Dodgy Landy?

I'm looking at another S3 airportable.
However before I dig out cash, the car doesn't have any plates or a V5.
I got the vin number which does confirm it is a S3 light weight, for the home market yr 1972 - 1980.

How do I check if it is stolen or a right off? DVLA want document numbers and number plate. Dont want to buy it, apply for v5 only to find its nicked.
I was going to check with Gaydon for the actual yr. would be a bonus if it was made in 72.

by "plates" do you mean number plates or vin plates?

If it hasn't got a V5 or vin plates you can pretty much guarantee that there is another landy driving around with that ID.

Personally I'd steer well clear unless they've got a feckin good reason for no plates or V5. Not sure what that would be though.

There is no legit reason for taking the ID and reg plates off of a vehicle. Do not touch it.

It's possible it's never been registered on the road, so woulldn't have a v5 or reg plates. SHould have discharge papers though.

same story with mine and a complete and utter can of worms

i bought mine in the same status as the one your lookin at thinking it was a series 3 with no id as it was bought from a farmer untill i got vosa to verify and cross check the chassis number wich turned out it wasnt a series 3 at all its a series 2 chassis running gear and all that with a series 3 body on it later proven to be the spoils off some ringing operation wich lead to the destruction of the rung vehicle and the registration back on mine where it belongs

id have given anything to have the series 2 bodywork back aswell but i guess its just gonna have to take time for me to collect those parts and modify this back to original

ps mine turned out to be 1961 and took nearley 7 months and a whole lot of paperwork waiting and patience to get it sorted id practicaly restored the entire vehicle 3 months before i got the reg and v5

All it has is a chassis number and lots of spare parts which could be stripped and then bin the chassis.

Where should te vin plate be on a airportable? Can't compare it to my current one as it has a modified bulkhead for the RR gearbox. But I would have thought inside riveted to the bulkhead.

i found my chassis numbers stamped into the chassis rails in 3 places all matching so if your going for a full rebuild you might get lucky and find one of them

to find the numbers theres 3 main reported places

1 on the drivers side front chassis leg about 4" back from the verry front spring hanger
2 on the passengers front chassis leg on the inner side about 2" up and 3" back from the spring bush going through the chassis rail
3 on top of the passengers side chassis rail roughly 27" from the rear crossmember ( you will have to remove the rear tub to see this )

as with anything this old the numbers will be verry faint and near impossible to see due to corrosion wich is the problem i had in the end i resorted to google for ideas and information on a forrensic level to make these numbers more visible so ill save you the bother and just explain

first scrape all crap paint and underseal from the immediate and surrounding area and look closely for anything that could be part of a letter or a number in amongst the pits and rust

once you have spotted a likely looking mark first rub it lightly using a little warm water and a brillo pad if it turns out to be a number carry on till you find all the digits if theyre still not clearley legible then resort to pouring a little t-cut on the numbers and use 800 grit wet and dry sand paper verry lightly over the area and you will notice as the polish starts to turn black it stays in the indentations while any on the flat surface will wipe away pretty much clean and bright metal ( in effect the digits will show black / grey on a silver surface )

note if your gonna try and get the reg from the dvla from this chassis number once you have cleaned it paint it with either clear coat laquer or if you havent got any knocking about coat it with superglue or clear nail varnish to protect it from the elements

if your repainting the entire chassis mask the area where the number is stamped and paint round it as this is a key must do thing if the dvla request the vehicle goes for an IVA test due to it not being on their database this proves you have just found the number and are leaving it in a honest condition clearley legible for the inspectorate to see

also take pictures of the process of finding and cleaning these numbers and save them as evidence you have not tampered with them or stamped them yourself ( this was the triggering factor that made the dvla question when and wher i purchased the vehicle )

hope this helps

ps dont put pics of the chassis number on any public domain website not here not facebook ****ter or anywhere keep the number to yourself and the dvla as you never know whose reading what you post anywhere