40 year rule for MOT exemption to come in 2018

Come insurance renewal time, this will be a key question I will be asking insurance companies. And I'm going to insist on them telling me what they require, in writing.

 

It probably wouldn't bite you until you are in an accident. At which point you will have declared it as not substantially modified so won't have an MOT and your insurance will be invalidated when they notice the more powerful engine in the back. May not be as likely with an upgraded Type 1 or type 4 but I think a scooby would get some interest

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It talks of increase in the power to weight ratio (not an increase in power) ... does anyone know what that actually means and how to calculate it? My mind is a bit foggy this morning.

I think I'll just take mine and have the MOT done anyway.

 

My insurers already know I have a Scooby engine in the back ... I assume everyone one tells their insurers when they do such a modification?

 

True but if you declare to dvla you aren't modified when you should of you wouldn't have an MOT and no doubt they would use that as an excuse.

Power to weight is bhp/vehicle weight. Not sure if a scooby pushes you over but it seems like it may

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I did, fully expecting the "it'll now cost you this much more for the remainder of your policy". What they actually said was "thanks for telling us, we'll add it to your file." If they tell me "you must still take it for an MOT", then fine, I'll do it. I have a regular test centre who I trust with my bus, and they let me have a good look around the underneath when it's up in the air during the test too.

 

I told DVLA when I got the Scooby done too - well, as much as you can do, based on the limited information kept on the V5C. They were informed of a change of engine cc and a change of engine number, which begins "EJ20". There is no space on the V5C for method of cooling, power output, or manufacturer of engine, so that's their lookout.

 

They wont "know". You will tell them! Thats what i gleaned from this:

 

well depending exactly what this power to weight ratio thing actually means then I'll have to let them know.

I read through the docs and could not find it defined, you obviously found what I could not ? What is the unit of weight to apply?

 

I didn't look for that in the document but power to weight is usually bhp per tonne

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I'm glad you used the word "usually" .... usual for whom? My V5 records revenue weight as 1,800 Kg and I note they refer on the V5 to power to weight ratio in terms of KW/Kg (motorcycles only).

I found a website where they were comparing power to weight and talked about it in terms of HP to Lbs.

 

The units used won't change the fact that it has or hasn't increased by 15%.

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doesn,t matter does it? - 15% increase in kw/kg will still be a 15% increase in hp/lbs

and of course does modifying from a "builders" van to a camper van make a difference

 

Mines a standard 2 litre but was originally a 1700. Both variations of the of the same but technically the engine has been "changed", or has it. Does original engine literally mean that as that would be almost ridiculous on most 40'year old vehicles but there will be quite a few with matching numbers.

 

Check your breakdown and recovery small print as well ... when I had my 59 beetle I could only find one breakdown service provided by AXA that specifically stated the vehicle had to be MOT'ed if applicable ... which didn't apply to mine ...

All the others insisted that there was a valid MOT certificate for the vehicle covered

 

I reckon yours might be OK, but there again you might not, depends on the mods to the engine or whether there has been a change from Type 1 to Type 4, I see this as having some complexity read on.

Type 4
If you assume 1700 was 65 hp and 2000 was 69hp then the power to weight ratio (assuming 1,800 KG) will 0.036 and 0.038 respectively, which if my maths is correct is an increase in power to weight ratio of 5.6%. The issue comes when you start adding twin carbs etc that each give you a number of gains in horse power. If you have a larger Type 1 than 1,600 or a trick Type 4 then you might find yourself caught by this, that is how I would read this - its about the change in power to weight ratio. Clearly going from a 1,700 type 4 to a Subaru EJ20 is as I see it at the moment going to put me in the substantially changed bracket.

This of course assumes that your bus didn't originally run a gutless Type 1 engine.

Type 1
Just taking a look at anyone with a Type 1 engine an old Keeping your bus alive magazine shows the BHP for a stock 1600 twin port at 30 bhp then they added in the following order
performance exhaust added 1 bhp
twin webber 34ICT added 11 bhp
Scat pro street rockers added 8 bhp
electronic ignition 0 bhp

So if you have a 1600cc bus which came with a single carburettor and it now runs twin weber 34 ICTs then based on a weight of 1,800 kg you have increased the power to weight ratio by 35%. You are probably not feeling quite so smug now. Obviously if you are running a 1776 then your clearly way above the 15%.

 

Interesting
So if im running dells then i would assume that would still put me inbthe bracket. Mines jo street rocket but if i recall is about 80bhp on the dyno.

 

Who knows, I just like to examine detail, none of us knows exactly what we are looking at though.

Vehicle mods and what to tell your insurers ... I think nowadays it includes everything even fitting a tow bar

 

There's been a few comments of "I'll get an MOT anyway" but will you be able to? Obviously you can still get it checked to MOT standard, but will you get a proper MOT certificate? If it's of an age where it doesn't legall need it, will it still appear on the testers system? I don't really know how that works.

 

yes ... read the docs