Engine change and modification

John Reyman · January 17, 2021

hi guys

looking for some legal advice...

I wonder are there any legal issues on registration when replacing with a different engine since it is my first build i need help.

i dont know whether this build is possible. but i just have an idea to build my own ride rather than bought from another one.

i may need each and every information about the build pls bear me.

i want to build a Tata ace2 with 2 Cylinders. I have a engine Nissan b211 1200cc petrol 4 cylinder car body is disabled have two CR books

i'm aware that there are so many contradictions between these two engines. and i hope that with you guys i can definitely finish my build.

Pls advice me...

iRage · January 20, 2021

Hi !

Well if it was just a simple engine swap....there is some light at the end of the tunnel. (See below).

To be honet I cannot figure out what you are trying to do. Are you trying to put the Ace2 engine in to the B211 or the B211 engine in to the Ace2 ?

If the car you are planning to build is your own thing (no prior brand or model but made out of parts from multiple cars, , parts fabricated and built from scratch, etc..)......then the situation is bad. You will need to do compliance certiication tests. Sadly, in Sri Lanka all these tests are required, there is no proper framework/definition of what these requirements are. So it is a long battle between inspections, tests, changes, more inspections, more tests. This is why in SL the car industry simply has not strived. (a normal car like a Corolla is able to be registered because at the time of manufacture the manufacturer issues a certificate of conformance, which might be for Japan, region, another country, which is acceptable in Sri Lanka and is understood by default. You pretty much have to do the same thing).

Now...if you are planning to build your own car out of an abandoned car with registration plates and book...well...it depends on how the abandonment was handled...if the car has not been running for ages and not had its revenue license renewed periodically, then getting that activated will involve paying fines, back taxes, etc....and the build goes as a restoration of an old car. But a few years ago the RMV announced that they will be deleting registrations of cars that have not had its license renewed for X years. If that is the case, then there will be additional challenges.

If you are trying to build your own car using a car that has nothing ..no book and corresponding plates..absolutely nothing..then sadly you will not be able to register it even after restoring it to factory spec as Sri Lanka does not have a formal re-registation process thus the reason why people swap books, etc....(this includes cars RMV might have deleted registration of for not renewing the revenue license for X years)

Now...a plain engine swap...

You need to go get approval from the RMV prior to making the swap. It will involve you filling out some forms (if applicable even getting a pre-inspection) along with if available details on the specs and purchase/source of the new engine (not to mention the other stuff you need to have in hand like the CR, Rev License, NIC, etc..). So if you are pulling the engine out of the B211, you will need to take the documents of the B211 and then show proof that the B211 is legit and abandoned.

If and whe you get approval, then you can do the engine swap, restore everything else, then go back to the RMV with your approval letter and other documents like the spec and purchase info of the engine, etc...to file for a CR update (of the Tata Ace2..again assuming that the car with the new engine still has a valid registration) then take the car for an inspection. Once everything is accetable to RMV standards (which is a hit or miss by itself) then they update the CR and you will be a happy camper cruising around in your own self-built ride..

A lot of people go to get the book updated after the change of engine but then there is some extra hassle.

There are regulations as to what you can engine you can drop in as well. There used to be a limit on how many CCs you can increase by (at one point it was up to 500cc..so if the original engine was 1500cc the largest engine you can drop was 2000cc), then there was a regulation saying that any car can only have engine choices which the manufacturer had offered, these requirements keep on changing. This is just another reason why it would be smarter to get a pre-approval. Then there are other conditions on things like age, petrol to diesel swaps, etc...

If i were you...I would get a car that has a clear book and plates that needs a lot of restoration and restore that. Much simpler in terms of registration, etc...