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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Engine / VIN numbers

Hi again,

Furthering my engine identification endeavours, I have engine number "12CE-DA-H 186" and VIN number "A-AN10 1 - 86868". The body ID plate is missing. Most of this makes sense, but I have a couple of queries.

12 = 1275 cc
CE = Early one, home market
DA = Close Ratio Center Change Gearbox
H = High compression version
186 = Is this the series number? Were they sequential starting at 1?

A = Austin
AN10 = AH Sprite Mark IV (Post face-lift) or Austin Sprite Mark IV
1 - What's this? The plate is scratches around this. It could be a lower case L.
86868 - Car number. Did these start at 1 and go upwards?

As ever, all help appreciated.
Ant
Ant Allen

You need a copy of Horler; engine #s started at 101. Healey Sprites also started from 101 with the Mk 2 first built in Feb 1961.
David Smith

Ant,
I think I gave you the details on your car number. Austin Sprite,(not Austin Healey) built around mid Feb 1971. The "1" is probably a forward slash "/"

Guy
Guy Weller

<<1 - What's this? The plate is scratches around this. It could be a lower case L.>>

If it was an upper-case L, it would indicate that it was lefthand drive.
Dave O'Neill 2

It's more like a vertical line than a capital L. Does anyone else have a forward slash in this position?

Regarding the numbers (186 for the engine and 86868 for the VIN) are they sequential from 1 upwards?

Ant
Ant Allen

Ant,
Mine has a forward slash in the VIN number, which is why I said that is what I think it may be on yours.
VIN numbers were broadly sequential, but sometimes with breaks at model changes. The Austin Sprites start at 86803 in Jan 1971. By 5 March they had reached 86947, which is why I was putting yours at mid February.

Guy

Guy
Guy Weller

Ok. Thanks for that Guy. All making sense now. I'm going to call the 1 a / and ignore it for ever more.

Last bit then - Engine number 186. This makes it a very early engine, and almost certainly not the one that was in the car when it left the factory?

Ant
Ant Allen

Ant,

My midget was built in mid January 1971, and has the engine number 12CE-DA-H-14400ish. It is the original engine.

This ties in with Guy's info in the last thread (engine 15thou-ish / Mar 71), and probably means that your 186 isn't the engine that was in the car when it left the factory.

Quite happy to be proved wrong though....

James
James30

>>Regarding the numbers (186 for the engine and 86868 for the VIN) are they sequential from 1 upwards?
== answer given in post #2 yesterday...
David Smith

Thanks to everyone for helping me with this. I now know what I've got. Just got to work out what to do with it all now :)
Ant Allen

This thread was discussed between 23/10/2008 and 25/10/2008

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