I'm ready. Any day except Tuesday.

Oh dear, that doesnt sound so good. I can tell you where the original engine is, and its certainly not in the car...

It isn't really the law that's a bad thing but the potential application of it. We've all seen how, when given access to new 'anti-terror' laws local councils then used them to snoop on folks putting rubbish in the wrong dustbin.

I suppose if the law was designed to prevent cars being stolen for their parts then it is intended to help, but like so many other laws when placed in the hands of a jobs-worth it will be used to hinder.

This is the way law enforcement generally seems to be going. Don't deal with the people who are pissed up and throwing bottles around, just outlaw drinking outside. And so on.

... anyway, I know we can all change engine plates and tell fibs about what engine is fitted - that's what I'm planning to do - but the point is that it really shouldn't be necessary to do these things just in order to use an engine that's sitting in your shed. I think you're right, it's just unworkable. But we all know how unworkable laws seem to creep onto the books these days.

The real annoying part is that the thing that you, I, and others propose to do to circumvent this stupidity will criminalise you. I bet you never viewed yourself as a criminal RT? But that's what you will be in order to enjoy your harmless persuit, and it's thataspect of it which pisses me off the most. And trust me, if on a job application it says 'do you have a criminal record' then you may well have robbed a bank, because Joe public doesn't want to hear explanations of how innocent it all really was.

sounds annoying to me,
ive thought about this before, as im purchasing a engine soon, as a spare,
and ive considered buying a blank plate and having it the same as the one on the car just incase i ever need to use it, but i geuss when you swap an engine you could always rivit the old one on to new engine,
however if paul is offereing to do it for us why not

i geuss if you where "caught" then you would have your insurence invalidated?

i get what russ is saying, i feel the same way,
at work, we had 3 outboards nicked and a rib, a total of abuot 28,000£, we recovered the rib ourselves after looking for it, of course with no engine, and the police came 3 or 4 days later, after pissing rain, and didnt even look and just said, cant do nothing, if they had come on the morning, i bet you they would of found a print, another time when they tried to steal an engine, a honda 150 outboard, they failed to steal it,
once again, the bill came 3 days later, by this time, we had been fixing it up to be re used and se worthy (a commercial engine) and the police came to do the forensics, found 1 print and a boot print,
now, the finger print was my mates where we had been working, and the boot print was mine as we had moved the boat to work on it, and any evidence had been washed away from the pissing rain!! (it was inside when we put our marks on it!!

sorry o/t but i get what you mean!