Chassis number location 1948 Mk IV

I’ve stripped down the body panels off my 1948 Mk IV 1 1/2 ltr, and about to get to work on the chassis with some 70 years of underseal and rubbish on it (it’s about 5 mm thick in places). Before I start with the tools I want to find the chassis number so that I can reveal it and not damage it. Can anyone tell me please exactly where this is on the 1 1/2 ( with a shorter front end than the bigger engine cars) and if this is a stamping into the metal, engaging, or an ID plate like the body number on the bulkhead. Any photo of its position would be very helpful. I’m told it should be on the near side (passenger side) of the front lower chassis arm for the Mk IV, but on what surface of the chassis bar and exactly were under all the black stuff I can’t tell.

Hi David,

If it’s like the larger cars it should be on outside side wall of the
near side chassis leg just above where the front jacking point attaches.

Peter

David wrote:

Yes , it was on the vertical plate on the side of the jacking point . This plate was welded on after it was stamped.

Thanks for your quick responses. I can’t spot anything, but just to clarify was it fitted to different sides depending if was right or left hand drive car? Mine is a U.K. car, so looking from the road towards the front windscreen of the car is the chassis plate on the right hand side? If it was a welded plate how thick is it - I don’t want to dig around through the black sealant with a screwdriver too much in case I accidentally damage it or scrape the numbering off it.

My front jacking points are square box sections of two small lengths welded on top of each other in a “step” before it is welded onto the downturn leg of the main body chassis. The right hand side bottom section looks rather clean and square, so just wondering if the is a replacement section if the original one was not safe to jack up.

Thanks.

Hi David,

Actually, what I said previously may be a little inaccurate. Here is a photo of the near side of a 2½ litre. The number is actually on the front spring attachment.

HTH

Peter

Thanks Peter for the photo. I still can’t find it on mine, but told by someone else that they thought the ID on the 1 1/2 litre was in a different place to the bigger engine cars (but didn’t know where to look). Also your ID looks to be stamped into the metalwork directly of the chassis and not on a welded plate as was suggested in the other post. Any other ideas would be greatly appreciated.

very late MKIV’s had the chassis number stamped into the chassis in a completely different location and the location is noted in the workshop manual!

It’s not unfortunately very specific in the workshop manual I have, which is a generic manual for all 3 engine sizes. My car was produced in December 1948, so anyone with a 1 1/2 litre of that era may be able to help pin point specifically where I need to look!!

I’ve found it at last !!! Similar position to Peter’s photo, but under many layers of underseal, which I carefully scrapped off to what looked like a pale grey undercoat or primer - still couldn’t see anything, but when I applied some paint stripper and then some thinners it revealed some very faint numbering. The paint had filled in the indents of the numbers so it was very difficult to find, but its the correct chassis number to all the documentation. I will leave this little section of chassis untreated when its restored (maybe with some clear lacquer over the top) so it can be seen in the future.

Thanks to those that helped me in my quest.

The jacking point was a square tube and had a vertical plate welded to the outside which went up the side of the chassis.and had the tubular cross member welded through.
The numbers were stamped on this . We know that they were stamped before assembly onto the chassis as an owner here has a chassis where the original stamping has been partly covered by the weld and the number has been re-stamped , in a different font , adjacent to it .From which i surmised that chassis numbers may actually have been stamped by Rubery Owen not Jaguar .

It is certainly easier to stamp the numbers when the particular section of steel is separate than when it is assembled as a chassis and doesn’t provide a rigid base to stamp against.
The chassis number is usually more easily seen if the chassis is sandblasted.

Thanks Ed. Useful information and pleased that I’ve now found the number ok.

Reviving an old thread: could someone post a photo showing where the VIN would be on a late 47/ early 48 1.5? Photo taken far enough away so as to show where the VIN could be found on an assembled car.

Tks for your time.

There isn’t a VIN plate in the modern sense. There should be a plate showing chassis number, engine number and body number. It should be where the red arrow is pointing.

The photo below is of a 2.5 litre but your plate will look the same apart from the script.
image

Peter

Tks, yes the brass plates are there but only the chassis number is stamped.
I went to register the car today and I have to take it to the State Police for a VIN verification before they will transfer the out of state title. The number on the plate matches the title, just looking to head off any issues.

On my '38 SS 2-1/2 Liter the chassis number is stamped on the rear trunnion of the right front leaf spring, and just above it on the side of the chassis.




Use the chassis number 413090 for the VIN.
Illinois accepts that so I would think all other states will as well.

I got out Allan Crouch’s book, and he says on page 170 that the chassis number on Mark IV is stamped on the vertical face of the near side dumb-iron.
Translating that into universal English, he means it is on the left hand side, referenced as sitting in the car, where the front end of the left front leaf spring is attached to the chassis frame.
Here with the yellow arrow.
chassis number location on Mark IV

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Thanks all for replies and pic’s

Found the VIN/Chassis number exactly where noted in last post photo, stamped on the frame above where the jacking point extension is welded on.

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