Re-Bodying

[slimjim]

Hi guys,

Great forum you have got going here! Thanks so much for the time you invest in trying to help everyone out with their questions.

I have a quick query i was hoping i could ask about re-shelling or re-bodying a vehicle; that after reading through the Standards i could find, along with information sheet 05-2011, 01-2012, 02-2013 (definitions of ‘Scratch-built’, ‘Modified production’, & ‘Re-bodied’ vehicles) I still came up with a couple little grey areas I was hoping you could please clear up for me

So, where to start..

As I read it..

If you have an (old) mass-produced vehicle that (for instance say) has a good chassis/floorpan, but poor body (due to the like of rust/age or crash damage etc), you can swap the body with a good/better body from a donor of the same massed produced model/series (be-it possibly a different year) that has

-the same manufacturer,
-the same design, material specifications, and construction methods, 
-the same amount of attachment points,
-re-bodied in an authentic manor 
-appears visually the same 

and the car can remain on the original identifier plate if you provide evidence the old unused body is disposed of.

Is this correct so far?

Many thanks in advance
Slim

[Leon]

Good morning, if the donor body has an identifier on it, then that's the identifier that represents the identity of the vehicle.

What is the scenario you are looking at, just in case your vehicle is one of the odd situations where the typical rules don't fit the situation.

Note:  I'm on leave Thurs - Friday, and Monday is Labour day, so I'll most likely be responding Tuesday.

[slimjim]

thanks for the reply Leon!

So my situation is this..

I have started to restore an old VW Beetle, and i have found the body is going to need some serious body work done on it.
I can get some of the panels as a new reproduction, but some may need to grafted sections from another shell, which made me think; would/could it be an idea to find a better shell to begin with and mount it onto my floor pan -that is actually in really good condition.

Is that a do-able option?

Many thanks again!!
Slim

[Leon]

Hi Slim

If you are using a new / different shell on a monocoque vehicle, then the identity you will end up with is that of the replacement bodyshell.

So ensure that your replacement bodyshell has a verifiable identity, and that you can demonstrate to the entry compliance agent (VTNZ etc) that you are the current owner.

[slimjim]

Thanks for that Leon!

I understand the answer to that in terms of a monocoque vehicle, but can you please just clear up how we would go about it for a non-monocoque vehicle, or one that has back bone type chassis and lift off shell..



Many thanks in advance !!
Slim

[Leon]

I've had a chat with a VW expert, and he has advised me that (as far as he is aware) there aren't any identifiers on the bodyshell of a VW Beetle.

So, in that case, it seems that you can swap out the body, assuming all your identifiers are on the floorpan.

NB: if you were looking at the same question on something like a Toyota Surf, each of the body, and the chassis has its own identifier. So you wouldn't be able to do what you can on a Beetle.