DVLA rules for chassis change

I’m in the process of a chassis swap on my defender and just wanted to ask if there’s any pitfalls or consequences regarding the dvla or registration. As I understood it, provided the new chassis was a match for the original specification no action is required regarding registering the new chassis.
thanks

A new replacement chassis should be fine. Just keep the section of chassis with the old Chassis number if possible and any paperwork from the purchase of the new chassis. The issue is if you use a second hand chassis.

Knappster said:

A new replacement chassis should be fine. Just keep the section of chassis with the old Chassis number if possible and any paperwork from the purchase of the new chassis. The issue is if you use a second hand chassis.

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Thanks

Yeah and don't try and notify them if the chassis is like for like. More often than not this confuses them and they make you jump through a load of loops that just wastes everyone's time, like @Knappster says, cut out and keep the old chassis number and put it in your sock draw or folder of useful bits!

Make sure your insurance valuation reflects the new chassis too. Worth telling your insurance company so that it is.

It's classed as a replacement part therfore is the same as any other part you buy...we had a P38 here in Portugal that went down a steep drop while surveying land for a golf course knackered the chassis and it was only a year old repaired by main dealer with new chassis no number stamped on it...golf company went bust finances put a lien on vehicle it sat for years till we found it nothing we could to release it from the fines on it so a 1 year old on the road P38 was scrapped....we got it back to garage put a new battery on it key in ignition started straight away and up it went on air suspension unbeleivable but the minute we tried checking paperwork all hell broke out 76K euro worth...that was around 3yrs ago..

Thanks everyone for the advice. I’ve finally found time to remove the body. Now the chassis is exposed where is the section I need to remove with the original numbers? It’s so dirty (hosepipe ban so can’t pressure wash it at moment) and heavily corroded I can’t find the number stamp or vin plate.

thanks

Show a pic of the side of the chassis in front of drivers wheel.....

Once you have kept the original chassis part with the number on it buy a set of stamps and stamp this number on the new chassis. Then at least the V5 the vehicle and the chassis all match up in the event of a query.
It may not stop any queries but may help stop them getting going, certainly can't do any harm and if it gets pinched then at least there is a number on the new galv chassis to identify it.

Here.

J

Look at the brake servo for the vin plate.
It should be rivittef to this

Thanks I will take a look tomorrow.

Thanks everyone, I’ve found it now. It took a while with a wire brush attachment on a drill to remove the 36 years of oil and crud that had built up.

cheers

Benji55 said:

Thanks everyone, I’ve found it now. It took a while with a wire brush attachment on a drill to remove the 36 years of oil and crud that had built up.

cheers

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You still need to find a vin plate. Without one you will find it hard to MOT it. As you have removed the only number

I have MOTed old bikes with a sticker applied, because either there was no plate to start with or it could not be found, quite common on very old vehicles

BruceB said:

I have MOTed old bikes with a sticker applied, because either there was no plate to start with or it could not be found, quite common on very old vehicles

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Can you not buy a new vin plate and stamp it up...I did for my 101 as it only had a military plate on it...

I found the vin plate ok, it was on the brake servo, it was the stamped section of the chassis I was panicking about, someone advised to cut that and retain before scrapping the old chassis. I searched every inch but nothing. If I hadn’t been told where it was I wouldn’t have found it as it. There’s no way anyone could’ve read that for many years judging by how much I had to wire brush off to expose it.

I’m sure I’ve seen blank vin plates advertised somewhere so assumed it was legal to stamp your own replacement?

Benji55 said:

I found the vin plate ok, it was on the brake servo, it was the stamped section of the chassis I was panicking about, someone advised to cut that and retain before scrapping the old chassis. I searched every inch but nothing. If I hadn’t been told where it was I wouldn’t have found it as it. There’s no way anyone could’ve read that for many years judging by how much I had to wire brush off to expose it.

I’m sure I’ve seen blank vin plates advertised somewhere so assumed it was legal to stamp your own replacement?

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Thats you sorted then...

Shippers said:

Thats you sorted then...

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He’s not actually said if they all read the same (V5) but maybe we don’t need to look at that can of worms .

I had also heard (could have been while I was asleep) that chassis manufactures could stamp a chassis number prior to galvy, Not sure how much truth or how legal that is? But worth asking on ordering.

J

marjon said:

He’s not actually said if they all read the same (V5) but maybe we don’t need to look at that can of worms .

I had also heard (could have been while I was asleep) that chassis manufactures could stamp a chassis number prior to galvy, Not sure how much truth or how legal that is? But worth asking on ordering.

J

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As I said before main dealer chassis supplied and fitted to a P38 wasn't stamped and you would have to supply details to indy chassis builder V5/vin plate and also cut out section of chassis showing stamped vin I would imagine and not just photos...