Is it possible to legally swap engines in India

Let's say, I want to swap a W211 E280 petrol with a 6.2L M156 V8 from a W211 E63, is it possible to do this legally?

BHPian holyshash recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

Recently I was surfing through Youtube when I came across a video where they were swapping a W204 C250 with a C63 V8. This made me wonder if it was legal to swap engines in India. I looked up for the answer to my question, but I could not find a proper answer to it. Thus I opened up TeamBHP and tried finding a thread related to it but all I found was an old thread from 2008 which again, did not have a proper answer.

All I found was:

• You can swap an engine if it's from the same manufacturer or it has the same amount of power.
• You can swap engines if you can get the right permissions from your state RTO, which seemed to be the right answer but upon looking deeper, many disagreed with this and said that one can't swap the engine without transferring the chassis number.
• A petrol-to-petrol swap is allowed but not a petrol to diesel or a diesel to petrol.

I don't have any other place to confirm whether this information is true or not. If there are any members who work at the RTO or are aware of this topic please give me an insight if it's possible or not to swap engines legally.

Let's say I want to swap a W211 E280 petrol with a 6.2L M156 V8 from a W211 E63, is it possible to do this legally?

If I want my car insured, I must know if it's legal to do so. Driving an illegal car is not worth the risk in my opinion.

Here's what GTO replied:

Nope, there is no 100% legal way to do it. Those who do engine swaps follow the "rather than ask for permission, it's better to apologize if caught" philosophy. The best way to get a new engine is to rebuild your current engine. Second choice, get the same engine (preferred from the dealer / OEM). Anything else is illegal. And frankly, from the authority's point of view, it is impossible for them to classify just any & every engine swap as being roadworthy or not.

Here's what BHPian DicKy replied:

Only legal way is maybe for your engine to be damaged and the same spec engine changed from the dealer.

You can try to be legal by illegally etching/drafting the old engine number/chassis number into the new one, but that would work only if the engine layout is the same. Like putting a 1.5/1.6l four-cylinder engine in a car that had 1.2/1.4l engine. A casual glance wouldn't make out the engine difference, especially if the rest of the car is stock.

But a V8 in a car that had an inline-4 in the first place. Any self-respecting MVD official can find that out. Nope. Possible in India, but never legal in India.

Here's what BHPian RGK replied:

Generally, these are the modifications allowed in India as ruled by SC (in 2019).

• One can change the colour of the vehicle as the SC has said that changing the color of the vehicle depending on the customer’s will not deter a vehicle from getting registered.
• Minor fitments like door protectors, decals, rain guard can be added.
• One can change the tyres in affordable cars as the manufacturers usually offer different spec tyres for base and top variants.
• The engine can be changed, but it requires prior permission from the RTO. If the protocols are not followed, the vehicle’s registration can be cancelled.

In the 1980s, many Ambassador cars underwent modifications to switch their petrol engines to Matador F205 diesel engines (the removed petrol engine was sold for just Rs 850/- if it had an alternator). Notably, some people even purchased new Ambassadors specifically to convert them to diesel. The engine modifications could be officially endorsed by contacting the relevant RTO. However, this practice was later halted due to safety and other concerns.

Prior to the discontinuation, a well-known specialist in Coimbatore, Mr. Kumaresan, had completed over 250 engine conversions, utilizing imported Isuzu D engines and updating the vehicles in the process.

When enquired now with an agent recently, these details have to be furnished.

Details of the replacing engine (is it taken from a scrap vehicle, then disclose its RC with owner details, Chassis no., Eng no. etc., NOC etc., to avoid a stolen spare)

He concluded it is better to get the same engine from OEM with the original invoice and warranty and avoid the modifications. He emphasized to visit the RTO to get things confirmed and hinted at the money factor (hope u understand).

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.