Greetings All.

Spent the last month (holiday's) getting the wifes Cooper (997) ready for the paint job.

Started to strip the engine bay, and have found "another" body number stamped?

I always thought it was body # 1995, but wondered why it was stamped between the ID plate holes.

I have now found it was again stamped a little lower where they are normally done, but #1998.

(I do not have the ID plate to confirm)

I've searched everywhere on the radiator cowl, but no number.

My question is:
Was the body stamper having a bad day? Would the lower number be more likely the correct one.

And, on the Ausmini Cooper register, is there a 1995 or 1998 elsewhere?

Thanks
Alex

The lower set of numbers look like they have been very gingerly stamped , its a strange one.

Hopefully one of the experts on here can answer you questions .

Good luck :
Bill

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Lower ones look original to me!? Top set look wrong..... That's going off what everyone said to me about mine...

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New from the UK and wanting a NICE little British car!

Are they the same stamp set/font. The top sets 9's look different.

The bottom stamping in the correct place looks correct.

If they are the same stamps set then perhaps the factory gave the car a temporary car no so they stamped where they knew the plate would go. But when the plate was eventually stamped it was a few numbers more.

It's an odd one. Be interesting to know the reason.

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

Only supposition but this is what I think.

At some stage the number 1998 was misrecorded on papers as 1995, some time later the plate was lost and the original stamping could not be seen for paint so the owner stamped the 1995 in an attempt to retain its identity. That is why it is between the plate mounting holes.

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1964 998cc Cooper
1971 Mini K x 2
1972 Clubman GT

That would explain the different font also.

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

top ones are not factory done, they would not be depressed so far, looks like someone had a go at making there mark on this body . i would get a dolly and flattern the top numbers out

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My 1967 Cooper S (now sold) also had its Car Number stamped between the ID plate mounting holes. No other numbers stamped below though.

I'll check my 997's they have been stamped twice

Could it just be the body number and the car number?
They did this a bit with CKD models, the ID plate hides the body number. (little wheel Mokes are a good example)

In that case shouldn't the numbers be 500'ish apart?

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

Not always. CKDs are sometimes a bit different.
The body numbers on the Cooper start off using the UK assigned numbers and later on they seem to adopt an Australian number.
Somewhere near car 2000 they made some changes to the numbers.

they would not use 2 styles of stamps,

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A good friend will come and bail you out of jail...but a true friend will be sitting next to you saying "Damn...that was fun!"

Why not? They do on every other car.
They were stamped by different people in different buildings on different days.