Harridi.. I do NOT know either of them.. thanks. PHD

Went from Eugene Bald to Allen Goble in 81, then to Steve Lashley in 82. He had it til 99 when the PO purchased it. Engine died in 2003 and it sat in a garage til I bought it. Now it's sitting in my garage.

Harridi.. who was the original owner of this mini?/ if you do Not mind me asking..  good chance someone here will know him from back in the day.. too bad the late great Art Mckenzie is still Not around.as he knew everyone with a Classic mini. great story when he hit and KILLED a palmetto tree at MME  2002..in Charleston SC on golf course out back of the Event..  PHD

Try sending a copy of your message with the link/copy of the page from 3503 to the address below. These Guys are very knowledgeable in the field of Minis.... old Minis especially. You may have to sign up to access the site.

Obviously they can't help with your rego problem but should be able to clear up/contribute to the body number/floor tag issue.

If you ask about the FE number someone might provide a build date (more of a range rather than exact day obviously :)

Cheers, Ian

After reviewing the documentation I have, the earliest info I do have is a bill of sale from one dude in GA to another dude in GA. Before that, who knows where it came from. 

 

That longshot attempt would be great, but as far as the VIN lookup, most of those sites won't let you input something that isnt 11 or 17 characters... Mine is a total of 7 ??

EDIT: looks like some do actually accept shorter VINs, we will see if this works for 10$
EDIT 2: well that was completely worthless. Basically only told me about my title transfer. no other data.

Harridi.. might be long shot.. but have tried looking up the original paperwork in Georgia DMV archives.. they should have it on file.. let me look up the form.. should only cost about $15.. and maybe the old UK green logbook is on file.. with them.. PHD..  ps.. ok try. www.dor.georgia.gov/vin-check 

I pretty much immediately sent a reply with that exact information, and a screenshot of the exact page and the front cover it came from as a reference, but it was ignored or overlooked.

I'd be interested to know if the 'L' starting and placement on the left hand side floor signified that this was originally build as a LHD car.

That is bad news .... but pretty much accords with my understanding.

Was your correspondence with Heritage via Email? IME they’re pretty friendly, so I would send them a screen shot of the “3503” manual page and ask what they know about that. My 63’s body number starts with A (could be AO (not sure where the actual Cert is at present) but is only in the low 5 digits so not sure all sedans shared the same number sequence. The FE number is a couple of hundred thou later then yours.

The 65 Traveller Body No starts with CM so not all Body Nos obey that rule (maybe A for sedans??). The FE number is around double yours.

Austins and Morriss (Morrisi??) were built by the same company in different cities so do they use the same accounting/ number series etc??? There were some differences but really only matters of trim and paint ...and badges. Boots and bonnets (where the badge holes are) are identical and easily changed through circumstances over time.

Get them to correct the FE number error then worry about the rest.

Cheers, Ian

Got a response from the heritage email stating: 
"I do not know what that number is, but it isn't a mark I Mini body number. The body number will start 'A0', it will be stamped into a plate which is spot welded to the bonnet locking platform."

Based on the image below, that is not completely true. That is a location it can be, but not the only location. In the example pic, it literally has an 'L' at the beginning.

 

Also, sorry for the late response, I am not getting notified of responses for this topic for some reason (or I completely missed it)



Page from the Parts List I got the info from


Anyway, I am solidly in the 'screw it' column, but don't know which route I want to go with badging, since it's titled as an Austin, but has the holes for a Morris... I did learn the Morris Cooper holes were the same spacing as the Original Morris badge.

EDIT: attempted to fix the imbedded image link

1963.. hate to say this.. but the BMHT cert is NOT going to help you with this vin problem here in the USA.. .. only helps with CBP with importing it..  PHD

So harridi, have you had any luck with the Heritage Cert yet?

I think that’s the key to your battle with officialdom is “Manufacturer” documentation...

Are you sure the floor plate starts with an “L”? Usually it will be an F and I can’t make out what’s you have from the photos.

Its always interesting to have another data point in the identity puzzle.

Cheers, Ian

Harridi..  this sounds  like one of Bobby Pack old minis.. the king of missing deposits..from North Atlanta fame..    sure was NOT 25 years and older if import and registered in Ga in 1981.. lacked 5 years..  PHD.

1963SV3.. dido that.. and the PHAT lady behind the counter is always the worse and lowest on the ladder. PHD>

Well aware, Bill, that States control vehicle registrations ...just like in Oz.

Also well aware that most State (and Federal) officials are rational human beings willing to discuss the application of their rules and regs.... although things tend to be more difficult the lower you go on the food chain.

Cheers, Ian

1963... this all depends on which US State that harridi is trying to get this 1962 mini registered in..   like having 50 different countries here.. unlike OZ.. PHD

Wow, my apologies...not seen that before...

Noting that “3503” is the first version of the manual your car may be older than you think. My car is a 63 and has a very similar plate to the one in your photo.. but it also has the original Body Number plate which differs from the floor plate.

The good news is that you are now building a documentation trail. You have an OEM document that shows that the plate you have IS a “body” number. Early cars were well recorded so Heritage should be able to provide a copy of the factory records for your car based on this number. The Certificate will (probably) show the chassis number, body number, exact date of manufacture, colour, trim colour and maybe other info such as when and to which dealer it was originally shipped (or maybe exported to the US)...maybe even the original registration number. At the time your car was built, there were no such things as “VIN”s.

Armed with a certified copy of the manufacturer’s records and the actual body number, stamped where the manufacturer says it should be, you should be in a pretty good position to negotiate with officialdom..

Cheers, Ian

It was in GA from 81 til 97, then FL since. Just bought it and transferred the title in my name already. Biggest issue I have is if they are using the FE number, it is without the F in the FE for some reason.

Based on receipts I have, it was more than likely in a rear end collision in the 80s and the boot lid and glass were replaced. The latch states 73. It is most definitely a MK1.

 

This info is why I asked the question. Just wondering what sort of issues people have run into in this situation, and if I were to badge the car, I could go with the Morris badge (which would fit the current holes) or an Austin badge which would match the title.

Also, currently the car is without an engine and has not been registered, so I figure I would learn what might need to be done now if I were to attempt to correct it.

Getting a state vin number  . here it is MVR 31. and title bond MVR 92H.. is way to go.. and will NOT come back to bite  you.  PHD..

So 'purchased' means I have the GA title signed over to me; I have the old GA registration and a bill of sale signed to me by the guy in the old  registration; I have a bill of sale on a napkin signed by Herschel Walker.  I know FL was funky about the form of the Bill of sale I presented on a car I imported without a V5C (UK registration form).  They required a new bill of sale that had the car's color and included my name and signature along with the seller's and also a bond. (never burn your bridges with the seller until all the title work is done...) 
Having run the traps on a title problem in FL and ending up with a bonded title, my question is why do this to yourself?   Sound like you are going to be unable to 'prove' what the real number is. I can tell you FL DMV wasn't particularly impressed with by my Heritage certificate. (neither was I).  So what badging if any is on the car?  Has it always been a US car?  IF not, was there the equivalent of the 25 year rule when it came here and they were gaming the system by making it a year older?   What is the trunk latch date (less likely to have been replaced than wiper)?   https://www.flhsmv.gov/motor-vehicles-tags-titles/motor-vehicle-procedure-manual/  If you decide to go after it I would spend quality time with this procedure manual and have your ducks in a row. See especially TL-71 and TL-70.  On my 4th trip to DMV and one visit from DMV to the house I finally had everything complete and in the right order......  Unless you have a good reason I would just roll if I could with the current GA title and numbers in FL and not try to 'fix' anything at this point. Let sleeping bull dawgs lie. Somewhere down the road if you come up with more/better info and it bothers you then you can chase it.  
 Kim- '63 (not really) Morris 850

Idaho used the FE number on my pick-up as the VIN.