body number tag

[marc]

Hi everybody,
a question from a friend of mine: where is the tag with the body number located on a serie 3 OTS?
thanks a lot for your help, i have no idea...

[Bob.]

The body number is on a stamped aluminium tag hidden underneath the stainless steel trim beneath the rear bumper and more durably it is stamped into the bodywork under the heater box although it is not that easy to see with the heater in situ. This is where it is with the heater removed.

[MarekH]

Dear Marc,

The body number is on two silkscreen printed aluminium tags pop rivetted to the body. One is roughly behind where the rear licence plate is and its pop rivets should be visible on the vertical surface from inside the back of the boot. The other is at the bottom of the left hand winscreen pillar under the hockey stick.

These numbers are repeated as stampings on the rectangular chassis plate on the engine bulkhead together with the car number, engine and gearbox numbers.

The car number (more commonly called the chassis number or VIN) is stamped into the left hand side bulkhead under the heater box.

Some of these numbers are occasionally seen written on bits of trim on much earlier cars but this didn't seem to be common practice by the 1970s.

kind regards
Marek

[AussieEtype]

The body number is on two silkscreen printed aluminium tags pop rivetted to the body. One is roughly behind where the rear licence plate is and its pop rivets should be visible on the vertical surface from inside the back of the boot. The other is at the bottom of the left hand winscreen pillar under the hockey stick.

I have had my car for 35 years and it has never had those tags - I appreciate that they supposedly were fitted but in my ownership my car has never had them.

Did all series 3s have them or were they introduced some stage during the production run - my car is very early being the 11th RHD OTS.

Garry

[Bob.]

My apologies regarding the number under the heater box, Marek is quite right that it is the car number not the body number. Also stamped there is ES3V12, so presumably the rare 6 pot S3s would have been stamped ES3S6. It would be interesting to know.

[angelw]

Garry Wrote: Did all series 3s have them or were they introduced some stage during the production run - my car is very early being the 11th RHD OTS.

Hello Garry,
It's my understanding that they all had:
1. Body Number tag pop riveted to the Rear Beaver Panel.
2. Car Number (VIN) riveted to the lower section of the Left Front Windscreen pillar.
3. Car Number (VIN) stamped into angled section of firewall below the heater box.
4. Car, Body, Engine, and Gearbox numbers stamped into a plate which is riveted to the firewall.

This has been the case of every S3 I've seen and I get to see many. I have eight S3 E Types currently at work, ranging form very early to very late examples and all either have the various plates in place, or when missing, evidence of their previous existence.

If the plates are missing from your car, you should find the holes where they were riveted. Particularly the holes for the Body Number in the Rear Beaver Panel, it seems their placement depended on how the fellow drilling the holes was feeling. I've seen them at some very strange angles.

The Car Number plate riveted to the Windscreen Pillar is printed, but the Body Number plate has the numbers stamped. I've never seen a printed Body Number plate.

Following are pictures of the Body Number (Regency Red Colour) and Windscreen Pillar Car Number plates. The picture of the Body Number is on a totally unmolested car showing paint runs and all as it was when it left the factory.





Regards,

Bill

[AussieEtype]

Hello Garry,
It's my understanding that they all had:
1. Body Number tag pop riveted to the Rear Beaver Panel.
2. Car Number (VIN) riveted to the lower section of the Left Front Windscreen pillar.
3. Car Number (VIN) stamped into angled section of firewall below the heater box.
4. Car, Body, Engine, and Gearbox numbers stamped into a plate which is riveted to the firewall.

Hi Bill on the basis of your post I thought I would go an do battle with the redbacks and go an have a look - I know I have never had the rear beaver plate or the windscreen plate so I decided to have a look for evidence. I have always had the stamped number into the firewall and the nomenclature plate pop rivetted to the firewall.

Yes I do have two tell tale holes in the rear beaver panel.


I also found two small holes a couple of inches apart about half way up the windscreen pillar - never notices these before.


So the evidence is there that these were fitted but they certainly have not been there since late 1982 so must have fallen off very early in the life of the car due to the aluminium rivets corroding away.

Cheers

Garry

[E600]

It is my understanding that the vin plate fitted to the LH windscreen pillar was only for export models. I have never seen a UK car with this plate.

Regards
Pat

[John_Mann]

It is my understanding that the vin plate fitted to the LH windscreen pillar was only for export models. I have never seen a UK car with this plate.

Regards
Pat

I suspect that was only on LHD models, as it is not on mine, which was originally delivered into Sth. Africa, not on any AUstralian delivered cars and I have not noticed it on any UK originating cars here in Australia either.
Cheers;