Series 2 Dreaded numbers game

Hello All,

1st time poster, medium time lurker - very recently acquired a series 2A 88" Diesel - a reasonable project but hopefully lots of little jobs instead of one big one! Step one... working out what I've actually got... and immediately I need some help! Probably the first post of many I suspect.

The car has got a 1969 registration number on it, and the V5 agrees with that. So far I've struggled to find numbers on either axle, which I think is due to the amount of paint and stuff on them. The chassis is currently missing its markings which is due, I think, to the extensive repairs (including new rear half) that have been done recently - I will have another look to see if I can uncover any numbers on what's left over.

The gearbox from what I can see, only has an 'E' stamped just below where I'd expect the number to be. Without removing a few more bits I can't get good access but the number is not clear. Amusingly it does have a sticker that says the guarantee is not valid when used with Perkins' engines, so it's definitely had a rebuild or similar at some point! The E may reference 1969? But why no number?

The engine we have more luck on - 10J01576C.
- My googling suggests that this is a 2286cc Diesel (which it is): can anyone tell me the difference between this and an engine with 271/276 markings, which is what is listed as a series 2A diesel here?
http://www.glencoyne.co.uk/engno.htm

- Is the 'C' an indicator of the revision - from more googling this might suggest it's from Nov 1962?

- One other thing I've noticed is that the air intake inlet faces the opposite way to what I'd expect - see attached picture 2 (note that the ridiculous garden hose fuel lines were immediately removed!).

VIN plate - this is where it gets a bit confusing - the plate number is 24135411F.
- This dates it as 1969 which is when it was registered, but I think that chassis number is for a petrol engined vehicle?

So do I have a 1969 registered car which has later had an earlier diesel engine fitted? Or is the explanation more innocent?

Is there an equivalent of a 'heritage society' for Land Rovers, similar to Jaguars etc. that might be able to provide any history from a vehicle registration?

Anyone's thoughts would be very welcome!

cheers,

B

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5P-sLOA7le_Z0Z6QVhXTEZPaTQ/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5P-sLOA7le_ek5iWlJ5cGh3ZFU/view?usp=sharing

More thoughts - the front springs are correct for a diesel, so either someone observant changed those at the same time, or the VIN is correct for the period but not from this vehicle - or the VIN isn't engine specific....?

10j is probably 5 bearing metric not the 3 bearing imperial original.

Gaydon supply manufacturing records given a vin. If it's military then that has an accessible history as well.
If it was petrol then it just means someone put a later diesel in. Do you have all the old mots?

Don't think stuff like axles and wheels were dated except on series ones.

According to Calvin

241 Model: Land Rover, Series IIA
Body type: Basic or Station wagon
Wheel base: 88in
Engine: petrol
Model years: 1962-1971
Destination: Home market, right-hand drive (RHD)
35411 Serial number
F Design: Five significant design modifications
Suffix used from March 1969 till April 1969

Thanks for the quick replys - that Calvin website was where I started; very useful.

Good idea to go straight to Gaydon - my only worry is that the VIN isn't actually from that vehicle, but I guess I'll cover that when I get to it.

If the 10J is a metric/5 bearing engine, I guess that means the C suffix doesn't allow me to age it and so it could have been later rather than earlier?

I've also just found a badge from the Southern Rover Owners Club on it, so have dropped them a line with the reg to see if a previous owner is still around who might be able to shed more light.

I like this detective work almost as much as getting it running again!

Most Landies after a good few years end up as a bit of a mix and match. With so many things interchangeable different owners ideas or depth of pocket to do it right. A look on Glencoyne's web page may yield more engine info. A 5 bearing diesel is desirable. The only thing I always worry about is later series threes wearing earlier numbers to get free tax. Is the bulkhead correct for a series two ?

I'm fairly happy it's a 2a bulkhead and chassis - see attached some pictures which may or may not prove me wrong! It's also got a mesh grill, deep sills, non-flush door hinges...

I'm heading towards thinking it's a '69 with a later diesel fitted - it must have been one of the last with the lights in the middle; or... it's had a lot of chopping and changing (as you say divie - very possible!).

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B5P-sLOA7le_TU9SbGQ0RGI0VFE
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B5P-sLOA7le_aDJnSkN0blZ1ZWM
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B5P-sLOA7le_cFRrSm54M0lOeDA

Biggest give away is the screen hinges and dashboard
....
flat on 2/2a/and all metal dash
box type on series 3/plastic dash
door hinges/grills/front panels and wings are all easily changed over the life of a vehicle.

There are chassis differences between s2/s3 that can narrow it down if you're a full blown rivet counter lol.

If it was military history the old adage would Rivets in driving formation be apt. At RAF Lossiemouth the Shackleton on guard duty had less flying hours than the 40,000 flying rivets in formation as they took parts from.

Recently found this information in a magazine and thought this may be of interest to others:

Four cylinder engines built from 1970 can be fairly accurately dated by reference to the date cast into the side of the block between a couple of core plugs on the manifold side of the block. On some lower engines it can apparently be lower down.

• The first one or two numbers are the date in the month it was built (1 to 31)
• The next digit will be a letter (A = Jan, B = Feb etc) The letter I is not used.
• The last digit is the year, on a 10 year cycle (so 'I' could be 1971, 1981 or 1991.

The date apparently gives you the date the block was cast - the actual build date is normally a couple of weeks later.

on 200Tdi engines the are also date codes elsewhere; cylinder heads are dated and these have a four digit week/year code. Therefore 48/92 would be week 48 of 1992. Turbo chargers may also bear the same style dating.

Apparently in Series 1 days most things were date stamped from wheels to wiper motors.

I don't know about Rover but at British Leyland Longbridge where they made the mini, it was common to leave engine block castings stacked up outside for several months before being machined and built. I was told this was to stress relieve the casting or somat like that.

Col

Just posting back here to highly recommend the DVLA V888 form. For £5 (and a carefully worded letter) they'll give you all the information they have on the vehicle, in terms of ownership and changes. I've managed to piece together the full history of my landy, which given it came with nothing but a V5 to me is very surprising!

It turns out the diesel engine was fitted to my car in 1994 and I might even have a chance of working out why depending on whether people have moved or not!

Just found the original (petrol) engine number buried in a photocopy of the original log book! That info isn't even in the heritage certificate!

#25340886 for anyone interested...

Colthebrummie said:

I don't know about Rover but at British Leyland Longbridge where they made the mini, it was common to leave engine block castings stacked up outside for several months before being machined and built. I was told this was to stress relieve the casting or somat like that.

Col

Click to expand...

it was to relieve the stress from casting

And another rumour was that the used to bury the Rolls royce Merlin blocks for a couple of months to do the same de stressing before they became Spitfire engines!!