Proving Engine Age

Lilspeed

Member
Seems I may have run upon a paperwork issue with my Freestyle build. Can anyone advise please?

The engine I have cleaned, detailed and fitted in my buggy was given to me by a mate in return for me helping out with some welding work on his Mini. He bought the Metro as a rusty scrapper, removed the engine, 'box and front hubs and sent the remains to the scrapyard, along with the V5 document.
What I didn't realise until recently was that if I can't prove this engine was manufactured in 1983, VOSA will make me fit a cataclysmic converter thingy to my buggy, which I really don't want to do! :mad:

I've emailed Heritage Motor Centre to ask if they can date the engine from the engine number. They have replied saying they cannot, but MAY be able to help if I have details of the donor vehicle. My mate thinks he might have part of the V5 with the reg on, but I have a nasty feeling they'll want the chassis number.
 

Mini Mad Max

Active member
Did A-series metros end up with cats on in the end? Hmmm, I kept hold of the V5 for this exact reason, so I have to sorn the mini every year even though i don't have it anymore, apart from all the donor parts now on the buggy :p
Don't know if this engine de-coding link will help: http://www.guess-works.com/Tech/engine.htm
If you can find out what the engine was out of then you could possibly prove that the engine, which is from that model car, were not made up to and after a certain point. One thing for determining if a metro engine is made before or after a certain age is whether or not it has unleaded valve seats. BL started making their cars to run on unleaded on a G registration plate which is 89-90. So if DVLA/VOSA don't want a cat on anything pre-1989 then you just have to prove that your engine isn't unleaded? Hahaha.... I seem to have rambled a tad :p
Max
 

Lilspeed

Member
You're quite right about the valve seats, and my engine didn't have them until I changed the cylinder head! ::)
A series Metro's never had cats, but Mini's did from 92 ish. So perhaps proving the engine is from a Metro may be good enough then?? Hmmm, that's do-able from the engine number. . . . . .

The Guessworks translator could also be handy if it gives a date of manufacture. I've used the one on Minispares' site before but IIRC that doesn't. I haven't got my engine number to hand to try it out but if Guessworks does I suppose that might be good enough, depending on where they got the info from.

Think I'd probably better chat to someone at VOSA to be sure.

Thanks for that Max!
 

Mini Mad Max

Active member
I don't think guessworks can tell you what year the engine was made but it will certainly tell you what it is out of and therefor whether it needs a cat or not. So do you have a V5 for the donor car you used? Because you could always replace that broken tatty engine number plate that's on the engine currently to a shiny new reverse embossed one from minispares. You just have to send a picture of the v5 with the order for comfirmation of the engine number.
Max
 

Phaeton

Moderator
Staff member
I presume you have a V5C for the donor, just write to DVLA & inform them of the engine number change to the donor

Alan...
 

Lilspeed

Member
Phaeton":3opbvy77 said:
I presume you have a V5C for the donor

Err. . . . no. My buggy has had several previous builders so there's no single donor, so it's a Q plate for me.
 

Phaeton

Moderator
Staff member
You sure you don't have one cough cough

Alan...

Glad it's an Android & not a Apple Gayphone
 

Lilspeed

Member
Well I managed to get a 'Tech' at VOSA on the phone last week, and asked him what was acceptable at IVA as proof of date of manufacture of an engine.
He told me that the V5 of the engine's donor vehicle is preferable, but in absence of this any written evidence linking an engine's identification number to it's date of manufacture might be acceptable, if the engine number appears to be original - so Max your idea of a shiny new ID plate might be a no go! He suggested a letter from the manufacturer (good luck with getting a response from Austin Rover! :p ), or a letter from Heritage Motor Centre (already said they can't help :( ).
In the end he said that a listing of the ID number with a date in a manual or handbook might suffice but did point out that it would be down to the tester's discretion as to what would be considered proof.

Thanks for the suggestions anyways chaps! I'll see what I can sort out. ;)
 
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