Morris Minor Owners Club

I have a minor and I would like to try to identify it's age.
It has no plates and because it has been extensively rebuilt,it has no chassis number.The only numbers it has is a BME plate,whatever this is ,with the number BME 347157 ,which is on the passengers side bulkhead and there is two other sets of numbers each of six digits each.Would I be able to age date it by these numbers by any chance ? The DVLA said that if I could find it's age,they could then issue me with an age related plate.

Do you have any photos of it? We might be able to work it out by some of the details, ie. windows, lights etc...

I have not taken any photos yet.It has a spoked steering wheel and it is a pull start.It has the small round glass stop lights with seperate indicators.I think it could be about 1961-63.

Does it have the round heater with a variable speed knob on the front? 1098cc engine? I take it from your mention of separate indicators that it doesn't have flashing brake lights?

It has a 1098 engine,and it has the variable speed round heater.
It also has the chrome ash tray.

I think the separate indicators (unless they were a later modification) puts it slightly later than my mid-1963 Traveller, but the round heater means it can't be much later. My uninformed guess would be late 1963...

Look on the bulkhead level with but just to the right of the bonnet release rod where you should find the basic chassis number minus the prefix letters. This will enable us to rough date the car. There may be manylayers of paint but the number IS there.

Willie wrote:the number IS there.

Not always - on one of my cars I sanded the original paint in that area back to bare metal and found not the slightest trace of a stamp.

There's always one! Look anyway. If it isn't there then it has probably been deliberately ground away.

Willie is right it’s the only way to identify it. You cannot get an exact year buy the fixtures as it just depended what was hanging around the stores, as to what got put in the parts bins for the cars.. 1963 was a nightmare year as I have seen cars with allsorts of different age related parts especially the indicators, back lights and wipers.

Willie wrote:There's always one! Look anyway. If it isn't there then it has probably been deliberately ground away.

So my car is the exception that proves the rule? There's no evidence of the bulkhead having been ground and repainted in that area, and the number stamped into the driver's floor matches the maker's plate and the V5C.

It could be on the drivers side floor in your case

stevey wrote:It could be on the drivers side floor in your case

Isn't that what I said? It would seem they sometimes stamped it there instead of on the bulkhead. It was ndevans who first suggested this to me as his car is the same.

Sidney'61 wrote:Do you have any photos of it? We might be able to work it out by some of the details, ie. windows, lights etc...

My car has clap hands wipers as well !

Garym wrote:My car has clap hands wipers as well !

Ah, OK, maybe its not a '63 model then, those wipers would date it before october '61, i think.

Sidney'61 wrote:

Garym wrote:My car has clap hands wipers as well !

Ah, OK, maybe its not a '63 model then, those wipers would date it before october '61, i think.

My mid-1963 Trav' also has clap-hand wipers.

up 1964 had clap wipers, sorry about the stamp repeat, had a bad day really, but the nationals nearly here so good!!! Really hard to tell dates without seeing it. Any chance of a few snaps?

yes it seems to be a transition model best bet is to send some details to the British Motor Industry HEritage Trust or send someone the chassis no. if you find it! Alex my van was shot blasted to bare metal and neither I could find the chassis no on the bulkhead, the floor has had some repairs done to it so might have been lost there and its from 1970 I think just like your car

I have found the chassis number next to bonnet pull. It is 860504.I have done a bit of research on the web,and I think it is a 1960 model.It falls into the bracket ,because chassis numbers 790007 to 886160 were built in 1960.How do I manage to convince the DVLA to issue me with an age related plate , can I do this myself or do I need to go through an owners club official to do this ?

Is there a charge for this ?

If you're a member, you can contact Rob Thomasson for advice. Contact details in Minor Matters.