I have a chassis number from the data plate under air cleaner in my 68 series 1.5 2+2 and a body number found on a tag under the rest licence plate. The numbers are not the same My question is aren’t the bday and the chassis the same in an e type? Apparently not but what is the difference? Apologies if this is a dumb question.
Hi Phillip
Yes they are different the body number as I understand it was allocated on the assembly line and was used to track parts belonging to that car eg interior etc
The chassis number is the number allocated for the completed car and is the primary number in the heritage / factory records
That’s also my understanding.
The Heritage certificate uses the term “Chassis number”, as do many other sources , even though it’s labeled, “Car No.” on the data plate.
That number is used to identify the finished car almost everywhere. That’s the number the factory used to track (most of the time) Series 1 versus Series 2, etc, and within each Series, to track production changes to parts. etc. That’s the number you use to lookup cars on xkedata.com.
That is the number stamped on the picture frame.
The body number is not used much. Ideally, the number on your data plate is the same as the number on the tag below the boot opening. And some people are lucky enough to find that number scribbled in crayon, on various internal locations which, as Danny said, was used along the assembly line.
Hope this helps. I don’t get to help much yet… 
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Yes, thank you both for good info
Before long, Ed, you’ll just be one of the grizzled, old Jag Lovers veterans!