8 replies to this topic

[fightrobot]

Hi all.

Newbie to the site here nice to meet you all.


Okay:

Question: Im set to purchase a FRA mini Shell (clubman front). I would like to drop a 1.4 Metro GT engine into it. How do i go about avoiding having to use a Q plate? I want a normal plate (preferable a pre '72 as i can use black number plates). But if a Q is the only way, then so be it.

Any advice or knowledge would be GREAT

I am also set to transport this mini once fully built with me to USA (moving there in 9 months). So will i have difficulties doing this a driving it on a Q plate? Ill be on a 4 year student visa at first before i make more permantent plans. If this helps to know !?

Thanks and i look forward to any knowledge on this matter.

LOVING the site and the friendly knowledgable users on it.

Fight Robot

[Bungle]

if you use all new parts and recon the engine you could register the car as a new build and have a new registration

your never going to have a pre 72 reg as there isn't anything pre 72 on the car your building

[ibrooks]

What you are talking about building is a kit-car. It might look like a Mini but there the similarity ends as far as the registration process is concerned. There are two ways to avoid a Q-plate.

Bungle has mentioned the first i.e. use all new components (you are allowed to have one major component reconditioned to as new condition and it still counts as new) and it'll get a new plate. What you need to bear in mind here is that you only have to use new components to get it to registration standard so as long as all the stuff like engine, transmission, brakes, steering, axles, suspension, body etc. are new (and you can prove it!) then the incidentals can be old so it's not quite every single nut and bolt that has to be new. Also bear in mind that the engine and box are two seperate items so only one of them could be re-conditioned - quite often (and especially in the Mini world) we tend to think of them as one unit.

The second method is to use a single donor vehicle. In this case all the major components mentioned above need to have come from one donor car. You will then get an age related plate based on the date of manufacture of the donor vehicle but...... You will NOT get tax exempt status if you use a pre '72 donor car whilst you might get an old looking plate it won't be tax exempt. Black and silver plates are allowed on cars MANUFACTURED before 1973 so unless you've got a tardis and can go back to 1972 to build it then you are never legally going to be able to put black and silver plates on it.

Registration in America is one I have no idea about. I've heard people in the past mention that they are only allowed to import cars that are so many years old so you would be out of luck on that one. I would imaginethat newer cars can be imported but that they would have to meet their current regulations for emissions and possibly crash-worthiness. Bearing in mind that the Americans were the leaders on pedestrian safety I can't see a Mini shaped vehicle passing this stuff. If the car is up to their standards then how would you prove it? manufacturers do it by running their bodies into solid objects at places like MIRA and then submitting the films to the various governing bodies as proof for how they perform - have you got a few spare FRA bodyshells and the money to pay for the testing? It's one you would need to research yourself but I wouldn't bet a pound on your being able to import it to America - havingsaid that I know that the laws can vary hugely between states so this lot might not be relevant for where you want to live.

Iain

[steviejam73]

I'm thinking on going fibreglass in the future also. I'm wondering though, does the MOT centre care enough to inspect these fibreglass shells well enough to tell them apart from steel shells?

If these FRA shells are put together as good as they look, apart from most likley having a flip front (which alot of normally registered steel shells have) do they look all that different from a deseemed steel shell? I know the sills are different, but unless the tester knows his mini's, I dont think a fibreglass shell would look all that different to a heavily undersealed steel shell, from underneath that is.

What I'm saying is, I test my mini when I have my FRA shell on standby. Use the MOT'd mini as a donor. Finish my FRA, attach the plates, MOT disc and tax disc and drive until my next MOT. Then I drive in and brass neck my MOT's for years to come. Hopefully the guy gets to know me.

Are you planning on getting your shell brand new fight robot?

[The Matt]

I'm pretty sure an MOT tester will be able to tell the difference between a normal shell and a GRP one.

For a start, they're going to be inspecting it for rust (especially with it being a Mini). When they tap it with their little hammer, I'm sure they'll pick up on it being very different. There are a lot of things about an FRA shell that make it obvious that it's not a normal shell.

It's a kit car build, treat it like one rather than trying to get away with reshelling a Mini and retaining its ID.

[steviejam73]

Isn't kit car insurrance alot more expensive? I wouldn't be worried about the Q plate just the cost of insurrance.

[ibrooks]

You taking the wee-wee?

Kit car insurance is FAR cheaper than modified car insurance. Just watch for clauses that say you need to have another car for daily use.

Iain

[steviejam73]

Really? I've never gotten a quote before because it seems you have to ring for Q plate insurance. I normally use online quotes.

[ibrooks]

Why oh why is there this fixation with Q-plates on the forum?

In order to get a Q nowadays your car has to be a pretty serious mongrel so if you're building it then chances are you won't have a Q-plate.

Q-plates cause problems (and make insurance companies twitchy) on normal cars because it means there's something fishy in it's past (stolen-recoverd unidentified, imported, built from parts etc.). That's why they won't usually quote without a phonecall so that they can ascertain what resulted in the Q-plate being issued.

You can almost never get a quote for a kit-car without a phonecall because by definition they are all different. They simply disregard the fact that it has a Q because they already know the reason for it. They also only tend to ask fairly basic questions about what it actually is.

You will NOT get an online quote for a kit-car and you will NOT get a sensible quote from the normal insurance companies. You need to go to the specialists who know what they are dealing with but they make conventional insurance look silly - you can insure a supercar by any definition of the word for a couple of hundred quid a year.

Iain