S2C Forum Archives
Main Section => Welcome to our virtual Pub Meeting ... => Topic started by: Mycroft on May 26, 2023, 05:06:59 PM
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Over the years, the Club has been compiling a database of chassis numbers, engine numbers, build dates and so forth for Series 2 trucks. The data was collected over the years with particular input from Chris Gregson, John Keane, Paul Bohan and many individual members, cross-referenced club records and other archives. All this has been curated and updated over the years by our Vehicle Registrations Officer Peter Holden.
In recent weeks we've been working on making individual records from this database available to members and are now in a position to 'soft launch' the service.
If you would like your chassis number added to the database, then we'd love to hear from you, with whatever information you're able to share, including:
Chassis number (including suffix)
Engine number (including suffix and original engine number if different)
Build date
Despatch date
Original destination
Colour (original if known)
Military registration (if applicable)
Vehicle registration
You can also provide gearbox and axle numbers if you have them.
And if you're a member and would like to know roughly when your truck was built or if we hold any other information on it, then please also get in touch. Mostly, we can help with approximate build dates, but in a few cases, where a past owner has shared information or a researcher has visited Gaydon with a particular interest (eg Chris Gregson and military), we may know more, sometimes including the original destination, colour and so on.
The email to send your information or query to is [email protected] or you can contact me through the PM system.
Cheers, Gareth
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Great concept Gareth.
I know we have some detail of member's vehicles on the club membership database, but it only covers the bare essentials as far as I can see.
If we have vehicles with original major unit numbers such as axles and transmissions (as both mine have), do you want that information? I'm wondering if it might be useful long term - especially if a vehicle is stolen and broken up - there could be a record of what its original major unit numbers are.
Land Rover Traceability used to carry all this information at Solihull in the days of John Riley (one of the most helpful LR personnel that I've dealt with over the years). It seems as though only the bare essentials were loaded onto the BMIHT records. I asked John for details on a 1949 Tickford Station Wagon we restored over 20 years ago and he came up with every bit of detail - axle numbers gearbox numbers, engine number, key number, colour, birthday - everything. Quite amazing when you consider that a colleague at the same time was talking to Ford to get a key number for his one year old XR3i and they couldn't help him.
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Thanks Mark, although I'd struggle to take any credit - standing on the shoulder of giants stuff!
You raise an interesting question re other part numbers. I hadn't planned on amassing that kind of info as I didn't want to build something too unwieldy or to overlap/tread on the toes of the vehicle registration service Peter provides in any way. But I'll happily record such info if people want to provide it.
It's not obvious where you draw a line - gearbox, axle, diff, carb, dynamo, wipers, dizzy, fuse box, regulator, coil, starter motor - they all have numbers, dates or distinguishing features. I thought chassis and engine numbers would probably be enough, but accept that there's no right or wrong and I'll be guided by what members want I think :cheers
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I think axles and gearbox are good to have on a list, as theyre pretty vital running parts with their own sequence of numbers. so its interesting to see.
would you be able to disclose vehicles with close numbers to your own? be cool to know if "brother" vehicles were still on the road :RHD
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I don't know if mine is ever put into the database DSL 278 that's not the original registration
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I think axles and gearbox are good to have on a list, as theyre pretty vital running parts with their own sequence of numbers. so its interesting to see.
would you be able to disclose vehicles with close numbers to your own? be cool to know if "brother" vehicles were still on the road :RHD
The people have spoken! I'll amend the first post above to clarify re acles and gearbox numbers.
In terms of disclosure, I won't actually know if a particular truck is still on the road unless it's owner has sent me details. And - so far at least - there are very few actual registration numbers. But I'll be as helpful as I can.
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I don't know if mine is ever put into the database DSL 278 that's not the original registration
That reg isn't showing up Dopey, but if you send me your chassis number, I can confirm. Chassis numbers outweigh registration numbers by an order of magnitude on the database.
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In the photo lol thanks
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Brilliant idea! Many thanks to all involved in building & strengthening yet another S2 Club service. :tiphat
How do you want the details sent? PM, or on the Club member-only Forum?
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Thanks Crumbly, if you could send to [email protected] that would be great, but PM here is also fine :cheers
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In the photo lol thanks
Thanks Dopey, that one wasn't on the database, although we have one 2 numbers after it. If you want to forward whatever details you have to add to the database, that'd be great - [email protected]
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Ok I will get the original registration with it also
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I must admit that my thinking, after seeing it a few years ago, was that it was a spreadsheet, rather than a database
However, the information within it needs to be shared / accessible to Club Members rather than in a "cupboard " accessible to only a few.
I completely get that the vast majority of this was compiled by the late Chris Gregson and given to Peter, but my point still stands.
A read only version should be within the technical information, available to all, as is Paul Bohan's 1958 register.
Is this what you mean by a "soft launch" ?
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I'm not entirely clear on the semantic difference between 'database' and 'spreadsheet', Alex, but to my mind it's database stored on a spreadsheet ???
Yes, the idea is eventually for it to be interrogable by members - something we'll look to build into the next software upgrade, possibly via MySQL or similar.
:cheers
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Belated post but brilliant thread / topic and post James. I have a list of about 15 to 20 of these chassis numbers from those in Cyprus. I will compile them and do it over the holidays in Malta in July. Something to keep sane while wifey just sunbathes from dawn till dusk.....
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Great stuff Andy - look forward to getting.
Loving all the engagement folks - keep sending 'em in. I'm looking to add links on the main members' section and will further roll it out once we've got that up and running.
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I'm not entirely clear on the semantic difference between 'database' and 'spreadsheet', Alex, but to my mind it's database stored on a spreadsheet ???
without wishing to appear more of an *&%^$ than normal :)
The main technical difference between a spreadsheet and a database comes down to the way they store data. In a spreadsheet, data is stored in a cell, and can be formatted, edited, and manipulated within that cell.
In a database, cells contain records that come from external tables. This differentiation means that spreadsheets are static documents, while databases can be relational. That means if you upload, edit, or delete a piece of data in one place, the change will be made in every other place that references that data.
From memory, the spreadsheet was searchable, but the data wasn't interrelative, but would still be a great asset for the CLub, even if it was printed in list form as Paul Bohan's 1958 register is
Paul's is also readily available
Any reason why, in the interim, it couldn't be printed as a PDF ?
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That's not a definition of a database that I'm familiar with. In my line of work (which used both extensively), a database is a more static collection of data with little manipulation. To me it's a database, but you're free to call it what you will.
This information, as you probably know, was collected over many years and stored, updated and cared for by our Vehicles Registration Officer, with much of it having been bequeathed privately to him and therefore not Club property. He has never been willing to share the information publicly for many reasons that are entirely valid, around security, privacy, GDPR compliance, potential misuse of/creation of conflicting data and so on. With a great deal of thought and work put into ensuring that the original information does not get polluted and that individual members are given access on a GDPR respecting, single vehicle basis, it has been agreed that we can provide this information - something that some members have been trying to achieve for many years - including during your time as Chairman Alex. I'm sorry it's not everything you might wish, but it's still better than anything that has previously been possible and so far, we've been able to add members' data and confirm likely dates of build and other information that they have found useful.
If you have further concerns, could you address them to the board directly, rather than troll what was supposed to be good news and a helpful new service? Thank you.
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Let me clarify the origins of the clubs vehicle database.
I started the vehicle database as the clubs “Historical Records Officer” in August 1999. It consisted of 12 separate Excel spreadsheets, one for each chassis number sequence and one for the bitza’s. Each spreadsheet was fully searchable.
A vehicle information form was completed by the vehicle owner and posted on to me. At the the club Directors instructions the form included the following statement “No personal details will be disclosed without your prior permission”. This statement caused many arguments during this time but I was adamant that we must adhere to it. The constant requests from Club Area Representatives to make the information public caused me to resign from this post in January 2009.
When I resigned and passed all the information over to the club it contained 1,729 vehicles details and 1,182 vehicle Photographs.
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Hi,
From a new series owner perspective this initiative sounds fantastic. For a Series 2a novice (2 days ownership) do you have a quick reference guide to the location of all required details? If not I'm sure Google will get me there.
Thx
J
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Hi,
From a new series owner perspective this initiative sounds fantastic. For a Series 2a novice (2 days ownership) do you have a quick reference guide to the location of all required details? If not I'm sure Google will get me there.
Thx
J
Yes indeed - or at least the main bits. If you check out the main Vehicle Database site, you'll see descriptions of how to find your chassis and engine numbers, along with photos (link below). Otherwise, as you suggest, google has descriptions and helpful photos aplenty.
https://www.series2club.co.uk/members_pages/VDO.php?Sentry_loginTkn=BKNisv27cjtd8dppssmp
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Over the years the differences between databases and spreadsheets has become very blurred, if I go back 30 plus years to when I first started teaching IT in the days when microsoft packages such as access didnt exist. Databsaes were "flat" that is tables , spreadsheets were also, the difference being that a database was searcheable but not able to do calculations, a spreadshwas also a flat table , not searcheable but able to do calculations. Modern packages such as microsoft Access and Excel are both able to perform both these functions plus many others..
It would be wrong therefore to say that a set of data that is manipulated by a package like Excel is a spreadsheet not a database or a set of data manipulated by MS Access is a database not a spreadsheet, especially since you can transfer data between both these packages.
Old definitions oof spreadsheet and databse are therefore redundant. What we do have is a dataset and we use Excel to manipulate it.
Peter
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Hi,
Two thoughts, from just a few minutes ago ....
1. The ideal site for all this information would tabulated on the V5 Registration Document.
2. How could the Authorities use all that information? Possibly against the enthusiasts? And would they want to ... and why? Power?
It is when a man has authority, that you learn his true nature.
602.
PS, When we were stationed at RAAF Butterworth, I bought a tidy but seized Citroen Light 15 for £15 (M$ equiv.) from a Ozzy who was returning home. Only then did I find out that I had to provide provenance of the unregistered owners, with the insurance details of each. That car was last seen, on the back of a RAAF lorry, heading for the Station scrap yard.