VIN Plate

[pompeyal]

Just a quicky, I have had this car for years now in various states of rebuild and it will hopefully get finished this year but, I can't find any sign of a VIN plate or any sign of one ever being fitted or anywhere signs of the VIN number embossed onto the shell, the car is on a Q plate and I have the V5 which is in order so the car has obviously been registered originally with DVLA so I am at a loss, did they have to be fitted on kit cars back in the eighties?

[8 Valve Ed]

Suggest you have a VIN plate made with the details from the V5c and attach it on the off side of the car somewhere suitable.

I believe they are available on the usual online auction site but if you are stuck a firm local to me makes good quality signs of this sort, at a very reasonable cost, less than half what the Marlin Owners Club ask and to your design if you wish.

The VIN plate in the middle of this page was made to the design provided by the customer, I have seen a copy and it's really nice quality. I understand he submitted a JPEG file to them.

http://www.wljones-engravers.co.uk/metals/

I will be having them make a new VIN plate for my Berlinetta when I am ready. (I have no connection with the firm)

[pompeyal]

Thanks Ed, I will do a bit of research and will contact them later, I will be visiting Cumbria in August so I may pay then a visit... does there need to be a VIN number set into the shell as well?

[8 Valve Ed]

Sorry not up to speed on your build but on older vehicles, so long as there is a VIN tag attached to the car in a reasonably accessible place it seems to be OK, e.g. Land Rovers have the VIN plate screwed to the bulkhead. Marlins have a tiny tag welded to the nearside chassis leg or bulkhead.

For new registrations they require it engraved into the chassis (or bodyshell) at the offside. It's required for the MOT to ensure the vehicle on the system is the one they are testing for all sorts of reasons, mostly obvious, but I understand it can also check for date related items which may or may not apply, like seat belts, rear fog lights and side repeaters. For more modern vehicles it checks for built in features like ABS which may have been removed? If the vehicle had it from new I understand it's required for the test now.

[pompeyal]

Thanks again Ed, the car was first registered in 1986, the only thing on the car that is visible is the manufacturing company name under the top coat in the boot, now if the car had the boot sprayed that would not be even visible, when I bought it the car was totally original, it looked like the original paint and the only things that had been done to it was the normal service part changes, mind you it is not like that now nearly all has been changed except the shell and the glass but I have modification ideas for some of that as well, new bonnet needs to be made, changes to the front wings to accommodate 90mm headlights and alterations to the boot to accept an air brake. Hmm what else can I modify

[Dpaz]

Maybe the Vin number was stamped on a bit you replaced.