While renewing my registration, Shanons were a bit slow with the green slip because the car number was a bit "odd" in their words.
When the blue slip was done 2 years ago, the body number (the one on the radiator cowl) was used in place of the build plate number as the build plate number came up as a trailer in SA.
I have NSW full rego, CTP and comprehensive insurance, so everything is OK.

What experience have others had.

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Find a job you love and you will never have to go to work !

I haven't really gone into other types of minis as I try and keep to the Cooper S. Here are just a few mistakes I have noticed. They have used the Body build numbers and not the car number.

YKG2S2 1707 was registered with chassis 1205
YKG2S2 1770 was registered with chassis 1267
YKG2S2 4471 was registered with chassis 3982

Very common in NSW. The reason I was told was because the "Bible" that they were using stated that all minis have the chassis number on the radiator shroud.

When doing rego checks on cars I have also noticed some registered with numbers like M206xxxx or 26xxxx or M2xxxx or 06xxxx or M0xxxx or YG2S4 or YKG252.

When I re registered mine into NSW they were still able to use the 4 digit car number even though it did match a trailer and another old car.

From my experience their official record or "Bible" as you call it, does have the correct info that early cars have the correct number on the firewall. I know because I insisted they double check. For some reason (lazy or don't bother checking properly?) they sometimes get it wrong.

Clearly the mistake of using the wrong number was a problem back in the day too because BMC started to hide the body number in the later cars (behind ID plate/behind rubber seal/behind paint sticker Etc) so it wasn't used in error.

At the end of the day I guess it's not a big deal. RTA simply want to use only numbers that are physically stamped into the steel shell to ID the car and connect it to the rego papers.




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68 Morris Cooper S Mk1 (*ex 78 1275 LS 4th last built, 70 Morris 1500 OHC & 70 MiniMatic)

No they don't...but say nothing/keep schtum Phil 850...it is registered to the satisfaction of the lovely registry people...

It is an absolute joke the way they are so hamstrung by the inadequacies of their computer program and database "rules"...half the time its not about accurately recording your data, its all about recording something that uniquely identifies your POS so that they can accurately, and repeatably access their information

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"Show me the Mini!"

The system they use is an absolute nightmare, full of nutty rules that some of them contradict each other. I think that it's grown from a relatively simple system to something that's got totally out of wack. The individual states have their own rules yet the vehicles can be used Australia wide. I have a motorcycle that is not registerable in NSW but because it was registered previously in SA and I have proof of that, it can be. I also have two identical bikes, one can be registered one cant. The system needs nationalising ( if theres such a word) each state has same rules, costs etc so vehicles are registered in Australia..... each state gets the revinue from each transaction so they can waste it...oops I mean spend it in their own state. Anyway, I've had my rant so I'll shut up now and go and play in the shed.

Save your breath young Peter...we are in a prime position (population size wise) for an affordable rationalise and nationalise of a heap of data and processes...but as long as we have narrow minded, egotistical pollies and public "servants" it will never happen...look at the mighty USofA...I rest my case

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"Show me the Mini!"

A while back... all they wanted was a number "permanently" attached to the body. Both my cars are English built so the chassis number are on plates screwed to the body. BAAARRP, FAIL. But they do have a body number on a plate spot welded to the shell... PASS. In fact there are several.. so they asked me which one I wanted to use.

Since the original registration, all they want to do at renewal time is to check that the number on the paper matches a number attached to the body.

Back when the NSW RTA "computerised" I had a huge issue in that my red Cooper S became overnight a "brown Clubman".... Luckily I kept the old rego papers but it still took ages to sort out... As you have all no doubt experienced ..the computer is never wrong..

Cheers, Ian

When I moved to QLD I did the right thing and changed my licence over. A few months later when looking at my licence I noticed they spelt my last name wrong, an obvious typo, so I notified them. The nice lady on the phone said she had fixed it. "Just use it and your new one will right when you get it". 15 years later and numerous attempts later, it's still wrong, so is the power bill and phone bill because they use your licence as reference.

Computer says Nooo !!!

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1965 Morris 850
1966 Morris Mini Minor
1967 Morris Cooper 'S'
1977 Leyland LS

national systems would be great, as long as they don't base anything on what NSW does...

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did I tell you that I won a trophy?

Up until a few years ago, all States and Territories maintained their own stand-alone registration databases. As they had all pretty much been set up independently they all had their own business rules around what was recorded, as well as processes and procedures for dealing with 'anomalies'.

South Australia for example only used to record engine numbers, not chassis numbers, until the mid '70's. They also used to archive at the end of each year onto microfiche, which was expensive so they only archived vehicle records where details changed - such as ownership, an address or the engine number, or a first registration. So, if you didn't do anything but re-register your car during that year, it didn't appear on the microfiche.

Obviously this history is not accessible from the terminal in the rego office, if at all, and similarly when changing to a new electronic database system as they might do every 10-20 years or so, a limit must be put on how much historic data if any is pulled forward. It all costs money... so if a car is tucked away in your garage for 25 years waiting to get restored, it is going to disappear. They don't know it is in your garage unregistered. As far as they know it is now maybe on its third cycle as a baked bean tin.

The rules that are applied for vehicle identification in more recent years, apart from not considering what rules applied the past or what older cars had to mark them, are made under modern requirements. Vehicle theft, rebirthing, insurance fraud, etc are far bigger issues than they were years ago, with a lot more money attached. And amongst all that sits the liability for the government agency that provides a printed record indicating ownership of a particular vehicle that has legal access to the road network.

Also, about 10 years ago a national system called NEVDIS was set up. The National Exchange of Vehicle and Driver Information System. It is to link all of the different states rego databases to help prevent fraud, etc.
But, apart from all the issues related to data formatting and the like, it highlights where two vehicles have the same identification numbers. Sorting out all these little things will take a very long time, and only really affects us people that like to play with old cars - a minority compared to all the late model stuff that have 17 digit ISO VINs.

Bottom line (if you made it this far through this post!) is... it is just something that we have to deal with when restoring or playing with old cars in Australia.

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Don't listen to what I am saying... just understand what I mean.

Glen GTO green is right about the "NSW Bible" at the RTA, I have owned YKG2S2 1707 for 28 years & it has always been registered with body number "M206 1205".
In 1990 I recall taking the car to the Cammeray DMR Registry for inspection to get the registration details corrected, but the inspecting officer walked out with his "Bible" which stated that the car number on all Minis' was stamped on the radiator cowl. I didn't argue, & the car is still, as observed, registered as number M206 1205. One doesn't disagree with officialdom...

And the they reckon the 1275 is 1273cc too

they're right, it is....

bore 2.78" (70.61mm), stroke 3.2" (81.33mm) = 1273.11cc



(edited to fix the bore typo - 2.27 should have been 2.78, the calcs are right though)

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did I tell you that I won a trophy?

"....his "Bible" which stated that the car number on all Minis' was stamped on the radiator cowl...."

Except when it isn't.... And yes, I've had several (successful:) discussions with NSW officialdom. One where I had a copy of the latest change to their manual - and they didn't... and another where I had to invite a registered inspector to meet me at the local police station to discuss my refusal to pay for his Pink Slip rejecting my car (old Toyota). According to his "official" manual, the wheelbase was incorrect (the fact that his manual did not include my model didn't seem to matter to him.) At least it didn't cost me..

Cheers, Ian