Hi all,

I was wondering how a chassis swap/change in the UK is regulated..
Can you just use any chassis, and what do you do with the VIN-number in the old chassis?

In Holland a change of chassis has lead to many troubles..
In the past it was possible to place the VIN by yourself with a guy from Customs behind you. After the number was placed, you would get a receipt that stated you changed the chassis.

Last few years, the chassis changes got out of hand, and the RDW (DVLA) started to control the chassis changes.
First you need to get an inspection from the car and the new chassis. The body and old an new chassis were marked, so they know you wouldn't change the idendity of the car (tax-free papers for instance on a non tax free car).
By that time, the only chassis you could use was an original Citroen Chassis, with the papers/certificate added.
When the chassis was swapped, you go to the RDW and they stamped the number in the chassis after some checks.

When the genuine Citroen Chassis weren't available anymore, a company called De Graaff (famous for its pattern parts, that usually dont fit), got the rights from the RDW as the only legal chassis.
By that time, the RDW also stopped with the inspection. All you had to do then was showing up at their office after you changed the chassis. They then checked the originality from the VIN in the old chassis (only the part with the number was needed), and they entered the VIN number in the new chassis.

At this moment almost every chassis is legal, but only when it has an certificate with it that stated that the chassis you want to use is approved by other countries/organisation (like the TUV orso).
Also you need to go to the RDW before the change, to get the marks on the body and chassis, as was usual a few years ago.

What a lot of people did by that time, was placing the number by themselves, in an "illegal" chassis (for example a galvanised, which were illegal for some time). and keep on driving.


I think I have an idea of how it is done in England, nut can one of you help me out?

I have an idea how this is done in England too !!!

Not much response..

Shorter version:
what do you do with the chassis number? I assume that an original chassis has it on the front leg, but what if you change it? Can you replace the number yourself?

At the moment (i can see it changing one day) the VIN plate rivetted to the bulkhead is sufficient. As far as i know we don't need the chassis numbers stamped to the chassis.

Okay..
Over here we also have a VIN/Chassis number engraved/stamped in the right front leg of the chassis:
An original Citroen number:

Note the chevrons in front and end of the number.
in the mid 70's Citroen started to place the numbers on the right front leg. Before that is was before the passengerseat, and without the chevrons.

A number engraved by the RDW/DVLA:


We also have the plate on the bulkhead, but the MOT-guys only check the number that is engraved in the chassis

And a chassisnummer that is engraved by hand (bigger digits (8mm instead of 7mm) and no chevrons:

James Wallace was saying that his new chassis that he's selling his creepy rake-like body for, in order to be ale to afford comes with 1) a document stating that citroen approve the chassis as 'original' 2) that cassis have manufactured the chassis on citroen tooling.

worth the extra bob?

Over here you need to have a document like that. At least one that is stating that Citroen (or the TUV/DVLA/RDW/and so on) approves it is an original chassis.

If you don't need that in the UK it's not much worth i'd say

item in practical classics I read yesterday about a guy building a 4wheel lomax on a galvanised replacement chassis has found out he needs type approval and a Q plate.

Perhaps of some interest?

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/Bu ... /DG_191069

Fixed.