Q reg avoidance

[Clanger]

I have been reading the Which Kit Guide to Kit Car Building and my question relates to the avoidance of the dreaded "Q" plate.

The book says that an age related plate can be issued if atleast two major components are used from the donor car.

I am planning to use a 2.0 Sierra but have a few questions.

1. If the engine is wasted, and a recon one needed how can I prove that the recon unit is issued for the donor car as the log book normally carries the original engine No. Will I have to re-submit the log book for update with new engine No.

2. How can other parts, diff, transmission, steering etc be proved it came from the donor vehicle.

Thanks

Clanger

[kjwood]

In answer to 1, If the engine is not OK you can, of course, write to the DVLA and advise them of a change of engine number on the donor car before you do the build. Probably best to leave it a few months before you change anything else in case they get suspicious. The other thing is that if the engine number happens to be from a cossie lump or a Zetec they probably won't notice.

In answer to 2, they can't trace anything apart from the engine since this is the only component which is listed on the log book but depending on the inspector you get he may notice if you've got a completely wrong gearbox, etc. However, if all your components are of a type fitted to a Sierra I can't see how they would argue that any of it didn't come from the donor.

Kevin

[Keith Scarfe]

Remember if you do this you then have to pass emissions for the year of the donor car (Sierra). This could be a problem if a relatively new car was used and you modify the engine (tune it) by fitting large duration cams etc. Now if you could register it as a pre 73 MK1 Escort that would be a good idea, no tax to pay either.

[Clanger]

Thanks for the response

I liked the comment regarding the Mk1 escort

On the subject of emissions.

Is it best to source a pre-catalytic converter model year ? Did Ford make one with a cat, I don't know !

Does anyone know what year donor car I should be aiming for?

Is it possible to pass emissions with a "cat fitted sierra log book" using a tuned pinto.

Or will I need to strangle my tuned lump with a cat.

Thanks.

[kjwood]

Hi again,

Yes. you want to avoid having a CAT at all costs if engine tuning is a priority. For SVA emissions not to require a CAT you need an engine whose date of manufacture was before December 1995. It's probably best to aim for a pre-95 engine because the wording which allows you to have anything after December 1994 is vague to say the least.

This doesn't necessarily mean you need a non cat donor car. My Zetec came from a 1994 Mondeo which had a cat but isn't required to have one in my Westfield.

Passing the non cat emissions is a breeze even with a tuned engine. Having a cat will probably force you down the route of using injection instead of carbs which really increases the costs.

Once SVA is over with opinions differ as to what emissions rules apply for MOT. Some state that all kit cars regardless of registration letter have a visible smoke test only. However, newer registration documents contain the emissions spec to which the car was SVA tested so I suspect that in future you must assume that you could be tested against cat standards if you originally had a cat. This means that if you SVA with a cat and then take it off, in theory you're OK at the moment but I suspect a rule change is due.

I've never had an emissions problem with my car although it's a Q plate. I didn't notice if they emissions tested it at MOT.

Hope this helps.

Kevin

[mexico]

To avoid a Cat test you need a pre Aug 1995 engine and proof of this.  My Feb 1995 Zetec was tested to 3.5 % CO and 1200 hydrocarbons at the SVA.

Regards

[Clanger]

Thanks for the input.

Jeez I hope the build is not as complicated as the bureacracy !

[kjwood]

It's not, believe me. This particular bit of SVA legislation has to be the most confusing subject in the kit car world.

Kevin

[Paul M]

What's wrong with a "Q" plate , it's ageless, and more importantly you can't see it when your driving the the thing, don't be such a snob !

[Stuart]

There is a theory that a Q reg adds kudos because people  think that you built it yourself rather than bought it factory built.  I don't subscribe to it though - mine's W reg.