Bulkhead Recommendations and MOT Tax Exemption.

Hi All,
Rebuild started on my 1977 Diesel 109. I'm looking at replacing the bulkhead with a reconditioned galvanized one, seen a few online anybody have any recommendations. Good or bad.

And

Owned the vehicle over 30 years, taken off the road about 10 years ago (got married and my wife could not drive it and I could not afford to keep two cars on the road). Vehicle was never SORN'd (I know just lazy). I've got the V5 in my name at my current address just wondering if anybody knows what the best process is to get the vehicles paperwork sorted. Can I get it declared MOT exempt despite being off the road so long?

mgd109 said:

Hi All,
Rebuild started on my 1977 Diesel 109. I'm looking at replacing the bulkhead with a reconditioned galvanized one, seen a few online anybody have any recommendations. Good or bad.

And

Owned the vehicle over 30 years, taken off the road about 10 years ago (got married and my wife could not drive it and I could not afford to keep two cars on the road). Vehicle was never SORN'd (I know just lazy). I've got the V5 in my name at my current address just wondering if anybody knows what the best process is to get the vehicles paperwork sorted. Can I get it declared MOT exempt despite being off the road so long?

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Ashtree seem to have a good reputation for bulkheads.

http://ashtreelandrover.com/Technical.html

As far as I know, any vehicle over 40 years which is registered at DVLA can be registered as a historic vehicle, their website may advise as to procedure.

https://www.pegasusbulkheads.com/

These are advertising in land rover mag I just bought today worth a quote

If you have never had sorn reminders you have a "get out of jail free" card. Phone the DVLA and confirm the vehile is now "historic" and ask them to send you a new v5. Should be free as its a change ot tax class. The MOT exemption will come when you try to tax it online, you will make a declaration that it has not been modified (there's a term like "significantly" or some such). A lot of vehiles that were off the road when the new system came in got left out.

rob1miles said:

If you have never had sorn reminders you have a "get out of jail free" card. Phone the DVLA and confirm the vehile is now "historic" and ask them to send you a new v5. Should be free as its a change ot tax class. The MOT exemption will come when you try to tax it online, you will make a declaration that it has not been modified (there's a term like "significantly" or some such). A lot of vehiles that were off the road when the new system came in got left out.

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I think Sorn has changed since it was first introduced. I had a Clio, the tax and MOT ran out, so I sorned it. That was about 3 years ago, never had any reminders, never did anything. I have now scrapped the car, but not had any letters, emails, or demands for fines from DVLA.

Somebody on LZ, I think it was @lynall , said the other day that SORN now lasts ten years, and that could well be right.

It's worth having a look at http://www.gov.uk/historic-vehicles in relation to MOT exemptions and what constitutes a 'substantial change', it also lists the kind of things you can change and are not regarded as a substantial change.

The MOT exemption application form is V112 and there is a list of categories on the reverse - you pick which one is applicable (I think it is 'R' in the case of simply being over 40 years old and unmodified), fill this letter in the box on the front, fill in the reg. no. and sign it.

I found that tax exemption was very easy and I was in a similar sitaution to the O.P.; been off the road for over 10 years and not SORN'd at all in that time. Filled in tax class change section of the V5 and presented it over the counter at the post office. They took the V5 to send back to DVLA and issued receipt for road tax (at £0) for one year on the spot. I asked about SORNing it because it is still off road and was told 'there's no point, the tax is zero so you may as well leave it taxed'.

A couple of interesting points - clearly I had no MOT and had not had one since 2002, also it is not insured and neither of these things posed a problem, initially I was not sure if they would buy it but decided I had nothing to lose and would try to get the tax class changed anyway, which was achieved successfully.

An additional issue is that I had no V5 so applied for a replacement before any of the above, which was also not a problem.

Hope that is of help.

6pot said:

A couple of interesting points - clearly I had no MOT and had not had one since 2002, also it is not insured and neither of these things posed a problem, initially I was not sure if they would buy it but decided I had nothing to lose and would try to get the tax class changed anyway, which was achieved successfully.

An additional issue is that I had no V5 so applied for a replacement before any of the above, which was also not a problem.

Hope that is of help.

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Very helpful thanks. I was sure there would be some Catch 22 situation that to get the tax class changed I'd need MOT and insurance but not which is good.

mgd109 said:

Very helpful thanks. I was sure there would be some Catch 22 situation that to get the tax class changed I'd need MOT and insurance but not which is good.

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Glad that is of help, I was also worried about some catch 22 re. MOT and insurance, certainly in the old days you had to show proof of both so I thought the worst they can do is refuse it. I was pleasantly surprised that it was so easy and catch-free! Hopefully all post offices which deal with this are the same, I would doubt that there is any room for discretion on a matter such as this.

mgd109 said:

Hi All,
Rebuild started on my 1977 Diesel 109. I'm looking at replacing the bulkhead with a reconditioned galvanized one, seen a few online anybody have any recommendations. Good or bad.

And

Owned the vehicle over 30 years, taken off the road about 10 years ago (got married and my wife could not drive it and I could not afford to keep two cars on the road). Vehicle was never SORN'd (I know just lazy). I've got the V5 in my name at my current address just wondering if anybody knows what the best process is to get the vehicles paperwork sorted. Can I get it declared MOT exempt despite being off the road so long?

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Robert Owen engineering make very good ones.
http://www.landroverbulkhead.co.uk/our-bulkheads.html

Can you post a pic of the bulkhead? One option is to get it repaired at a local fabricator, not only keeps it orginal but also could save up to 6 months lead time. Galv is nice, but ungalved with a decent primer are lasting 40 plus years

You'll see much worse bulkheads and is certainly salvageable. Foot wells are shot:-




Door pillars are not to bad


Top section under is sound no issues around the vents, it's better under the window than this pic shows that's just surface rust.

mgd109 said:

Rebuild started on my 1977 Diesel 109. I'm looking at replacing the bulkhead with a reconditioned galvanized one, seen a few online anybody have any recommendations. Good or bad.

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I can rcomend http://classicbulkheads.com/ They did my setreis 3 and am very happy with it, lead time is long 6-9 months, but more than happy with the finished product. I was in no rush as I gave them a spare bulkhead to rebuild so my vehicle was still usable and then swapped them over in a weekend once i had the recon one back. i am about to send them a defender one for the same treatment.

Well I would certaily save that one even if you don't use it. If all it needs is a couple of footwells and a sand blast its got a lot of life in it yet.

rob1miles said:

Well I would certaily save that one even if you don't use it. If all it needs is a couple of footwells and a sand blast its got a lot of life in it yet.

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That was the initial plan but I replaced the chassis with a fully galved one well over 20 years ago now and it was kind of nice not to have to worry about rot issues for the foreseeable future so I wanted to repair then galve the bulkhead so at that point it's weather it's cheaper/easier to get replacement or get this one reconditioned. I've sent an email to the company that dag019 has recommended with a view to salvaging the original, their cost for new foot wells and door posts + galve is £775 (I assume plus VAT) which seems pretty reasonable to me.

mgd109 said:

That was the initial plan but I replaced the chassis with a fully galved one well over 20 years ago now and it was kind of nice not to have to worry about rot issues for the foreseeable future so I wanted to repair then galve the bulkhead so at that point it's weather it's cheaper/easier to get replacement or get this one reconditioned. I've sent an email to the company that dag019 has recommended with a view to salvaging the original, their cost for new foot wells and door posts + galve is £775 (I assume plus VAT) which seems pretty reasonable to me.

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My footwells are a bit ropey but not shot like yours I bought a pair of replacement footwell sections and planned to get them welded in (looks like this has been done once before judging by some bubbled paintwork and evidence of a weld line), I can't remember what the new ones cost but can check back if it is of any interest to you.

I guess the greater part of the cost you have been quoted will be for the galvanising, plus transport or is that included?

Shot blasting and acid bath to treat the hidden area's will be a major part of cost . Ashtree used to do rebuilds but when I asked them how they treated the enclosed area's they had no method.

6pot said:

My footwells are a bit ropey but not shot like yours I bought a pair of replacement footwell sections and planned to get them welded in (looks like this has been done once before judging by some bubbled paintwork and evidence of a weld line), I can't remember what the new ones cost but can check back if it is of any interest to you.

I guess the greater part of the cost you have been quoted will be for the galvanising, plus transport or is that included?

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Transport not included. I've patched the foot wells in the past you can see evidence of this in the pictures and to be fair cutting out the old foot wells and replacing with the repair panels offered for sale would be a easy and cheap fix, but I'm keen to have it galved and that in my opinion needs a much better repair than I can do otherwise the galve won't fully protect. I'm having a full day with the Land Rover on Wednesday so should have bulkhead out.

mgd109 said:

That was the initial plan but I replaced the chassis with a fully galved one well over 20 years ago now and it was kind of nice not to have to worry about rot issues for the foreseeable future so I wanted to repair then galve the bulkhead so at that point it's weather it's cheaper/easier to get replacement or get this one reconditioned. I've sent an email to the company that dag019 has recommended with a view to salvaging the original, their cost for new foot wells and door posts + galve is £775 (I assume plus VAT) which seems pretty reasonable to me.

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They were very reasonably priced and I was happy with the work. But the lead time from dropping off was about 9months. Was also longer than they initially estimated. So just be aware you are likely to be without a bulkhead for a not insignificant amount of time. However this will be the same anywhere you go if you get your one reconditioned.

dag019 said:

They were very reasonably priced and I was happy with the work. But the lead time from dropping off was about 9months. Was also longer than they initially estimated. So just be aware you are likely to be without a bulkhead for a not insignificant amount of time. However this will be the same anywhere you go if you get your one reconditioned.

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Lead time is not an issue I'm in no rush.

I rebuilt a second hand bulkhead then had it shot blasted and galvanised cost me close to £300 to have it blasted and galvanised.
Plus the many hours to make it good that was in 2010 no issues yet. Other than paint lifting off galvanising as I did not T wash it just etch prime.