14-01-2020, 08:26 PM
I think the 49101 stamping is a complete red herring! It is neither in the usual position on the propshaft tunnel, nor is the orientation usual for an Austin factory stamp. Steve's other numbers, A9-309 and 87642 are consistent for a 1929 car, and the over-stamping of 1624 is presumably the Australian body /assembly identity. Could the 49101 in fact be 10167, or better still 70167? Even then I would not expect a body stamping so close to the seat mounts.
As for AD body numbers, I have never come across a Seven of the late 1920s with any body number stamping - those that I have seen with any stamping at all have either had a chassis number or a car number, but never a body number. No doubt others have seen a body number, in which case I will have learned something new! As for 'AD' vans, forget it! First of all I believe there is only one genuine 'AD' survivor: that is the Marsh Butchers' van; every other 'genuine' van that I have investigated has turned out to be a modern (usually a Heath) body. But in any case, none of the C-cab vans were manufactured at Longbridge (99% were built by Thomas Startin) and so would not have gone down the production line at the point when the body was stamped.
As for AD body numbers, I have never come across a Seven of the late 1920s with any body number stamping - those that I have seen with any stamping at all have either had a chassis number or a car number, but never a body number. No doubt others have seen a body number, in which case I will have learned something new! As for 'AD' vans, forget it! First of all I believe there is only one genuine 'AD' survivor: that is the Marsh Butchers' van; every other 'genuine' van that I have investigated has turned out to be a modern (usually a Heath) body. But in any case, none of the C-cab vans were manufactured at Longbridge (99% were built by Thomas Startin) and so would not have gone down the production line at the point when the body was stamped.