Chassis number identification

[alex_holden]

I've just bought a Traveller, and it didn't come with the relevant paperwork (it's been garaged for 15 years and the former owner died recently). This is what it says on the chassis plate on the driver's side of the engine bay:

M/AW5 D 1030618

I've worked out that the first part means Morris; A series engine; Traveller; 1098cc; Deluxe, but is 1030618 the chassis number, and if so, can anybody tell me from it what year the car was made? I wasn't able to find anything stamped on the bulkhead next to the the choke cable.

Thanks.

[Kevin]

I wasn't able to find anything stamped on the bulkhead next to the the choke cable.

Its often difficult to see under the paint and is usually nearer the underside of the regulator that the choke cable, you may need to make sure its clean and look very closely at an angle may be better than straight on.

[HarryMango]

This is what it says on the chassis plate :

M/AW5 D 1030618

I've worked out that the first part means Morris; A series engine; Traveller; 1098cc; Deluxe, but is 1030618 the chassis number, and if so, can anybody tell me from it what year the car was made?

Date of your Traveller is mid 1963.

Rog

[alex_holden]

Date of your Traveller is mid 1963.

Great, thanks Rog

[bigginger]

Roger, what book do you use for these dates? Does it have LCVs, and if so, how about (1)233679?

[HarryMango]

Hi Andrew

Both Ray Newell's "Original Morris Minor" & Paul Skilleter's "Morris Minor - The World's Supreme Small Car" have listings of chassis nos in relation to production change dates.

The first LCV of 1968 was 235635 & plain hub caps were introduced on LCV 233568 which is quoted as late 1967.

Rog

[bigginger]

Thanks. I've got the Skilleter, but it's not a precise tool. I'll look out for the Newell Late '67 then - the glass codes are looking right

[alex_holden]

We brought the Traveller home tonight on a dolly borrowed from a friend who's into classic Merc's. That proved to be a bit of an adventure in itself, particularly getting it back off the dolly without the aid of a winch or a running engine (I tried hand-cranking it in reverse but I think the clutch was slipping because it wouldn't move).

Having got it back and into the garage, I managed to locate the numbers stamped into the bulkhead with the aid of a wire brush and a strong light. A previous owner had scraped off the paint to see the numbers better, causing a patch of surface rust that completely hid them. They do match the numbers on the plate.

This is the second moggy I've owned. I was forced to sell the first one (a 1967 saloon) after it failed its MOT with serious under-body rot and I couldn't afford to pay a garage to weld it. I intend to fix the new one up, MOT it, and then use it as my everyday car for commuting to work.