me back in 1978, I so nearly ended up with a Q registration.

But in the end after all that hassle, I retained OGU108E.

Annoying that because the car was not taxed (due to more than 6 months off the road during chassis sub-frame change) they would not let me drive the car to Greenwich from Muswell Hill (appx 10 miles) to the inspector and I had the expense of hiring a man with Land Rover & trailer.


Was 1978 before the MOT test came in?

[billwill]

Hmm, maybe we owners should stop (and ban) ourselves from referring to the metal bit as a chassis and always refer to it as the sub-frame.

[fatboyoz]

Wyn,
The chassis number is on the R/H chassis rail just forward of the engine mount. When I swapped my old damaged chassis for a new, galvanised Lotus chassis, I used a set of number punches (of the original size) to replicate the original number/position. Don't bother puting any letters or anything else with it, just the number as per the original. You will have to hold something solid under the rail whilst belting the number punches with a hammer so as not to bend the chassis. If you do this, no one need know that you have changed the chassis, unless you tell them.
I

Hi All

Has anybody got experience of changing their Elan chassis and then changing the chassis number with the DVLA. Based on their points system (link - http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/BuyingAndSellingAVehicle/RegisteringAVehicle/DG_10014199) this should be relatively simple if the original suspension, shell, steering etc are maintained. Having dealt with the DVLA before though I'm not so sure!

Regards

Wyn

[lsdweb]

Thanks guys

Decision made

Wyn

[billwill]

Thanks guys

Decision made

Wyn

Thu Jul 08, 2010 2:50 am
Sun Nov 07, 2010 9:39 am

Having thought long & hard about it... ?

[lsdweb]

You can't rush these things

I forgot to subscribe to the topic !

[gerrym]

What does one do hypothetically if the replacement engines comes from Ford with NO engine number (OK so it was manufactured/sold as a service replacement engine, may originally have even been intended for engine replacements under warranty). Its a Ford Focus Zetec engine with no number.
Regards

[mikealdren]

Gerry,
mine's the same, I was thinking of stamping it with the original number to match the log book..........

Mike

[pereirac]

My other car is an Alpina, they just put a cross through the original BMW chassis number and stamp their own number above it. I gather that really gets some officials worried...

Carl

[tonycharente]

Wyn,
The chassis number is on the R/H chassis rail just forward of the engine mount. When I swapped my old damaged chassis for a new, galvanised Lotus chassis, I used a set of number punches (of the original size) to replicate the original number/position.

Hello "fatboyoz",
Here in France they have just (since 01/01/11) tightened the rules on checking chassis (sorry "sub-frame !!!) numbers match the chassis/body plate and the log book. My 1969 Elan has a Spyder chassis on which the original Lotus chassis number was poorly stamped and is now hard to read. I am thinking about re-stamping it to make it clearly readable, and would like to know what the original size of the numbers was - can you (or anyone else!) help please?
Thanks
Tony

[fatboyoz]

Hi Tony,
The number stamps I used were 1/4" (approx' 6mm) as these approximated the original. If you have some lying around, just be aware that the numbers, on the end of the stamp, will appear to be larger than what the printed number will be. It is the finished size of a 1/4" you want. If I recall, I made up something to stamp the "forward slash" ( / ) between the model designator (45 in my case) and the actual subframe (chassis) number. I wouldn't have thought the French registration people would be terribly "au fait" with the position and size of the number in any case.
Colin.

Wyn,
The chassis number is on the R/H chassis rail just forward of the engine mount. When I swapped my old damaged chassis for a new, galvanised Lotus chassis, I used a set of number punches (of the original size) to replicate the original number/position.

Hello "fatboyoz",
Here in France they have just (since 01/01/11) tightened the rules on checking chassis (sorry "sub-frame !!!) numbers match the chassis/body plate and the log book. My 1969 Elan has a Spyder chassis on which the original Lotus chassis number was poorly stamped and is now hard to read. I am thinking about re-stamping it to make it clearly readable, and would like to know what the original size of the numbers was - can you (or anyone else!) help please?
Thanks
Tony

[512BB]

Tony in Charente,

I think it very unlikely that you will be able to match the font of the original numbers and letters exactly, so if you overstamp, you will make a right dogs dinner of it, possibly leading to a dodgy looking chassis no. And that might lead to problems should you ever come to sell.

Leave well alone in my humble.....

Leslie

[tonycharente]

Many thanks to both Colin and Leslie.

The reason for getting the right size was simply to make it look "period correct" (it's an early, Lotus-look-alike Spyder chassis, not a modern tubular frame one)

Advice absorbed - if I do decide I need to restamp the numbers, I would do it in a fresh spot

Thanks again
Tony

[elanfan1]

Tony - couple of suggestions for your 'poorly stamped numbers'

maybe go over them carefully with a Dremmel and appropriate sharp tool to make them clearer and then a quick blow over with white aerosol paint and a wipe before it dries should have them standing out nicely.

[tonycharente]

Tony - couple of suggestions for your 'poorly stamped numbers'

maybe go over them carefully with a Dremmel and appropriate sharp tool to make them clearer and then a quick blow over with white aerosol paint and a wipe before it dries should have them standing out nicely.

Yes, thank you for this good idea. I may try that - and if I make a mess of it I could still revert to my first idea.

A fresh question to all, please - from a member on the Club Lotus France web-site where the whole issue is raising some excitement as you might imagine! In fact it's a hot topic on many French classic car sites - an awful lot of 2CV's have had chassis swaps...

On a baby Elan, is the chassis number stamped on the left or the right (facing forward) arm of the "Y" of the chassis (i.e. exhaust side or carbs side)?

And on a Plus 2?

Thanks to all,
Tony