Hi All, I recieved a frantic phone call from a fellow Riley owner this morning who was at the Mot station. It turns out he had taken his Riley for an Mot and the Mot inspector had asked to see the chassis number,which on the Riley is stamped on the nearside dumb iron. They had scraped the paint off,no number apppeared. He rang me to ask should the number be there or could it be elsewhere. I confirmed it should be there but to check the other dumb iron, just in case.The chassis plate with the number stamped on, which is normally affixed to the bulkhead was also missing. Alas no number,no Mot.
BE WARNED all you restorers if you take your car for Mot. MAKE SURE ALL IS IN ORDER. Regards All Mike Stubbings
Blimey! This could catch a LOT of owners out, I'm sure. Including a lot of 'M Types' - and including example in Beaulieu!
Maybe the VSCC should follow suit - not THAT would produce some interesting findings!
However, I've never heard of an MoT tester asking to see a chassis number before - so I think if I were the Riley owner, I'd MoT my car elsewhere in future.
For some time now, the first thing they check on an MOT is the vehicles identity. This is for many reasons, theft and the re-cycling of vehicles written off as 'for scrap only’ are two for the moderns. One of the reasons they have been told to ascertain the true identity of OLD cars is to try to stop people getting an MOT on a wreck, or just a V5, via putting its identity on to a sound running car so enabling the Registration number to be sold. With some early plates worth £2k to £25k the temptation is great, and it has been happening in the background for a good 25 to 30 years.
Normally they will only look at the chassis plate, but they have been told to check its been there a LONG time i.e. fits the mark where the original sat, and that the screws have not been touched with a screwdriver. Any doubt and the chassis number must be found to prove identity. It is up to you to prove that the vehicle is the one identified on the V5!
I have not been able to find out how my friend got on since they refused him an MOT as I have not been able to get in touch with him. I will find out as soon as I can and let you know. I am also going to speak to a friend who has an MOT station and see what he says. They would I believe accept a chassis No Plate affixed to the car but that does not prove a lot as I have seen them for sale as blanks. What is worrying is the fact that you may have a perfectly honest and genuine vehicle which has been in a shunt at some time in its life. It could have had its dumb iron replaced or even its chassis replaced or the chassis repaired on the front end. I wonder how many cars out there are duplicated where someone had the original chassis with its number stamped on the chassis and someone else has had the chassis number plate and put that on a car without its chassis stamped or the numbers been ground off. Mike.
If what David says is true, and I have no reason not to believe it. When you strip your car down for a rebuild, leave the chassis plate alone with all the muck and grease and dirt around it. It may be your only proof of your cars identity. Mike
Hmm. There are a significant number of genuine, original vinatge cars which have lost their chassis plates and their chassis numbers have become illegible on their frames after 80 years up front in the weather. I wonder how they will fare come MoT time.
It turns out he had taken his Riley for an Mot and the Mot inspector had asked to see the chassis number,which on the Riley is stamped on the nearside dumb iron. They had scraped the paint off,no number apppeared. He rang me to ask should the number be there or could it be elsewhere. I confirmed it should be there but to check the other dumb iron, just in case.The chassis plate with the number stamped on, which is normally affixed to the bulkhead was also missing. Alas no number,no Mot.
Regards All Mike Stubbings