Total newbie do i need an sva/iva test?
 

Please help i am a total newbie and wish to start a new project building a custom car.
Can i buy an old car, strip down and use the chassis and donor parts to build a custom car without needing any form of test apart from the usual mot? Always wanted to build a hot rod style but seen that the kits ones i can find are extremely expensive, so might build a pattern and build my own body?
Dont really know where to start so any advice would be appreciated. Just the sva thing confusing me?

Basically this works on a points system, the various parts of the car are 'worth' points You need a total of 8 points to avoid the IVA, the chassis is 5 points from memory, look up the points scheme, there are plenty of links.

ACE site probably provides the best explanation I have found, and they clearly explain what you can and can't modify about the chassis, which bits you can cut off, and which bits must remain untouched.

http://www.the-ace.org.uk

Provided you keep most of the original parts including the chassis and brakes/suspension/engine/transmission you don't need an IVA, You do need to register the change of body though, the guys here can guide you through that.

The important thing is to provide photographic evidence for before/after of the change of body. You still have to comply with the 'construction and use regs' relevant to the age of the chassis/first registration, particularly regarding the emissions etc.

All that said, in my opinion even though you may not need an IVA, it's still good practice to at least try to get as close to the IVA requirements as your finances and the design of the car allow.

Thanks for the message, i did have a part finished cat but the IVA test price tag and the guys who sell the kits put me off getting it checked.The initial price of nearly £500 for the test and then possible costly several retests at ££££.So wondered if there was an "easier option where i could still build a custom car from a donor vehicle without all the hassall of the iva thing? But from what you have posted would i be correct in thinking i could buy a cheap non runner donor car, total strip to re coat chassis without modifying it, re fit the running gear axels, wheels and gearbox after cleaning, then basically left to fit a entirely new body shell and interior to my liking either an of the shelf body kit or fabricate my own?

Provided your self build body is safe and legal that should be OK, seat belt mounts would have to be substantial and correctly positioned.

There are loads of builds on here to read through to get a feel of what you need to do. What you are proposing is little short of what was common-place pre WW2. Manufactures produced rolling chassis, sometimes with bulkheads and radiator cowl, the purchaser then had his own body built onto the chassis. Many of the coach builders had their own styles. It still happened with coaches, busses and wagons.

I just decided to "try" and build a shell myself due the fact of the VERY high cost of a pre fabricated fiberglass shell. Between £1000-£3000+

I forgot to add this link to my previous post.

http://www.the-ace.org.uk/rebodying-...tion/#more-150

As for the cost, no matter how 'careful' you are, cost will escalate. I have built two cars in the last 5 years, the first, a Marlin Roadster, cost me over £2,200 to build and my current build has passed that by a margin although that includes the purchase of the original car, I had the Roadster given. Both cars have been built from bits and pieces, minimal new parts, the paintwork has been brushed or rolled. The only bit of 'bling' has been a few stainless fasteners from Screw-Fix. I even re-used the engine bearings and rings.

The satisfaction factor of creating your own body panels is amazing, no matter what material they are made from. I try to make as much as I can myself.