Identfication numbers

[John_Progess]

My TR 3 project car has three tags with numbers on them. The vin number is 69859 L, a brass tag has EB 68585 and another brass tag has 1073383. The vin number I understand but can someone explain what they mean and are they proper for the same car. Thanks and have a good day!

John

 

[Andrew Mace]

Hopefully your "VIN" (commission number) includes a "TS" prefix! The "1073383" number is a "body in white" number, assigned to a bare body shell, and the "EB..." number is a number then assigned to the body once fully painted and trimmed. With these cars, bodies were painted and trimmed and then trucked to the assembly plant where they were united with a complete chassis.

 

[martx-5]

The "EB" number as well as the engine number, TS XXXXX E, should be a few hundred numbers from the "TS" commission number. The "body in white" number that Andy refers to has changed form over the production run of TR2s and TR3s. I think that's from the change in where the bodies were made.

 

[Geo Hahn]

...The "1073383" number is a "body in white" number, assigned to a bare body shell, and the "EB..." number is a number then assigned to the body once fully painted and trimmed...

I am reluctant to disagree with the very knowledge Andy -- but I thought it was the opposite.

My understanding was that the EB tag was attached (by Mulliners or whomever) prior to painting and thus is typically body color; and the tag that is all numbers (usually beginning with a 9 or 10 and ending with something in the ballpark of the commission number) was attached to a finished body and thus left in natural brass.

In any case, you are fortunate to have all the original tags -- locating that brass tag right behind the battery often results in fatal corrosion from battery acid/fumes.

In case you don't know -- the engine number is stamped on the block just to the right of the coil. It is typically a higher number than the commission number (due to engines sold outright) and although it (and the other numbers) should be somewhat close, strange things sometimes happened. The definitive source for what left the factory would be the build record for your car - a Heritage Certificate.

 

[Andrew Mace]

I am reluctant to disagree with the very knowledge Andy -- but I thought it was the opposite.

My understanding was that the EB tag was attached (by Mulliners or whomever) prior to painting and thus is typically body color; and the tag that is all numbers (usually beginning with a 9 or 10 and ending with something in the ballpark of the commission number) was attached to a finished body and thus left in natural brass...

You are probably correct about that. And no need to fear disagreeing with me, as I do it all the time! As I age, I discover I'm not quite as perfect as I thought. :glee:

 

[John_Progess]

The engine number is TS 69944 E which is 85 numbers higher than the vin. The EB tag is 1274 numbers less than the vin so does that mean that 1274 cars went down the assembly line after mine was paintedand trimmed? Do these numbers seem to be in about the right sesquence? Thanks and have a good day!

 

[Geo Hahn]

Those numbers sound original and correct. So far as I know, things were not done in strict FIFO order so the variance among the numbers itself varied quite a bit.

A build certificate for your car can be ordered here.