Mitsubishi Delica Owners Club UK™

[skyehog]

I recently stumbled upon the latest DVLA regulations surrounding what they refer to as ‘Radically Altered Vehicles’ and reading this together with assorted online forum posts has got me wondering about how we owners and rescuers of (previously) seriously rusty Delicas fit into these rules.

If I understand them correctly, the DVLA states that in order for the car to retain its current registration certificate following any works carried out then it must have (amongst other things detailed on their website) – “Chassis, monocoque bodyshell (body and chassis as one unit) or frame – original or new and unmodified (direct from manufacturer)”. Some of the aforementioned forum posts go as far as to suggest that merely drilling a small hole in the monocoque is sufficient to leave the vehicle requiring an Individual Vehicle Assessment.

https://www.hagerty.co.uk/articles/maintenance-and-gear/dvlas-dos-and-donts-the-risks-of-modifying-your-classic-car/#:~:text=Original%20suspension%2C%20axles%2C%20transmission%20and,have%20a%20Q%2Dplate%20fitted.

The level of corrosion suffered by many elderly Delicas, not least to the ‘chassis’ around the front & rear suspension mount areas often requires some creative metal surgery to remedy if a longer term solution than simply patching over the holes is needed. Repair panels from Mitsubishi can either be prohibitively expensive or otherwise simply unavailable after several decades. My car, and others I have seen on this forum and elsewhere required much of the front chassis rails to be rebuilt from sheet steel – clearly no longer, ‘original, new or unmodified’. However, suspension mounts and geometry have been left intact and the car has had a number of successful MOTs from reputable garages since. Inner and outer sill repairs have also been done…





Has anyone else had cause to interpret these rules, contact the DVLA for clarification or even submit their Delica for an IVA test in order to keep their repaired van on the road I wonder ?

[Google]

[Lewis]

That regulation relates to vehicles modified from their original specifications, not ones that have had repair work to return it to its original specification.
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[skyehog]

Thanks for that Lewis - that’s what I was hoping to hear