I have purchased a 1968 Etype that has come out of long time storage. The car came from an estate with no title just bill of sale. After I got the car home and went through all the box’s i have found the data plate is lost as well. I’m guessing the data plate was thrown in a card box during the tear down to repaint. I’ve tried to get the number from the chassis cross member but seems as if it’s a replacement as there is no trace of the number.
Is there a way I can get the chassis number from my engine gearbox and body number?? I’d love to get a title and a heritage certificate for the car. Appreciate any help .
There ought to be a stamped number on top of the picture frame.
With proof of ownership and a pleading you might be able to get that info from JHT with the body, gearbox and motor number. If you are extremely lucky you might find it on xkedata.com if not you can probably get very close searching for nearby body numbers. At least you’ll have an idea of what you have.
pauls
The picture frame looks to be a factory replacement or aftermarket as there is no trace of any number. I have tried with the UK jaguar heritage and have got no where. I have legal possession of the vehicle and many photos of the numbers car etc. I have it narrowed down with the help of XKEdata but it is not listed on there. Thanks for the suggestions
The Car Number on post-1967 US-Specification cars was also displayed on the left side of the windscreen on a small aluminium plate that could be seen from outside the car. These also go missing sometimes, and are usually not present on non-US cars, but one begins to wonder if the number is missing from all 3 possible locations…
Unfortunately JHT isn’t what it used to be as the old guard have left the building. However they are the only hope and in some cases have still been helpful when JHT records and actual car numbers didn’t match they would bend a little to help. I wish I knew some magic words to use with them but no. I would try a phone call.
pauls
The '68 Series 1.5s would also have the body number on a tag behind the rear license plate like the earlier 4.2 cars. If Dan can get the engine, body, and transmission numbers to JDHT they may provide a heritage certificate provided all three numbers belonged to the same car. Missing data plate along with no picture frame stamping seems a little sketchy IMO.
Doug,
From what Dan says, he’s tried submitting all the numbers, including the body number (mentioned in original post), to JHT and “got no where”. It’s hard to blame JHT in my view, as it’s possible that someone else has one or more of the 3 means of identifying the car (Commission Plate, Picture Frame stamping, Windscreen plate) and may have built and registered a legal vehicle with them. Based on an email I received from JHT, they would probably supply the missing engine number, gearbox number, and body number to this “someone else” which would even permit them to (fraudulently) build a “matching numbers” vehicle.
Thank you all for your suggestions. I would have thought it was sketchy as well but the car is very original with body chalk numbers etc. so I highly doubt it was built from parts. it looks to have been hit and hit early in its life so my guess the plate was pulled off during the body work.
When I reached out to JHT I offered to provide photos of the car , all the other numbers stampings and bill of sale. I was told there is nothing they can do without the Chassis number.
Try contacting Fred Hammond, the JLRNA archivist in Mahwah, NJ to see if he can help. His contact info is:
201-818-8144
Archive1@jaguarlandrover.com
I do not think I have ever seen a plate like this on a 1968. I bought my car from the original family and best I can tell it has never been apart in a major way but I have not been able to find any evidence of a missing plate in this location on my car. Much of the interior is still the original as best I can tell. I have seen a plate like this on the pure Series 2’s though. Were they really on all the USA '68’s ? My car was built Feb 19 1968, distributor was Jaguar Cars New York, “first owner” was British Motor Cars of Santa Cruz CA. It also shows no “J” number plate like I have seen on some other cars that originally sold in California but I do not know when J numbers might have stopped being done on the CA cars.
I wonder if you made a trip to the UK if they would let you look at the book to help decipher the chassis number ? Sometimes with these big companies letting you look at info on their premises can be done as long as they are not actually sending out what might be construed as proprietary info. Just a thought since the times I have been to Jaguar Heritage in the UK they have been very accommodating.
David
68 E-type FHC
David,
Unfortunately, neither have I. Like you, I thought this was something that started with the 69 Model Year Series 2s. The text I quoted with respect to post-1967 cars having this tag was from Haddock and Mueller’s Originality Guide, and implied to me that they had seen Series 1.5s with the tag. Having just searched through detailed photos of 6 S1.5s sold on BaT, none of which appear to have the tag, I have to think that Haddock & Mueller may have got it wrong, unless there is some other explanation. This would not be the first such error I’ve found in this book, unfortunately. I guess I set my expectations too high…
The Jxx tags have been seen as late as J70 according to this thread, with specific cars being listed for J69 and J70.
Unfortunately once the car has been registered/titled with the CA prefix it will stay with the car unless someone goes to a bunch of trouble trying to explain it to the DMV to get it removed. Good luck. Someone here had that trouble importing a ex CA car to the UK and it was understandably causing fits as Jaguar records don’t have the prefix and the title does, they could be different cars as far as the authorities are concerned. This isn’t the only VIN incident, XJS cars imported to the USA changed the VIN to I assume comply with the ISO VIN standard. XJS cars have a factory VIN stamped on the cowl behind the engine but stickers all over the place with the USA accepted VIN a few characters different. Don’t think that causes an export problem though because the title would match the stickers, just confusing to have a VIN stamped into the metal that doesn’t match the stickers.
Regarding the window VIN tag, I believe that started with the '69 model year as a mandate for USA. In Dr. Haddoc’s defense when that book was written there was still confusion about '68 cars. Much has been sorted out by JCNA now which is one reason they gave the S1.25 a name just to stop confusion. Also '68 cars in the rest of the world did not require our mandates so there are legitimate '68 cars that are more like our '67 cars. From observation I don’t believe the rest of the world ever got the rocker switches until the S2 cars.
pauls
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The book I’m referring to was jointly authored by Dr Haddock and Dr Mueller was first published in 2017, so that defense doesn’t really apply.
I’ve never seen one either. There is no indication that my '68 ever had such a tag, just the one on the rear under the license plate. Unfortunately the official Series 1.5 judging guide quotes the Haddock book line-and-verse so anyone showing a Series 1.5 without the (incorrect) window tag should be docked points. What a tangled web we weave…
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I am stating the obvious here, but you may want to go back to your seller and ask them the search for additional documentation. Without a title or chassis number, they sold you what is essentially an unmarketable car. I would think that you have grounds to rescind the sale unless they can supply you with the needed information. It might be a pain for them, but I suspect there might be some receipts, insurance policies, or licensing information somewhere in the deceased owner’s records that could provide the information you need.
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Bob, I wish it was that simple, but being an estate sale and “sold as is where is” leaves me at fault for not doing my due diligence. I just assumed it would be in the box of removed parts but to my disappointment no such luck.
A long shot but have you removed all carpets seats spare tire and anything else removable to check for any stray insurance or registration papers. It is surprising what you can find in strange places in old cars. It does not take much for a piece of paper to slide in somewhere. If you do find anything remember to buy a lottery ticket immediately.
What specifically are you referring to?
Hi David,
My '68 doesn’t have it either, hardly conclusive but…
Cheers,
LLynn