I have just picked up my chummy (1500 Km away) it is late 1927 by the chassis number 51146 it is probably a Holden bodied car, no external door handles, steel body with swage line it's been fitted with a later coil engine sometime in it's life but otherwise it's a runner that needs some love.
There is a car number mounted on the NS door pillar as per the photo, I'm a bit suspicious as the numbers are engraved, shouldn't they be stamped? Does the CH mean it left the factory as a chassis or am I reading too much into this?
if you have a look down a downloaded Survivors Register, you can see which cars had these. Check for things like Mulliner, GE and exports which yes, went as chassis...
I'd be interested to know how the general format looks in line with the standard car numbers for the 51xxx. It would be interesting to research how these format car numbers were applied.
(09-01-2020, 10:36 AM)JonE Wrote: if you have a look down a downloaded Survivors Register, you can see which cars had these. Check for things like Mulliner, GE and exports which yes, went as chassis...
I'd be interested to know how the general format looks in line with the standard car numbers for the 51xxx. It would be interesting to research how these format car numbers were applied.
Where do I find the "Survivors Register" for download?
I am not that familiar with the style of the Australian numbering stamps used by Holden, but the Car number is the identification mark that would be recorded in the Austin ledgers, in this case a bare chassis, so I suspect that you are correct in your thinking. Perhaps one of our more learned Australian contributors can confirm.
I happened to look at an old print out of Mullliner cars on the Survivors database, and happened to notice that there were two CHA1 at the very top of the age related list... one chassis 49xxx and one 55xxx. No others...
So it may be something date related?
09-01-2020, 10:12 PM (This post was last modified: 09-01-2020, 10:22 PM by Tony Press.)
(09-01-2020, 11:20 AM)Mark McKibbin Wrote:
(09-01-2020, 10:36 AM)JonE Wrote: if you have a look down a downloaded Survivors Register, you can see which cars had these. Check for things like Mulliner, GE and exports which yes, went as chassis...
I'd be interested to know how the general format looks in line with the standard car numbers for the 51xxx. It would be interesting to research how these format car numbers were applied.
Where do I find the "Survivors Register" for download?
Mark,
Check our Club website for the link to the A7CA Archive page and all is revealed including copies of Handbooks and
Parts Lists.
The identification plate looks original- nice 'square ' corners (as opposed to rounded on the new reproductions) and held on with upholstery tacks rather than cross headed self tappers.
The letters and numbers could be stamped - possibly with a holder so nicely in line and the plate looks similar to the originals on my 1929 Standard Sports (Latrobe) and Saloon.
This plate would have come from Longbridge with the chassis.
Tony - if the plate did come with the chassis, it would have been blank. I came acrosss a few like plates (locally-hand-engraved) over the years, most suggesting the car was 1924 when in fact I recall all being 1927. (From memory Doug Veel's, Geoff Newman's Chummys were as such). It seems only Longbridge-issued complete cars had the plates with numbers stamped. Has only led to confusion amongst newer owners. Ian is correct that the number would be recorded for parts etc purchases, but at the local Oz Austin Dealer, not at Longbridge I'd suggest. Congrats Mark on your acquisition. It surprises me that the body had a swage if it was 1927, as most '27s I've seen by Holden were plain-sided. Something new learned every day. Are you coming to our Club's 70th anniversary celebration? Cheers, Bill in Oz
One of the things which seem to confuse many, particularly newer owners, is that a car number and a chassis number are not the same thing. For example Chummy car number; AD 4*** will not be chassis number 4***, the exception being mid to late 30's cars when Longbridge changed the numbering system bringing the two line. It stands to reason that the works would enter a number into the ledger for a chassis supplied bare with the prefix CHAI, if so then Mark may have the 4,729th bare chassis supplied, I wonder how many chassis had been exported by 1927?
