build help

[Kafer]

Hi Guys,

im currently building a UVA Fugitive inspired car however i am using a beetle chassis instead of a full tube frame.

i am using the original front and rear suspension however i am not using the floor pans or gearbox as i will be plating the floors with aluminium and using a bigger gearbox from a bus for strength as i will be fitting either a 1.8t or abf engine.

would i need a iva test? or as the floorpan was previously registered as a beetle can i just register it as an alternative body and then mot it?

i will be fitting wheel arches and lights to make it road legel however i am unsure what category i fit into as technically i am using "unmodified" chassis with two major components of the original car (steering, front suspension and rear suspension?)

any advice would be greatly apprectiated

many thanks,

Tom.

[Roadster]

Are you keeping the spine from the beetle chassis?

If not then you will need an iva.

[Paul L]

Tom - Welcome to the forum.

The following is taken from the ACE website...

15/02/2010 Update – VW Beetle Floorpans

We have received a further update from DVLA that they have firmed up their rules and, contrary to previous belief that a VW Beetle’s identity lay in it’s backbone alone, the floorpans are, in fact, now needed to retain the 5 points.

As before , the requirement that the backbone remains unaltered still applies.

So in a nut shell, if you remove the floor pans, you are left with what the DVLA considers a modified chassis.

This means you fall short of the 8 point rule and will need a test.

Sorry, Paul.

[Kafer]

Thanks for the answers guys my next question then is, with a modified beetle chassis as described in my original post, could I keep my original registration and text exempt status with an iva test? As the car was on the road recently with a valid mot. Or how would a car made using the front and rear suspension of a classic beetle but eith a tube free chassis fair in an iva test? Could I get tax exempt status on that?

[Paul L]

I'm no expert...
( Although I've learnt a lot while trying to get my own build correctly registered with the DVLA. )

BUT...

Originally Posted by Kafer

with a modified beetle chassis as described in my original post, could I keep my original registration and text exempt status with an iva test?

Your original car registration (& tax exempt status) is fundamentally linked to your chassis, regardless of other parts used.

If your chassis does not meet the DVLA definition of "original and unmodified" your original car's identity is lost forever.

See here: https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-registration/overview

Note: I was able to remove the original Spitfire bumper bracket without effecting my DVLA chassis as it was NOT structural.

But as stated in my first reply to this thread, if you remove the floor pans from a Beetle chassis, then that car (in the eyes of the DVLA) no longer exists.

When you pass the IVA you will effectively have a new car, with a first registered date based on the test date.

So you will have a long wait before your new car will be able to claim tax free status.

Originally Posted by Kafer

...how would a car made using the front and rear suspension of a classic beetle but eith a tube free chassis fair in an iva test?

Details of what you need to do to pass the test can be found here:
https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-approval/overview

Originally Posted by Kafer

Could I get tax exempt status on that?

No, for the same reasons as stated above.

I get the feeling these are not the answers you were looking for, but hope they help, Paul.