S1 Rebuild(s)

[Dave Adams]

some pics of the rebuild process,

the top trailing arm bracket is broke......

the diff is sloping back a little (looking up) so that will need sorting.......

As you can see there isn't a lot of bracing in an S1 chassis, that will be sorted.

[Dave Adams]

Thing is my car is on the DVLA data Base as last taxed in 1982....first registered 1/4/77 and only taxed for 4 years before getting abandoned as a project car. It only lists 3 previous owners...

I am looking forward to getting some use out of it this year..

[rob saul]

Just had a look at your pictures in your blog,was your chassis blue when you bought it ???

[Dave Adams]

My first S1 was....the current one was light grey....

[rob saul]

Sorry to cause you hassle Dave but you will be having another DVLA inspection !
I'm not in Norfolk but had my boy check and I still have ttw770r ! and the v5 for it
Checking with dvla they never asked me if I still owned the car when you sent in the v62 to get a log book
So for your benefit and no doubt the "experts" who advised you how to get a reg here is the TTW story
As you already know the car was on the road for 4 years
The reason it wasn't taxed any more was due to the owner crashing it
Owner sulked a few years then bought a new rear end for the car
(note !!! Car is a Malaga B+ and the chassis number is b... Despite what ever Daryl might say !!!)
By the time he got the new rear end the s2 was all Dutton was producing, he went for one of those an filled in the spring hanger holes an got disillusioned an eventually sold the car
Owner no2 lives at Norwich common about a mile from my house,l knew he had bought the car and he is a mini nut and it wasn't really his bag an said if he ever wanted to sell to let me know
Less than 6 months later he was knocking on my door and the car was mine
Managed to buy a brand new bonnet (last one ever made by Dutton) to compliment the rear bodywork an sold the old bonnet
DVLA have admitted they have made a mistake and will be contacting you.
I have explained the Dutton sequential numbering system and how my car with a number in the 300,s is 4/5 years away from your four figure production number dutton made mistakes but not that big
Also when owner number 1 did the grp an filled in the spring hanger holes he put a LOT of extra grp into the shell making it very recognizable to both he and owner 2 so since there wasn't a boot to go with the ttw bonnet what ever chassis plate "remains" you found in the boot of the car aren't anything to do with the ttw bonnet

[Dave Adams]

That's odd because DVLA have just sent me a third log book. Details as my car and chassis with new engine.

My car was inspected with the numberplates on the car the retaining screws were so corroded they had to be cut off. The inspector at the time agreed they had been there for a long time. The DVLA confirmed my chassis number once I told them. It was BT. 

The car is now registered with a P chassis number. Oddly my rear she'll has had substantial rear body work repairs as it clearly been crashed. Os rear and ns front. As detailed in my rebuild posts........

I am confident my car is genuine. It's took a lot of grief to get it to this stage. I cannot help but feel that the fact the car is approaching 40 years old has something to do with another car showing up.

[Dave Adams]

My Malaga B+ had a chassis number M4**B. V reg.

[rob saul]

Well your car is the one that has "shown up" mine has been sitting in the same spot for 16 years ! Along with the log book in my folder
I have screen shotted all of your rebuild thread just for referance including the bit where someone asks " is that the new project,it isn't registered is it ?" An basically you reply no it isn't but that might not be a problem !
All this case was carried out by dvla local office,all the records from those are now stored but they are getting the case file out and will be in contact
About a year ago the bonnet for one of my s1,s (ncl19v) appeared on ebay about a year ago, I probably sold that about the sme time,and in both cases a bonnet is a bonnet that's it that's what was sold that's what you get

[Dave Adams]

I said that it wasn't a problem because I had number plates and a chassis number. As stated previously the last owner was told to look for a 17 digit number. I knew it would be a 4 or 5 digit number.

The car was booked in for inspection almost immediately and inspected that year.....at the time I was told it would get an age related number. this year DVLA told me to keep the number displayed on the car.

The bonnet was new or in VGC it went onto my green car.

[rob saul]

As for the "showing up" also I would of been none the wiser unless you hadn't mentioned my name in a post
Have a lot of cars an couldn't tell you the reg on most of them

[Dave Adams]

I was gob smacked to see your name on the log book...you have commented on my build several times even after mentioned the reg number. Odd that one of the few cars you possess as a rebuild project was so current and obvious to you that you never recognised the number.....I would have and I have owned many cars.

1. Even when I spoke to you at Stoneleigh two years or so  I mentioned the region number.....no recollection....

But when I get my log book and are surprised to see your name and mention it you suddenly remember you own the car.....I have heard you say to me at stoneLeigh that you have dozens of log books for duttons you used to own. Could you give me a list so I know what other cars to avoid?

My log book arrived two weeks ago. My latest ...today.

[rob saul]

Call me cynical but my view of events is
Phaeton gets crashed an written off
"new" bonnet is sourced an goes on the car
Now that car must be ttw cos that's on the bonnet

If you have/had the rear number plate that would be good cos there. wasn't one when I bought it ! Just brand new factory fresh grp
Car was also hit from behind,no chassis damage front or rear !

[Dave Adams]

just describing what i have, my car green  was advertised on ebay for all to see. and sold. Dvla will confirm this.

my car was immediately presented for inspection and i have done everything above board at all times to ensure my car is fully legal. all of this before i found out who used to own it. that is why it has taken me 4 years to get the paperwork from the DVLA almost an extra year since the log book first arrived with the wrong engine number

as for cynical....how about this..... one guy sells abandoned project car to some willing punter in another town. its well advanced but he has just lost interest in it...but forgets to hand over log book claiming its "lost".. partly because he likes to "collect" the log books of his previous cars. the new owner cannot register it because he is looking for a modern chassis number not the one it actually has but he has the plates it came with and does not look deeper into it because its a lot of work and he's out of his depth. he advertises it as an abandoned project on gumtree. however the original owner buys cheap cars where he can some with paperwork some with out...always handy to have V5's for a kit car kicking about perhaps he sees them as a steady income i dont know. log books being often the most valuable part of a dutton.

now i dont know if this has happened or not, but i buy an obviously old long abandoned car with a seized solid engine displaying number plates it also has a chassis number readable under all the rust. the Vosa inspector checks it over and is more than convinced that the car is of the age it seems to be. he recommends what is to be done and i carry out his instructions.

oh and the story about the number plate to the rear was a lie.....you went for it (stated in my rebuild posts as only having the front plate.) cheers you have just confirmed the london guys story to me.

odd that you remember that it never came with one.....handy for me as well.