Owners Handbooks?

[peasantslife]

Just having a general rummage in the garage this morning and I unearth an Austin Owners Handbook in very nice condition. Well I dont need it as my car is a Morris Cooper S, So what age car does it relate to?
I've had a quick look at the Handbooks Manuals and Supplements page.
Its Publication number is AKD 3887, great, Mark has 3886G in HM&S, which is of the same 'style' and I'm told that is Sept 1966.
I scan through mine and I see it features Austin Mini Saloon on the pictorial page - not a Se7en.
Mine doesnt reference Automatic trans at all...
My book has metal sliding window catches (its clear 3886G has plastic)
Both illustrate a single skin boot lid...
I've not poured through every page and to be fair I'm not sufficiently knowledgeable to be able to pick up on every production break point.
So to the Nuffield Press details they read ' 29/73 (52259) 7/63 - 64,675'
So my questions to the assembled oricle are:-
Can we date the timespan for this to be the current handbook, and who can decipher the full Nuffield press details, Please?

Seems to me there is a complete Masters study opportunity for someone to tabulate all the Nuffield Press docs and publications just for Mk1 Mini's!

[surfblue63]

I think the 7/63 refers to July 1963.

Also the first title page may have the year at the bottom on the Copyright line.

[peasantslife]

Thank you Surfblue.

Yes I'd deduced that was possibly a date but wondered why the one in the archive and mine both have 29/73 in the same position in the Nuffield Press line. Also I've noted postulation that these are not Month/Year but Week/Year. Is there clarity?

I had also noted the Copyright line in the archive handbook. Of course mine is 'Published by' The Austin Motor Co. Ltd, then there is no BMC Exports or copyright line....

['S'-type]

I have a PDF file saved which lists the various handbooks published by Austin and Morris in the 1960s.
Stupidly I have no idea what the source of the file is.
But AKD 3887G is listed as :
Published by Austin
Date: 4/67
Model : Mini
I.e. not Seven, not Mini Cooper and not MK2

Seems about right from your description. Sorry I can be of no help on the Nuffield 'enigma' codes.

[peasantslife]

Good morning S-Type,
Hmm, It is the Morris 3886 which is suffixed G, mine is a straight 3887 no suffix.
But 3887G which you advise at April 67 is way past the change to window latches to plastic, and years after automatic intro.(perhaps that edn. does carry those changes?)
Do I therefore presume the alpha marker is an upsuffix of the document? ie mine being un-suffixed is the first version?
Going to Parnell -
He shows pictures of the handbooks (with boot kits) and comments that the jack changed in Jan '63. So is that the introduction of this two tone cover page? A couple of pages on he says intro of the plastic window catches occured in May 63. And by definition 2 years prior to automatic introduction.
So, any dissenters to say this is not a first half of '63 handbook? I'd love proof positive, rather than by default - regardless of where that takes us!

[surfblue63]

The original 3886 and 3887 hand books were Morris and Austin respectively. The suffix was added when the handbook was updated. As the number on your book has no suffix then it is an early edition of that publication.

[peasantslife]

Thank you again Surfblue, I'm sure you are correct. I've had a trawl of our favourite auction site to see what I could find..

The mono cover handbooks Austin AKD1173 was at suffix G in 9/62 (Nuffield coding which we accept as meaning Sept 1962). I see Morris got to H, but no validation as to exactly when on AKD1174.

Then moving on to two tone:-
I have no validations of exact dates on unsuffixed books
There is currently a 3887 (Austin) A - which we see is July 63 (Nuffield line date 7/63)
Also a 3886 (Morris) also an A described as 63.
I found two Morris 3886 B with clear evidence of being 64 and 65 on the Copyright line.
No C's found.
Four examples of Austin 3887D Copyright '65
two each of Austin and Morris E all Copyright '65
One Morris F Copyright '66
Two Austin G copyright '66, and one Morris G with a Nuffield 9/66.
One Morris H copyright '66.
There are plenty more but without any way of confirming various date claims - short of asking vendor to provide evidence. And of course I have no idea what each upsuffix actually changed.
Think I'm content - and have learned a bit more. Tickles me some are chasing the 'correct' date code on their wiper motor/boot latch but have potential to loose 5 concours points for having the wrong handbook and dont know!

[Time Bandit]

I have the following dates on MK1 handbooks

Austin AKD1173H, dated 3/63

Austin AKD3887F, dated 4/66

Morris AKD3886H, dated 4/67 (supplied with a Sept '67 built car)