54 replies to this topic

[pete]

Don't want to put a downer on it but I believe you would need an SVA test because you are not using a like for like shell.
If you use all parts from your current car to build it then you may still not be able to use the same registration. You may be issued with an age related plate or worst case a Q plate. The only other choice would be use all new parts and register it as a new car.

Still think its a good idea and if you could do a pickup then would be interested. Fibretech (owners of Domino moulds) currently want £3250 for a shell.

[Jammy]

As Pete says, I'm pretty sure theres no legal way you could reshell your mini with one of these shells.

[Alburglar]

There is already one Carbon fibre minus shell made and ready to sell.
Rallysport replicas made it. It never sold because they wanted 10k for it!

[miniboo]

GMCMEEKING has a domino fibreglass shell and booked it in for an SVA and they said as it was bascially just a shell swap then it didn't need an SVA just an MOT.

Hopefully he will see this and confirm this, but it is what he told me.

[minisprint]

There is already one Carbon fibre minus shell made and ready to sell.
Rallysport replicas made it. It never sold because they wanted 10k for it!

did you ever see it?as me an a few friends found out he hadnt got any thing made when we went to his workshop he was showing us things like a hawk sprint that i know he hadnt made.also the shell that i have got the mk1 style was owned by the owner of the buisness and he hadnt even made that.lol but i carnt knock the man he had some good ideas!!

[Alburglar]

Smudger Your first port of call should be to get hold of a member called gadgets23. As it explains below, he bought his minus from Keith Laine, as his dad knows him, so he may be able to get hold of him.

http://www.miniresou...showtopic=14863

Without making everyone read through the whole thread I have taken the interesting bit out:

"well .. when i found out about the shell...
he (thats keith laine) had the shell i got, the 42r (man ive been trying to remeber that name since i saw it ! lol), and ALL the moulds to make minus's

and he was selling the lot as one... because he was selling the land that was used to store it all..
when i got there he had a big bonfire going throwing loadsa stuff on there ! ..
Glass Fibre moulds etc.. and sorting thought 2 big barns full of stuff !!! ..

but i managed to persuade him (well my dad did, as he sorta, in a rounda about way, knows him .. well, his old friend knows keith)
so i brought the shell, two steel doors that had already been cut down etc,
and front and rear subframes.
was pretty skint at the time, and got a loan out to buy what i did... wish i able to get more so that i could of brought more of the stuff he had..
or at least took more pictures !!

i only just managed to buy it ... i had that week otherwise it would of gone with the rest !
and the person who brought the lot was Shaun dyson... (otherwise know as RallySportReplicas)
so he has the 4r2.. and all the moulds which u know off
and the minus shell that they have for sale, is the first one THEY made .. (not the first ever shell which i read somewere, i forget were)

ooo i could talk about this all night !! .. oooo i do ove mnis !
Mick .. "

There is already one Carbon fibre minus shell made and ready to sell.
Rallysport replicas made it. It never sold because they wanted 10k for it!

did you ever see it?as me an a few friends found out he hadnt got any thing made when we went to his workshop he was showing us things like a hawk sprint that i know he hadnt made.also the shell that i have got the mk1 style was owned by the owner of the buisness and he hadnt even made that.lol but i carnt knock the man he had some good ideas!!

He was probably talking BullSh1t then.

I have sent gadgets23 an e-mail he should be able to spread some light on Smudgers issue

[pete]

GMCMEEKING has a domino fibreglass shell and booked it in for an SVA and they said as it was bascially just a shell swap then it didn't need an SVA just an MOT.

Hopefully he will see this and confirm this, but it is what he told me.

Domino is definately a kit car so should always have an sva when first built. What a lot of people do is just take these "reshelled" and "modified" cars to there local MOT station which is fine untill you have an accident and they reject your claim. Not suggesting this is what GMC MEEKING has done but anyone building/drastically modifying or reshelling a car needs to be aware of what could happen.
The only legal way to reshell a car and not have to take it for an SVA is to use a brand new shell identical to the one being replaced.

[davexdavexdave]

surely a fibre galss shell is unbelievbly dangerous or am i just being dumb???

[Alburglar]

grp shells behave better in accidents than steel ones. they spread impacts really well.

[The Matt]

surely a fibre galss shell is unbelievbly dangerous or am i just being dumb???

grp shells behave better in accidents than steel ones. they spread impacts really well.

yup, GRP is a tried and tested material for car bodies, there are massive lists of vehicles made from GRP.

reliant robin,
reliant kitten,
reliant rebel,
reliant fox,
reliant scimitar,
reliant sabre,
Lotus Elise............


to name but a few!

[Bungle]

yup, GRP is a tried and tested material for car bodies, there are massive lists of vehicles made from GRP.

reliant robin,
reliant kitten,
reliant rebel,
reliant fox,
reliant scimitar,
reliant sabre,
Lotus Elise............


to name but a few!

dont forget trever's (TVR's)

[smudger]

As far as i am aware, doing a re-shell with a composite shell is not an SVA issue.

As for the carbon fibre, a few things first:

Yes would have to use wet lay-up due to the cost of doing vacuum or auto-clave (and to afford and store an auto-clave that would fit a mini shell in it, wow)

Whilst carbon fibre showing weave would be very nice it would also be vary hard to do, what with haveing to try to get the various panels to line up on the weave, getting the right direction for the carbon.

i however would favour doing certain parts of the car in CSM and kevlar, or where possible to just use single layers of heavier kevlar.

The stress points multi layered with CSM and kevlar.

Which ever way its done, its expensive.

[Woody]

The way to avoid the SVA would possably to do a mini shell out of CF/Fiberglass that fits onto the standard origonal mini floorpan
some guy was doing this (cant remember his name) and making frog eye sprites from mini floorpans OR RS 200s out of maestro floorpans OR porsche speedsters out of skoda floorpans
and NONE of them needed SVA ! , indeed if the donor vehicle had MOT .....so did your "new" car , didnt even need a check off anybody !
This way you could keep your cherished number and your tax free status legitamatly !!!!

[Alburglar]

The way to avoid the SVA would possably to do a mini shell out of CF/Fiberglass that fits onto the standard origonal mini floorpan
some guy was doing this (cant remember his name) and making frog eye sprites from mini floorpans OR RS 200s out of maestro floorpans OR porsche speedsters out of skoda floorpans
and NONE of them needed SVA ! , indeed if the donor vehicle had MOT .....so did your "new" car , didnt even need a check off anybody !
This way you could keep your cherished number and your tax free status legitamatly !!!!

yeah that was Paul Banham. And the cars were sh1te. Looked pretty in photo's but in the flesh they were horrible. Apart from the RS200 replica on maestro turbo floor plan.
He also sold his rights to rally sport replicas!

[retrodan]

this sounds good, so if anyone does decide to do one in cf/kevlar of fibreglass i will have one!!!!