locate the identification plate

[cobdenp]

Hi,

I am not familiar with the series 2a land rovers and had a first close look a very rough 88” series 2a that is for sale locally. (The current owner claims that it was built in 1962 )

I tried top locate the identification plate, as described in other web pages, in front of the gear selectors on the fire wall. But the only identification plat that I could find was small 2” x 2” plate in the engine bay near the top of the fire wall.

The plate only had the following numbers:

Body Number LRS2XXX
Serial Number 88 2XXX

The last four digits of the body and serial numbers were the same. (I have not used the full number as the current owner may not appreciate me placing it on the Internet.)

Is this normal for Australian built Series 2a land rovers? Should there be another plate in front of the gear selectors?

Regards,

Phillip.:cool:

[UncleHo]

G'day Cobdenp :)

If the Vehicle was assembled in Australia by Leyland Aust. it would have a Pressed Metal Corporation (PMC) id plate ahead of the gear levers, but if it was an imported vehicle the ID plate could well be on the Engine side of the firewall,that would be the Vehicle No, the 88 identifies it as a SWB vehicle and the other numbers should be the same, which is the body number, the Chassis Number is on the Left hand rear spring hanger, at the rear, just above the spring shackleplate upper bolt, if it is a Series 2 it will start with 143xxxxx and if it is a 2A vehicle it will start with 243xxxxx and possibly have a letter at the end,(a,b,c) these numbers could be covered by paint/rust so take a wire brush with you, it should be on any current or old rego papers, and the vehicle should/would have a 4 cylinder motor,and not a Holden in it:)

Hope that is of some help;)

cheers

[cobdenp]

Hi UncleHo,

Thanks for the quick reply.

I unfortunately did not get the number of the chassis number, as I forgot :(.

I looked at the photo's that I took and the plate is missing. (I can see where the 4 rivets are for the plate)

The engine is a holden 6 and need a complete re-wire.

The only good point is that it is rust free, including the chassis, and has been in a shed for the last 12 years. A bad point is that someone has cut a big part out of the wall behind the seats to make it a "walk through" design and I don't know how hard this would be to fix/replace?

Regards,

Phillip.

[UncleHo]

G'day Cobdenp :)

If you are in Qld it might be worth looking at the Landies at Cappella in Qld thhat we are trying to save, look in the REMLR general Forum;) otherwise if the tub is just cut between the seats then a replacement tub would be in order to restore the vehicle strength, and with the Holden conversion, check that the gearbox is OK and that the price reflects the vehicle's faults (cheap)

cheers

[Lotz-A-Landies]

Hi,

I am not familiar with the series 2a land rovers and had a first close look a very rough 88” series 2a that is for sale locally. (The current owner claims that it was built in 1962 )

I tried top locate the identification plate, as described in other web pages, in front of the gear selectors on the fire wall. But the only identification plat that I could find was small 2” x 2” plate in the engine bay near the top of the fire wall.

The plate only had the following numbers:

Body Number LRS2XXX
Serial Number 88 2XXX

Regards,

Phillip.:cool:
Phillip

The small plate you mention with body number and serial number indicate that indeed it is an Australian built vehicle.

The problem is that the same plate which was affixed by Pressed Metal Corporation in Sydney - (the build contractor for the Rover Co and many other British vehicles including buses) was also used on Australian built Series 1 and Series 2 Land Rover vehicles. The LRS2... and 88 2... indicate that it was either a Series 2 or Series 2a, however only the chassis number will be able to determine the series and possibly the date.

With only 3 digits after the "LRS2", one would hesitate to suggest that the vehicle is actually a series 2 and earlier than 1962 stated by the current owner.

Diana

Addit: If you are in Sydney, Simon (Slunnie (http://www.aulro.com/afvb/members/slunnie.html)) on this forum is about to dispose of a SWB rear tub. It may be possible to get it at the correct price if you remove it for him.

[cobdenp]

Hi Diana,

Thanks for the additional information.

The land rover is a long distance from my home so it is not easy to get back and look at the chassis number.

By now I feel reluctant to go ahead with this land rover without all the identification plates and not being able to give it a road test or start the motor. It looks like more work than I have time/$ to invest.:o

I would prefer a LWB soft top, that is in fair condition and not have to do a major chassis up restore due to time and space limitations.

I am located in the ACT, so I am in a good position to check out the 60th. anniversary in Cooma next year.

I will have to be patient and wait for suitable unit to come along and keep on learning what to look out for.

Kind regards,

Phillip.

[p38arover]

My IIA ID plate is on the RHS side of the steering wheel on the "dash"

[JDNSW]

My IIA ID plate is on the RHS side of the steering wheel on the "dash"

I don't think it was there originally - was the bulkhead modified to fit the Holden engine? Or perhaps it has, or at one time had, carpeting on the bulkhead and it was moved to where it can be seen.

John

[Dinty]

G'day All, From 1968/9 the chassis ID plate and how 2 drive a L/r reduced tyre wear etc and PMC plate were moved to the dash to the rhs of the steering wheel, I have 2 ex mil machines and thats where they were located, no carpet jobs in them, I'm certain Uncle will add the suffix numbers etc, so Ron B yours are in the correct place for late model S2A cheers Dennis:wasntme:

[SAAFCAPTAIN]

I have just bought a running long wheel base 11a. I am pretty sure it is ex military (has a black out switch whatever that is?). Body number 24881, VIN 25334205G engine number 25349382K. Can anyone help narrow it down? Anyone know what specifications the army one had? Has bullbar and sort of reinforced rear bumper each side almost like an old Jeep. Has Jerry can holder. Any help would be great thank you. I intend to keep it 'Rat' with mechanicals sorted and run it on Historical plates.

[JDNSW]

The simplest quick way to confirm that a Series 2/2a is ex army is the raised suspension that was fitted to them. To do this, they had a second hole for the bolt at the front of each spring about 50mm above the standard hole (the standard height one is there as well), and the spring shackles are extended, with a bolt and spacer through them halfway between the two shackle bolts.

In addition, the flywheel housing crossmember has a cutaway to clear the front prop shaft, and the rear crossmember is different; it does not have the step down bit in the middle of the bottom that the civilian ones do. (But rear crossmembers are prone to rust, and may have been replaced with the wrong one)

There are quite a few other differences, including cutaway front mudguards, for example, but as they are all on bolt on bits, they are not definitive - it is hard to hide or fake the chassis differences, and I have not seen any where it has been tried.

There are quite a few ex-army 2as that look civilian at a first glance (including mine) and I know of several civilian ones dolled up to look ex-army. Some of these are just a coat of paint, others have gone to a lot of trouble, but the chassis will almost always give them away.