engine numbers...

[tintoptom]

Afternoon gents

I'm wondering what to do with an engine that has no engine number tag (due to decking work to the block I think). It may or may not be the original engine for the car... so, would you have an engine number tag made up to match the number on the V5c, leave it without the tag, try and use an number from another engine that's the same spec but dead or can you make up a new number (that's random and not similar to any type of existing BMC engine number)?

Not sure what's right / legal - would you be off the mark leaving the engine without a number tag?

Anyone got any experience with this?

Cheers
Tom

[mk1]

Just get a tag made up displaying the original / correct number or make one up. The DVLA don't worry too much about engine numbers.

[tintoptom]

cheers Mark!

[sparetimetoys]

I don't know if I would use the number off the heritage cert. some folks could try to pawn it off as a numbers matching car, if I was buying a car and found out the engine wasn't actually the engine number it has on it I would start questioning a bunch of things. It would get real messy real fast.

[Pete]

I don't know if I would use the number off the heritage cert. some folks could try to pawn it off as a numbers matching car, if I was buying a car and found out the engine wasn't actually the engine number it has on it I would start questioning a bunch of things. It would get real messy real fast.

What exactly is a 'number matching' car though ? I read that term in sales ads all the time, chassis and engine numbers are for the most part easily removable and having original ID plates is no guarantee they're even screwed to the original car (even body numbers and FE numbers are transplanted to donors sometimes). More's the point I wouldn't think it too common to buy a 50 year old well used car and expect it to have it's original engine in it, let alone it's original engine number still in place.

Seen some very original cars with provenance where the chassis plate was lost (hacked off with the rad shroud) and original engine number plates missing over the years.

As mark says, if you want the original number back on Tom just get one made up (logbook copy will be required normally).

[foxy52]

I don't know if I would use the number off the heritage cert. some folks could try to pawn it off as a numbers matching car, if I was buying a car and found out the engine wasn't actually the engine number it has on it I would start questioning a bunch of things. It would get real messy real fast.

What exactly is a 'number matching' car though ? I read that term in sales ads all the time, chassis and engine numbers are for the most part easily removable and having original ID plates is no guarantee they're even screwed to the original car (even body numbers and FE numbers are transplanted to donors sometimes). More's the point I wouldn't think it too common to buy a 50 year old well used car and expect it to have it's original engine in it, let alone it's original engine number still in place.

Seen some very original cars with provenance where the chassis plate was lost (hacked off with the rad shroud) and original engine number plates missing over the years.

As mark says, if you want the original number back on Tom just get one made up (logbook copy will be required normally).

...Quite agree Pete.. the only Matching numbers cars are those that haven't been tampered with over 40-50 years and there are not to many !00% original cars for the myriad of reasons gone into over the years of posts I have seen... I have the orig engine and commission numbers in place on my car.. that's original to all records known.. I have info fr the DVLA that dates back to 76 with the 2cd owner....but !!! the inner nearside wing and flitch panel were totally replaced years ago minus the orig metal with the FE number !!! pity !!...my engine is not the original.. well most of it isn't because of all the parts I have had replaced...most of the body is tho as is the glass,dials etc etc .and the Dunlops D1,s are from 69...that's as original as most owners would be happy with on a car built 46 years ago lol... foxy52

[sparetimetoys]

You both sort of make my point about not putting the original number on a replacement engine based on age and upkeep. By putting on a tag that does not belong to the installed engine it takes the uniqueness out of having the true block for the car. Ill use my car for example. Early 1960 it has a replacement engine from mid 1960. All the date codes are mid 1960 on the engine. Down the road I go to sell it and it has an engine number that matched the cert but the buyer looks at the date codes and they are 6 months after the cert says it was built. What is the buyer going to think of 1, me Representing it as the original car and 2, don't you think they will question validity of the rest of the car? I would walk away from such a car. In my opinion I would rather build a period correct engine and explaine it is a replacement from the same year and have no worries about the wrong tag being discovered down the road and coming back on me.

[AustinSuperSeven]

I'm in a similar position with an engine.
I'm going to get the original engine number stamped but I'm putting an asterisk or the letter R at the end. I can then inform the new owner of the replacment engine but try and keep a little originality with the number!
Talking of originality...... I was working on an S and had to replace a section of the front floor pan. I was asked to take the floor number off the old rusty floor and put it back exactly the same position on the new floor.

[IAIN]

Talking of originality...... I was working on an S and had to replace a section of the front floor pan. I was asked to take the floor number off the old rusty floor and put it back exactly the same position on the new floor.

If you are restoring something thats the way it should be done. Back to the way it was.

[tintoptom]

I'm in a similar position with an engine.
I'm going to get the original engine number stamped but I'm putting an asterisk or the letter R at the end. I can then inform the new owner of the replacment engine but try and keep a little originality with the number!

That's a good shout George!

I reckon I'll either leave it off entirely (and eventually the next owner can do what they like) or do as you describe to avoid any possibility of it being 'passed off' as 100% original.

[IAIN]

Thats similar to what I did with the body number plate. The original front panel plate was missing so I made one up, to make it look correct and used part of my phone number.
At least I would be able to identify the shell if I had to.

[AustinSuperSeven]

Thats similar to what I did with the body number plate. The original front panel plate was missing so I made one up, to make it lookcorrect and used part of my phone number.
At least I would be able to identify the shell if I had to.

....... I love that idea!
I'm lucky enough to have been trained the old school way...... to take out the old and fabricate a section in....... even using gas welding ...... no disrespect to anyone, but I've seen people put in complete floors just because there is a bit of tin rot at the front floor pan..... when people replace 90% of panels with new it becomes a Triggers broom situation
I'm still smiling about the telephone body number plate!