Will a Griff body fit on a Chim chassis?
Discussion
Alright, I'll add some meat to the bones. I'm mulling over lots of options. As usual I'm getting carried away, but for the moment I'm enjoying the planning.
If I was going to build an LS-engined Griff with a Sportmotive Evolution chassis why bother starting with a Griff? Even a write off will cost the thick end of ten grand because a certain individual buys everything that comes up at auction and inflates the prices. So far better to find a shed of a Chimaera, throw most of it away, but keep the interior (retrimmed) and the VIN plate. A 4 litre Chim with a knackered chassis and big miles is probably worth a couple of grand. Makes the whole project more viable and means nice to have options do not involve throwing away perfectly serviceable components.
This is kind of like Plasticman's work so some will like the idea and others will want to bludgeon me with the Originality Stick. Bet a build thread would get a lot of hits though.
If I was going to build an LS-engined Griff with a Sportmotive Evolution chassis why bother starting with a Griff? Even a write off will cost the thick end of ten grand because a certain individual buys everything that comes up at auction and inflates the prices. So far better to find a shed of a Chimaera, throw most of it away, but keep the interior (retrimmed) and the VIN plate. A 4 litre Chim with a knackered chassis and big miles is probably worth a couple of grand. Makes the whole project more viable and means nice to have options do not involve throwing away perfectly serviceable components.
This is kind of like Plasticman's work so some will like the idea and others will want to bludgeon me with the Originality Stick. Bet a build thread would get a lot of hits though.
Am I missing something here - if you build an evolution LS Griff you will need a griff bodyshell on an evo chassis.
You asked if a griff body will fit on a chim chassis but wouldn't you be putting your griff body onto the evo chassis? I'm not sure I understand where a chim comes into it.
Sorry if I'm just being think but I'm confused.
You asked if a griff body will fit on a chim chassis but wouldn't you be putting your griff body onto the evo chassis? I'm not sure I understand where a chim comes into it.
Sorry if I'm just being think but I'm confused.
If you used the ID from an earlier car ( i.e. pre griff/chim), you could run into trouble with the registration at some point, as the suspension, engine,trans,body would all be different..
at least with a chim ID, the suspension and chassis is similar enough to the original..
but the short answer is yes either body will fit the chim chassis..
at least with a chim ID, the suspension and chassis is similar enough to the original..
but the short answer is yes either body will fit the chim chassis..
macdeb said:
why? 
). Always surprised me somewhat. I honestly had no real preference between the two, but found you were probably paying two or three grand more for a Griff of comparable age and condition.
Do you remember when Top Gear used the Chimaera chassis to build their hybrid car? They had to modify an existing car in order to avoid lengthy crash testing. I would have thought that building a brand new car with a brand new chassis design would hit some regulatory hurdle. A way around this is to buy an existing car and change everything except the gear knob and the VIN plate. Maybe I am over complicating things?
SonicHedgeHog said:
Do you remember when Top Gear used the Chimaera chassis to build their hybrid car? They had to modify an existing car in order to avoid lengthy crash testing. I would have thought that building a brand new car with a brand new chassis design would hit some regulatory hurdle. A way around this is to buy an existing car and change everything except the gear knob and the VIN plate. Maybe I am over complicating things?
what you are really doing is building a kit car. (ive built and iva'd a few no real problems)loads of rules and regs, but an individual can build a car with no crash testing, and if you use new parts, and evidence that, it'll get a new registration.
if you use sufficient donor parts from a single donor , it will get an age related registration
if you use a mixed bag o's
te.....itll get a Q registrationthere are loads of permutations, loads of kits built which squirm around the rules someway or another, but fundamentally that is where it sits.
now, if sportmotive produced new bodies...maybe CF.....(and lets face it all the other components are available from a number of sources)...it would be very easy for them to manufacture and properly register a griff evolution as a new vehicle....no different to other replica builders out there.
Edited by SteveSPG on Thursday 10th October 16:55
SonicHedgeHog said:
Do you remember when Top Gear used the Chimaera chassis to build their hybrid car? They had to modify an existing car in order to avoid lengthy crash testing.
That was so wrong all over the place that car would never have passed an SVA test, which is the minimum requirement.SonicHedgeHog said:
I would have thought that building a brand new car with a brand new chassis design would hit some regulatory hurdle. A way around this is to buy an existing car and change everything except the gear knob and the VIN plate. Maybe I am over complicating things?
I think a call to Ian at Sportmotive will answer all your questions a lot quicker than posting on here as he's done the process a few times.TimJM said:
Am I missing something here - if you build an evolution LS Griff you will need a griff bodyshell on an evo chassis.
You asked if a griff body will fit on a chim chassis but wouldn't you be putting your griff body onto the evo chassis? I'm not sure I understand where a chim comes into it.
Sorry if I'm just being think but I'm confused.
You asked if a griff body will fit on a chim chassis but wouldn't you be putting your griff body onto the evo chassis? I'm not sure I understand where a chim comes into it.
Sorry if I'm just being think but I'm confused.
No offence intended to OP 
but just seemed a non-starter to me and he did ask for opinions. No offence taken, far from it. I've learnt a lot from the replies to this thread and will have saved myself a lot of time and probably money. When my builder has finished emptying my current account I'll give Sportmotive a call and see what they can do. I want something different and exciting. Unfortunately that is something that is currently completely absent from the new car market.
SonicHedgeHog said:
Do you remember when Top Gear used the Chimaera chassis to build their hybrid car? They had to modify an existing car in order to avoid lengthy crash testing. I would have thought that building a brand new car with a brand new chassis design would hit some regulatory hurdle. A way around this is to buy an existing car and change everything except the gear knob and the VIN plate. Maybe I am over complicating things?
That's pretty backwards if they did...if you modify the chassis it will need re-registering and IVA test etc.If you take a Chimaera and remove the body, leave the chassis well alone and fit whatever sort of body you want (can be a giant penis if you like) you won't need an IVA test, and the car will retain the original I.D of the Chimaera.
If you buy new chassis from a supplier that ISN'T either the original supplier (or as near to it as possible) or is modified/different from the original design, then it's no longer a Chimaera/Griffith. It's a kit car, and would need to be registered as such, whatever body you bolt onto it.
Gassing Station | General TVR Stuff & Gossip | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff