Morris Minor Owners Club

Can somebody please indicate where exactly the chassis number should be stamped on the bulkhead on a 1970 two-door saloon?



I've spent over an hour unsuccessfully searching for it, even sanding the paint down to bare metal in likely-looking spots. As far as I can tell the bulkhead has never been welded or beaten about and the paint is the original.

The main reason I started looking for it is that the V5C arrived yesterday, and the chassis number on it is one character different to that on the maker's plate. The number on the V5C does, however, match that on the MOT certificate. The maker's plate number looks like "M/A2S5 D xxxxxxx M" whereas the V5C and MOT have it as "MA2SEDxxxxxxxM."

The engine number and capacity are also wrong on the V5C. The number is probably wrong because the engine has been changed fairly recently, but I've no idea why the capacity is listed as 998 CC. Edit: I later noticed they've also got the model listed as "1100" - which was a completely different car.

there's a pic of it somewhere on here, from Roger Rust - I'll have a look for it
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bigginger wrote:there's a pic of it somewhere on here, from Roger Rust - I'll have a look for it

I've seen that one - his is an earlier car without the heater air intake hose. The number definitely isn't in that flat space between the bonnet release and the throttle cable.

Some more from Welung666
http://www.morrisminoroc.co.uk/index.ph ... ght=number

Thanks. I'll try looking in the other places suggested, because it's not in the place where Roger's and Willie's photos show it. It'll be annoying if it's only stamped inside the cab because the floor has been painted over at least once and is rotten in places.

Hmm... According to http://potteries.mmoc.org.uk/Identify.htm the maker's plate number makes sense but the V5C doesn't (the 5 = 1098cc engine).

I suspect the V5 is wrong. The difference between the two is the 5 on the Chassis plate is an E on the V5. The 5 refers to it being a Series 5. My 69 traveller is MAW5 D XXXXXXX M. The M is for Minor, A is for Austin engine, W for Traveller (2 on yours indicates 2 dr), D means de-lux model (ie it has a heater). The M suffix means it was built in Cowley.

I agree it seems to be the V5 that's wrong Neil, but the Potteries page says it's M for Morris, A for A-series engine, 2S for two-door saloon, 5 for 1098cc, D for Deluxe (two ash trays to catch your shins on!), and M for Cowley (why not C?).

I'm guessing both the chassis number mistake and the engine capacity mistake were made when the DVLA's records were first computerised and the previous owners never bothered to get it corrected.

Another 45 minutes wasted searching for this number. It's not under the top lip on the driver's side of the bulkhead. I don't think it's in the driver's footwell between the wheel arch and the accelerator pedal. I couldn't find it on top of the transmission tunnel between the handbrake bracket and the gearbox cover.

Is it possible the factory sometimes forgot to stamp the number on?

I stand corrected on the M and the 2S-haven't got any of my Minor books handy. If it's any consolation I've never found the number stamped into the bulkhead on my car, only the one in the floor. That's only the number not the full code anyway. And why F for Adderley Park?

ndevans wrote:I stand corrected on the M and the 2S-haven't got any of my Minor books handy. If it's any consolation I've never found the number stamped into the bulkhead on my car, only the one in the floor. That's only the number not the full code anyway. And why F for Adderley Park?

Where in the floor did you find it?

From memory it was to the right of the brake cylinder cover plate, about 6" from the sill box section and a bit below the level of the brake cylinder plug. Can't check it until tomorrow.

Found it! And it matches! Hurrah!

It wasn't visible under the black paint that a previous owner had applied to the floor, but the paint was loose and easily scraped back to bare metal. I found it in the middle of the raised bit to the right and behind the master cylinder.



It is only the digits part of the number, but I think that's all I'll need if the DVLA or the MOT tester asks to inspect it.

ah i have a number there as well, so at least i know its original

Nice to know my memory isn't failing me yet

plate should be M/A2S5 for a 1098cc 2 door saloon, as long as the numbers are ok the starting prefix shouldnt matter that much as long as its not a convertible.