I have recently bought a bare shell and am trying to work out what year it is. There is no compliance plate just some numbers stamped onto the body. There is 31535 stamped onto the fire wall and no's on the radiator shroud but I can't make these ones out. I have some pics but can't work out how to post them here. I am also concerned about getting it registered with only these no's to go on. As stated it was a bare shell so I can't go off any parts etc. Much appreciated.
Ziff

mate it shouldnt be a drama.. none of ours have plates either and loads of minis have dodgy ones.. some dont have plates at all apparently there are a lot of posts on here about this subject try the search option it may help a lot as om sure others will..

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No longer Ms Westwoods mini outside her original kings road shop

If there is no plate with the engine number, etc, you could have trouble down the track.
My car is a 61 model, and has a four digit number on the firewall, nothing near the radiator, and a five digit number followed by the four digit body number on the plate.
Has the car got wind up windows? (If the doors are original)
Roundy, clubby?

Sorry, it's a round nose and all of the doors etc. were also stripped bare.

email sent.
Would be either an 850 or Mini Deluxe with that body number.
Is there a hole in the toeboard for an 850 magic wand shift, or a square hole in front of the handbrake?

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

Welcome Ziffster....the fact that the doors are missing may not be a problem because the "jambs" (for the want of a better word) are different for sliding window and wind-up.

The other thing to check is the front valance....early cars had no cut-outs on either side......

Single fuel tank?....means it aint a Cooper necessarily.....

my 850 has a two piece headlining...therefore you can see where the mounting screws have been above the B pillar....etc etc

850s had narrow brake shoes and single leaders....later had twin leading and a split system for safety etc etc

you gather all this sort of stuff together and then you start to build a picture of what you have ....couple that with the emails I sent and you just may be able to ID the car...Good Luck

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"Show me the Mini!"

I'm going to take a wild guess that it is an 850, perhaps mid-late 1963. Don't think its a Deluxe as I don't think the numbers went that far, but then it could be a K. If it doesn't have channels in the floorpan and it has no remote hole for the gear shift, then its an 850. If it has channels in the floorpan and no wand-change hole then its a Deluxe/K. Radiator shroud numbers on early Minis don't tend to make any sense compared to the body number - may be within 500 or so.

There are lots of giveaways - I think the holes in the rain gutters were different on 850s???? Or was that only Pommy 850s I can't remember. As Mick said - the door jams have a different size striker plate and the door buffers are the opposite way round on an 850. That is, unless the doors were converted....

English and heritage bodies tend to have a slot drain in gutter rather than the two holes...

yeah Anto...location of gearshift is a dead giveaway.......and those pesky channels mate...

BTW when do we get a progress report on the rebuild

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"Show me the Mini!"

Guys, the early Mini Deluxe and S had no floor channels either, until ~1966-67. They just had a little metal guard at front and back, to protect the pipes.
How do I know this? We've got one..
<edit> re Deluxe production- way more than 31,500 would have been built. I'll check the number on our `66 one tomorrow...

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

Yep...I think we need to see photos of Zifs Mini before we are too much older...

Zif send it to me if you have trouble postin a fot

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"Show me the Mini!"

Have a look in here ... http://www.ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=86794 It tells you all you need to know about getting your picture up on the forums.

Cheers Dat

I have just been in to have another look over the body and took some more pics. I also discovered there is no hole for the wand type gear shift and never has been. I think I've worked out how to post pics now (thanks very much) so here goes.

Front showing grill shape

Door jams

Front floor

Fire wall number

Radiator shroud number unfortunately a bit worn

in that case, I'd say mid-late '65 deluxe, I have a very early deluxe (wiper motor says 11/64, and I believe it's the original) and the number on the firewall is 24300

<edit>

yours is a MK1 shell, in that it does not have recessed wiper arm holes, and does not have the cutaways on the front scuttle panel

and it's a very nice looking shell too

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did I tell you that I won a trophy?

I can't see the scuttle panel that well, but a `65 should have the cutaways, didn't they come in with the 1st Deluxe? Twin LS brakes..

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

i think that may be a late k shell bye the door jamb but of course i may well be wrong
makka

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