my marina fka637l

stu1980 · Post by **stu1980** » Mon Feb 23, 2015 6:09 pm

looking for help info the other week i had a message on facebook saying my car used to be white i no when i bought it last year was told was a reshell still loged as tc butv is harvest gold , to be fair its not going to change the way i feel about the car but like to no the history of things so if any info or old pics of car would be good to see any help would be great

Post by **balmy** » Mon Feb 23, 2015 7:06 pm

I know a bit about it. Search out posts on here by TC-CLIFF
He owned it a few years back. Quite a few photos of it with mine on my fb page and on here somewhere.

Post by **balmy** » Mon Feb 23, 2015 7:12 pm

Here's one.

stu1980 · Post by **stu1980** » Mon Feb 23, 2015 8:12 pm

cracking pic ill have a look

terrytibbs · Post by **terrytibbs** » Tue Feb 24, 2015 9:08 am

yes, i owned FKA 637L when it was white back in the late 90's when i lived in Bedforshire, was a great car,had quite rare autumn leaf trim i think.. used her a fair bit , did a few shows, really liked driving it and for a standard TC coupe she moved along a bit and had that lovely TC rasp!.
Was then swopped for a Mk3 pick up with a friend of mine who drove her everyday for a couple of years,did a lot of miles in her.. he then i think sold it on Flea bay as a project and it ended up in north wales with a guy who owned a small garage, he did make contact for advice on panels...but then appeared up for sale as a harvest gold car....

MGBV8 · Post by **MGBV8** » Tue Feb 24, 2015 3:40 pm

Sounds very suspicious.
You can't just "reshell" a car like a marina. It's a monocoque so the vehicle ID is in the bodyshell. The only way you could do this legally is by having the vehicle put through a BIVA test and have it issued with a Q plate.

I suspect someones done a VIN swap onto a car in better condition. Was this other car nicked? Either way, I'd want to get to the bottom of the story before putting any money into the car. It sounds incredibly dodgy to me!

Post by **balmy** » Tue Feb 24, 2015 6:07 pm

If you look up the posts by TC-CLIFF you'll soon know the details and can make up your own minds.
But I think Andy makes it fairly clear.

stu1980 · Post by **stu1980** » Tue Feb 24, 2015 8:11 pm

the car has been about for a while so cant see there been any issues , my cousins reshelled a rs turbo a few years back into a 1100 model he contacted the dvla all was good with no issues and didnt req a vic test ,i bet there are loads of classics that have been reshelled due to rust ,there are plenty of mk2 escorts and minis that are reshelled all the time
ive had a good read through the site about car on tc-cliff posts looks like its just been reshelled and was pointed out then too my minds at rest that a marina was saved through a reshell

happy to own a soild marina coupe cheers for helping on it

JoshWard · Post by **JoshWard** » Tue Feb 24, 2015 8:48 pm

There are quite a few 'reshelled' Marinas out there so this is nothing new.

The later front and rear valance which would definitely have not been on the original FKA and the lack of TC rear side window trim point to the shell of an SDL coupe made between late 73 and 75 being used.

Post by **balmy** » Tue Feb 24, 2015 9:09 pm

Josh is right. Plenty been reshelled and well known in the club.
As long as you know Stu and are happy with it then no worries.

MGBV8 · Post by **MGBV8** » Wed Feb 25, 2015 5:35 pm

What's your point? It's illegal!
Are you for real? You can't just screw a random vin number onto a car and run round using another vehicles ID and declare "no worries".

david painter · Post by **david painter** » Wed Feb 25, 2015 5:56 pm

We all know it happens where base models have had vins changed to more expensive models ie 1100 escort to RS2000 think the point is as long as nothing is stolen a body shell is a body shell many cars of the 1970s and earlier never had a stamped in vin just a pop riveted commission number im not saying I agree with it but just stating a fact
Dave

Post by **balmy** » Wed Feb 25, 2015 7:17 pm

MGBV8 wrote:What's your point? It's illegal!
Are you for real? You can't just screw a random vin number onto a car and run round using another vehicles ID and declare "no worries".

Your right. Ringing is illegal. Totally agree with you.
As I've never done it I don't worry about it.
You mistake in this case, of me not giving a dam, for something else.

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