Thread: Chassis change on existing vehicle

Originally Posted by POD

I'm considering giving the 130 a major birthday and keeping it for another 300,000km or so; this birthday would include replacing the chassis. There are 2 UK mobs- Richards and Marsland- that I can find who offer replacement chassis, both galvanized. I'm wondering if anyone has used either of them and what the implications are for rego; as far as I am concerned it would be just another replacement part on the vehicle but is that how Vicroads would see it?

No probs with what you're doing, but have a squiz at the galvanised chassis weight vs. stock before you do this......... the difference is way north of, say, 50kg.

cheers, DL

Originally Posted by 350RRC

No probs with what you're doing, but have a squiz at the galvanised chassis weight vs. stock before you do this......... the difference is way north of, say, 50kg.

cheers, DL

That's a good point, I have had the vehicle very close to GVM on a couple of trips. Will look into this. Esp considering the Richards chassis is 25% heavier material in the longitudinal members than the original.
Richards are getting a shipping quote for me. Haven't heard back from Marsland yet.

What' wrong with your current chassis? What year is it?

Originally Posted by POD

I'm considering giving the 130 a major birthday and keeping it for another 300,000km or so; this birthday would include replacing the chassis. There are 2 UK mobs- Richards and Marsland- that I can find who offer replacement chassis, both galvanized. I'm wondering if anyone has used either of them and what the implications are for rego; as far as I am concerned it would be just another replacement part on the vehicle but is that how Vicroads would see it?

There is another company advertising these chassis: MAER from Poland.
There is also a chap called Trevor Cuthbert who writes an article published in the Land Rover Monthly magazine, and who seems to make a living replacing old chassis with new galvanised ones in Northern Ireland where winter salt use is not friendly to steel. If you can track him via the magazine he might be a useful resource for feedback.
On a slightly separate tack, I brought in a vehicle from the Middle East; a D1 into which I had fitted a new crate engine without realising these came with no engine number. Overseas no one seems to worry about engine numbers but the WA licensing were, and it took some trouble before they issued me a new number to stamp on prior to registration. Had I known I would have simply stamped it with the original number.
Good luck............

Originally Posted by David J H

There is another company advertising these chassis: MAER from Poland.
There is also a chap called Trevor Cuthbert who writes an article published in the Land Rover Monthly magazine, and who seems to make a living replacing old chassis with new galvanised ones in Northern Ireland where winter salt use is not friendly to steel. If you can track him via the magazine he might be a useful resource for feedback.
On a slightly separate tack, I brought in a vehicle from the Middle East; a D1 into which I had fitted a new crate engine without realising these came with no engine number. Overseas no one seems to worry about engine numbers but the WA licensing were, and it took some trouble before they issued me a new number to stamp on prior to registration. Had I known I would have simply stamped it with the original number.
Good luck............

The MAER chassis look good! Gal as well. Actually that company manufacture a few really cool LandRover parts.

In Australia the chassis number is the vehicle identity. Replace the chassis = make a new vehicle.
I suspect you will run into all sorts of issues registering it.

As others have said, replicate the original number and destroy the original chassis.

Originally Posted by BigJon

In Australia the chassis number is the vehicle identity. Replace the chassis = make a new vehicle.
I suspect you will run into all sorts of issues registering it.

As others have said, replicate the original number and destroy the original chassis.

All good practical advice but if done without the approval of registration authorities is quite illegal and comes under the area of rebirthing a vehicle. In some jurisdictions like in the ACT vehicles are occasionally called in or required as part the registration process to undergo a identity check where they actively search for evidence of tampering and rebirthing - this may include forensic metallurgy investigation with xrays etc - in the 2005 when I transferred my Freelander registration from NSW to the ACT it had to have an identity check and it lasted 2 hours and was done behind closed doors away from the public eyes.

Now having highlighted that caution, clearly the chances of that type of scrutiny happening is quite small, though if the new number is stamped on the chassis in a different spot to that expected (because the old number is still where it is supposed to be) it may raise a couple of red flags.

A mechanic friend of mine used to be the Senior RWC mechanic for our local Toyota stealer.

The Stealer sent him to Melbourne to do a course and get updated on all the latest regs. This would have been 12 to 15 years ago.

He told me the story of a Landcruiser that had been traded in. This had had an unsuitable bull bar attached and it was welded to the chassis.

This caused some cracking of chassis and car was a write off, as he said you can't change the chassis.

By changing, it becomes another vehicle.

I was once told that LR in the UK would sell a new chassis and put your numbers on it.

Short of that, if it was me, I would be doing what others have suggested and providing the new one has no numbers, just stamp your old number onto it.