fbekholden.com

Hi All
Just new to the forum and am looking for some advice
Looking at purchasing a FB/EK ute (EK body FB subframe & chassis number)
The biggest problem I see is that when checking with VicRoads, the last registration record for the chassis number shows it was registered as a sedan in 1990
VicRoads say that I may need an engineers report but won't guarantee that there won't be issues when I try to register the vehicle
Has anyone had a similiar situation?
Thanks
Kel

Hey Kel, welcome.

It's pretty common for the chassis numbers to change on these cars because the front frames are a bolt-on / off structure that is often replaced due to rust or accident damage (or modifications gone wrong).

The chassis number relates only to this structure, which is exactly the same for all of the body types, so there is no change to the design of the vehicle when they are swapped.

The body has a separate number on the tag, and this is specific to the body type and specification (standard / special / auto etc).

An engineer's certificate won't be needed to certify the safety of any changes (because there is no structural or mechanical difference), but there could well be a requirement for an engineer to confirm that the change of chassis number hasn't resulted in any changes that need engineering approval.

If it was me, I'd spend a couple of hundred bucks, put it on a trailer and take it to an engineer for a pre-purchase inspection.

i quizzed this once with NSW but once i explained that the VIN/CHASSIS No is on the subframe and is an unboltable piece they said no problems