Chassis Identificationmacboycie - 6/1/21 at 06:30 PM
Hi All,
I have recently purchased a part built kit car. The chassis is stamped as an MK Indy, but after speaking to MK they are saying it is not theirs.
I have sent a letter to DVLA to check on the chassis number.
After some research I have noticed a few people on here have owned this car.
So I'm asking does anybody have an idea of what kit it is, so I can hopefully get this car finally on the road.
If I need to purchase a new chassis or change the VIN number I will do it.
Thanks in advance
If it’s the car in your picture on the left it looks like a mk Indy
macboycie - 6/1/21 at 06:47 PM
It's not & that was a GTS Panther
Edwardo - 6/1/21 at 06:49 PM
Can you add it your photo archive on here and we can just go and look?
macboycie - 6/1/21 at 06:54 PM
I have placed them in my photo archive
jacko - 6/1/21 at 06:55 PM
quote:Originally posted by macboycie
It's not & that was a GTS Panther
Well if it’s a gts it’s got a lot of mk parts
Edwardo - 6/1/21 at 06:58 PM
I'm no expert but it looks a bit like a haynes roadster to me?
macboycie - 6/1/21 at 07:01 PM
I've just changed the photo to the chassis in question
jacko - 6/1/21 at 07:02 PM
It’s not a mk Indy looking. At the chassis
But the body panels do look like mk panels
The suspension is not mk
Graham
[Edited on 6/1/21 by jacko]
MikeR - 6/1/21 at 11:07 PM
The front bracing isn't early or late MK. Nor is it GTS.
The missing front offside brace needs correcting - but i've told you that before. If you look up the plans here you'll get an idea what it
should look like - http://sevenesque.com/plans/
The front chassis tube near the suspension mounts looks like its got a plastic bung in it to fill the hole that is normally welded up. It also has a
hole in the tube for some reason which i'm struggling to understand.
I've not seen any of the major manufactures produce a rear section that the roll bar mounts onto like you have - but i don't often look at
that part so it could just be my lack of knowledge & i'm struggling to remember what GTS did at that point.
I'd suggest you've got a home built car that has been made to look like a MK. I wonder if someone got the body work cheap and then tried to
make the car match the bodywork?
macboycie - 6/1/21 at 11:25 PM
Hi Mike
Thanks for all the information, you have never told me before as I only purchased the car on Sunday. Do you feel I should carry on with this chassis
or purchase a new MK and go from their.
Thanks
ReMan - 6/1/21 at 11:40 PM
I'm confused, why do you need to change the chassis regardless of what it is , or isnt?
macboycie - 6/1/21 at 11:50 PM
It would give me a better idea of what kit I’m working with , the chassis has been stamped as a MK which it’s not.
So you feel I should correct it and move on ?
This is why I’m asking the questions
Mr Whippy - 7/1/21 at 01:17 AM
Not sure where you're going with this or why.
So you bought a car which I agree isn't an MK but is practically complete and you want to replace the chassis? Why in gods name would you do that
and why get the DVLA involved who may now very well give you no end of grief getting this on the road.
If you have to have an MK, sell this on and buy one or finish this car, keep quiet and hope you haven't caused major issues with getting this
thing registered.
[Edited on 7/1/21 by Mr Whippy]
macboycie - 7/1/21 at 08:47 AM
I have contacted DVLA to get any information on the VIN number as I do not have any paperwork to support this.
I still need to get the car through an IVA
For all I know someone has just placed the VIN number on the chassis to make out it is a MK to sell on.
So if I need to get a new VIN number from DVLA, I would like to know what kit it is
MikeR - 7/1/21 at 10:04 AM
Sorry, thought you were the post I responded to on Facebook last week. The picture look the same.
The chassis has been engraved with a mk vin number which matches the vin on the body work. As the poster said, mk are denying that vin number is
theres.
The simple course is action is weld over the engraved vin with a stamped vin. Remove the mk plate listing a vin and create your own. Job done. Just
make sure the vin is to DVLA requirements.
Id then look to fix anything else, get it IVA'd and on the road.
Good luck.
nick205 - 7/1/21 at 10:08 AM
Having built an MK Indy myself the chassis in your photos doesn't look like an MK Indy to me. For a start the MK Indy I built had bent box
section in the chassis (front and rear) and I don't see that in yours. I can see places I'd add some additional chassis members for
additional bracing. To do that would require stripping down quite a bit of the car or section of the car and cutting/welding/painting.
Aside from that I'm afraid I can't offer any advice as to a particular make or model of chassis.
macboycie - 7/1/21 at 02:33 PM
@Mark - the person you spoke too was the person before me that owned it for a week. I will do what you said, get a new Vin, sort that missing
brace.
@Nick - I will be stripping the car down as it is not to my standard or colour, so please do give me an idea of where to put extra bracing.
If there is a lot of bracing missing then that is the reason why I would look at a new chassis.
This is what I needed to put my mind at rest, as I do not want to be another person to pass on this problem to someone else.
nick205 - 7/1/21 at 04:49 PM
If you have a look in my "photo archive" there's plenty of photos of my MK Indy build in there from chassis to finished car. If you
take a look at the naked chassis photos you'll see a few key differences to your chassis and you'll see a few extra braces in there as
well.
MikeR - 7/1/21 at 07:02 PM
Mk did make straight tube chassis before the bent tube, but they didn't have independent rear suspension.
The link I sent you will show you where the chassis tubes should be from the seat forwards. I think you're missing 2 tubes (although mk never
fitted 1 of those). The one I described, plus another from where it attaches to the side of the chassis to the middle by your feet.
How high is the chassis from the bottom to top chassis rail?
MikeR - 7/1/21 at 07:10 PM
Also, I don't think it's necessarily a bad chassis, I'd just want the missing bits of bracing adding.
If you add your location to your profile their maybe someone local who can help, advise, drink your tea whilst laughing at you struggling
😁
macboycie - 7/1/21 at 07:33 PM
It's interesting that you say that about MK as it has had a new complete Independent rear suspension added with LSD Sierra diff.
The one missing, I was going to do the same at the rear of the engine department to strengthen.
The chassis is 460mm bottom to top
My location is not far from you
MikeR - 8/1/21 at 08:02 AM
Get this bloody virus out the way and and I'll pop round to drink you tea / eat biscuits .... I mean offer constructive advice
big_wasa - 8/1/21 at 12:54 PM
There are parts of it that look Mk and lots that look nothing like an Mk.
I would say it's been rebuilt using a damaged mk chassis or built from scratch to resemble an Mk.
If the chassis is worth saving I would get a new vin and build it as a Locost but you will loose the added Mk resale value.
Or tidy it up and move it on.
Or use it as a donor for a new mk.
macboycie - 8/1/21 at 02:26 PM
I agree with what you have said,
I do not want to tidy it up and move it on as that is what everyone else has done.
It has a lot of good bits, that have not been fitted, because as we all know with kitcars, that is never straight forward.
That is why I was thinking about doing a new MK chassis but MK have informed me my Wishbones and other items do not fit, so I would also need to buy
them.
I was hoping for a straight forward swap over.
I wish the people that have owned the car before me that have read my private message to them on this forum would give me some info on the car, so
this car can finally get on the road & not another 5 people in a course of 10years working on it
jps - 8/1/21 at 02:52 PM
quote:Originally posted by macboycie
The chassis is 460mm bottom to top
Do you mean the height of the chassis from the bottom of the lower rail to the top of the upper rail in the engine bay? Or do you mean from the bottom
of the lowest chassis rail, to the top of the rail behind the seat?
Neither of those dimensions tallies with it being a Haynes Roadster chassis, which in the book is 355mm for the engine bay and 547.5mm for the
bottomrail to top rail behind the seat.
The front frame on your chassis is also not like a Haynes Roadster book design - it might just be the photo but the lower wishbone inner mounts look a
lot closer together than any other build i've seen. How is the bump steer on it?
What running gear does it have?
big_wasa - 8/1/21 at 03:43 PM
I bought a similar project myself a year ago. I am guessing it’s been through three or four owners in the last ~10years. There is plenty of issues
with it. But it was very cheap and like you I would like to save it.
I hope to start it in the spring now I’ve finished this one, well sort of.
macboycie - 8/1/21 at 03:57 PM
Sorry could not work the tape measure that day, it is 355mm in the engine bay.
I have not driven it, as there is a lot to do ie: complete new loom, 4 branch manifold, gearbox mounts & much more.
The running gear is Blacktop 2.0 zetec with single GBS throttle body on mega squirt, MT75 gearbox, Sierra 3.9 LSD
macboycie - 8/1/21 at 04:20 PM
What is very interesting, is there is a yellow MK Indy on Ebay and it looks just like mine, that has flat panels at the feet end not curved.
big_wasa - 8/1/21 at 04:40 PM
The Mk chassis was a copy and an evolution of another like most of them. But the yellow Pinto powered Indy on eBay looks like a traditional Indy with
a lot of bent tubing. Front top wishbones, bulkhead, front section.
jacko - 8/1/21 at 05:10 PM
If you look at Ron champions book and it looks like your chassis then it could be a Martin Keenan chassis as he had a lot to do with making them
Also mc1 cars did a good co-y of mk chassis
Graham
Mr Whippy - 8/1/21 at 05:15 PM
It's 100% not an MK Chassis, I had one and yours is very different in many area. Their actually quite easy to spot due to the way MK formed the
tubing. If you really don't want to use the chassis, sell it on but really it would be far quicker and vastly cheaper to just sort and finish
this car than to start all over again. From what I can make out from the photos looks a very decent car and could be finished to a high standard. With
some regular work on it, you could easily have ready for the IVA by summer.
I have a prediction that might be considered unfair, but if you get a new chassis and start all over again it won't be completed.
big_wasa - 8/1/21 at 08:43 PM
I guess from your Fb post you are already looking for a hairdryer
[Edited on 8/1/21 by big_wasa]
macboycie - 8/1/21 at 08:47 PM
Sorry don’t understand what you mean
Mr Whippy - 8/1/21 at 09:06 PM
quote:Originally posted by macboycie
Sorry don’t understand what you mean
A turbo cos they look like hair dryers
[Edited on 8/1/21 by Mr Whippy]
big_wasa - 8/1/21 at 09:39 PM
Firstly my apologies, just my sense of humour.
There was a post on Fb over Xmas with the owner of this car already wanting big power. I now see it was the last owner
[Edited on 9/1/21 by big_wasa]
macboycie - 8/1/21 at 10:08 PM
And he had it for as long as week
macboycie - 9/1/21 at 08:15 PM
The front crossbar missing, does it have to be the same length or can I make a shorter version so I don’t have to modify the inlet
jacko - 10/1/21 at 10:59 AM
A shorter bar is better then no bar also the square plastic plugs could do to be removed and a metal plate welded on th strength that area as it
looks like some welds are missing
Graham
big_wasa - 10/1/21 at 12:36 PM
An Mk Indy doesn’t have them bars at all but it’s is way less than ideal.
There was structural analysis done years ago to improve 7 chassis have a look for by posts by “Cymtriks”
[Edited on 10/1/21 by big_wasa]
macboycie - 10/1/21 at 10:12 PM
From looking at your chassis, I’ve noticed your front wishbone fixing points are offset. My are offset but my wishbones are not designed to be offset,
as my front wheels seem further forward and my steering arms are further forward. I’ll add photos tomorrow for reference
Measurements
Rear lower 410mm
front lower 335mm
rear top 610mm
front top 560mm
Can I buy offset wishbones or do I need to space out the front
big_wasa - 11/1/21 at 08:11 PM
Things don’t look right. Best to get it stripped down a bit and in the day light for some better photos.
big_wasa - 14/1/21 at 12:04 PM
I take it you have given up on it then as its on Ebay
macboycie - 14/1/21 at 12:38 PM
Sadly I have but I have purchased a road going MK Indy which is correct.
I have removed the MK chassis label & removed chassis number on the frame, as I do not want to falsely advertise it, as many people have done
