Jim Muller wrote: > > So I was finally getting around to entering my Spitfire and GT6 into > their respective "international registries" (by Joe Curry and Paul > Tegler), when I ran up into an interesting question. The GT6 > database entry form has a field for "Serial#" or something similar. > I figured that might want the VIN number on the info plate under the > bonnet on the driver's side and on the state registration card. I > also checked for same on the Spitfire. Here's what I found. > > The 1980 Spitfire had a small plate under the bonnet which contained > a 6-digit+"FM". (It was painted over once, and has since come off > the car and is now in a box on my workbench.) AFAIK, this number > shows up nowhere else on the car or its documentation. That it is 6 > digits is not surprising since the build date is Feb 1980. The > federal VIN is a zillion digits long and is nowhere close to similar. > It is stamped into a plate in the door frame. I haven't checked > what the Spitfire database asks for but it has a "page" for FM > series, so I expect it will want the 6-digit number and that the term > "comm number" means this one rather than the VIN monstrosity.
That number is the body number. This its the reason it was painted. It was installed when the body was assembled (before the paint went on). On Later Spits the commission number was replaced by the International Vehicle Identification number and complies with the regulations that were established for all vehicles after 1979 (or thereabouts) The earlier Spits have a commission number that BEGINS with FM, FH, FK, FC, or FL (depending on model and country of destination. Also, certain cars have a leading prefix if the car was shipped to a foreign company as a Knocked Down Kit and assembled there. The prefix designates the location of the assembly plant. > > The GT6 has two different numbers. The plate under the bonnet has 5 > digits+"KD". The plate in the door and the registration card have > "KC"+5 digits+"L". The 5 digit numbers on the two plates are > similar, in the range of 80,000, but differ by a bit more than 200. > The doorframe plate clearly says "COMM #" followed by its stamped > entry. However this is located where the Spitfire's federal VIN is > located. (The build date is Oct, 1970.) As with the Spits, the number that has the Alphabetical sequence after the numbers is the body number. THe ones with the Alphabetical characters in front are the commission numbers. The GT6's were discontinued prior to the VIN number sequences coming out. > > So when one speaks of the "comm number" of these cars, to which > number does it usually refer? The one under the bonnet or the one on > the door frame? And please don't scare me by saying that the two > plates on the GT6 should be identical! The real explanation of the term "Commission number" has to do with the fact that a car is "Commissioned" and has a specific set of parts that it is comprised of. The configuration is known beforehand and as the car rolls down the assembly line, the various assemblies were added to the mix and their serial numbers were recorded on the build sheet. This was all recorded and became part of the records under the commission number. This is why you will seldom (if ever) find the serial number of any component assembly that is the same as that of the commission number. Regards, Joe /// [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailing list /// Send admin requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED] /// or try http://www.team.net/cgi-bin/majorcool /// Archives at http://www.team.net/archive /// Send list postings to [EMAIL PROTECTED] /// Edit your replies! If they include this trailer, they will NOT be sent.
