Morris Minor Owners Club

Hi all, I'm new to classic cars. I've been to see a minor which has no engine number tag. The seller appears honest & genuine and all other paperwork is in order. He suggested it may be a re-conditioned engine.

Would you walk away from a car with no engine number tag, or is it common in old minors? Any advice gratefully received.

Perfectly common.They get removed when the block is skimmed, so yeah, probably a rebuild

Thanks bg

The clue would be that the two rivets which originally fitted the engine number strip have been sheared off FLUSH, i.e. there are not two holes where they were. This would reinforce the theory that the block has been faced off prior to a rebore.

Thanks Willie. I could see the two flush rivets, and the surface was shiny (after a quick wipe with a rag).

You can get them made up from a company called minimail.
They have to be reverse stamped. I had a hell of a job to put it on . I tried to drill the block but it was almost impossible so in the end I cut the rivet heads off and then araldited the plate to the block and then the same with the rivet heads.
Here is their website.
http://www.minimail.co.uk/products.jsp?q=engine
Steve

The studs holding the engine number are not rivets, they are just studs with slightly twisted grooves in them. They are easily removed if you use a very thin blade (an old wood chisel is ideal) to tap under the head to start them off.

Well I'm not a techie type person so I did my best and I think it looks quite good.