15-01-2020, 09:41 AM
Yes, I agree with Ian and Tony ... basically! Each major component was given an individual number: engine, chassis and body. On final assembly in the Longbridge factory the completed car was then given a further number, the Car Number, which in modern parlance is the car's VIN number. This is the official identity of the completed car, and this is the number recorded in the factory ledgers, and is the one that would have been used in any communications with the factory. As Ian says, these ran in alpha-numeric sequence, A4, A5, A6 etc. Unfortunately the UK registration document had the words 'Chassis Number' printed to record the identity, so most registering authority did just that, and recorded the chassis number rather than the (VIN) car number, so over the years we now identify a car by its chassis number rather than, correctly, by its car number.
However, I think Steve's numbers would indicate that Tony is mistaken, and Australian cars did carry a body number on the scuttle/floorpan assembly. The D/AD body sequence commenced with A2-7074, chassis 17074. This means that Steve's car has a chassis number approximately 70,000 numbers on. If we assume approximately 60% of these were chummys, the remained being alloy saloons, fabric saloons and coachbuilt chassis, that would make Steve's car around the 42,000th chummy, so the 49101 stamping is in all probability the Longbridge-stamped body number (in other words by early 1929 chummy production had been nearer 70% of total production). That would still indicate that the 1624 number is an Australian stamping, presumably by whichever builder, Holden, Propert etc, indicating the number built by that company.
This would also suggest that, if scuttle/floorpan components were stamped with the (AD) body number, then the Startin vans which were supplied from Longbridge in similar form would also be stamped in the same sequence, and therefor should be identified by an AD number rather than a VD number.
However, I think Steve's numbers would indicate that Tony is mistaken, and Australian cars did carry a body number on the scuttle/floorpan assembly. The D/AD body sequence commenced with A2-7074, chassis 17074. This means that Steve's car has a chassis number approximately 70,000 numbers on. If we assume approximately 60% of these were chummys, the remained being alloy saloons, fabric saloons and coachbuilt chassis, that would make Steve's car around the 42,000th chummy, so the 49101 stamping is in all probability the Longbridge-stamped body number (in other words by early 1929 chummy production had been nearer 70% of total production). That would still indicate that the 1624 number is an Australian stamping, presumably by whichever builder, Holden, Propert etc, indicating the number built by that company.
This would also suggest that, if scuttle/floorpan components were stamped with the (AD) body number, then the Startin vans which were supplied from Longbridge in similar form would also be stamped in the same sequence, and therefor should be identified by an AD number rather than a VD number.