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[Mycroft]

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

[diffwhine]

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.

[Mycroft]

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 

[GHOBHW]

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

[Dopey]

I don't know if mine is ever put into the database DSL 278 that's not the original registration

[Mycroft]

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

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.

[Mycroft]

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.

[Dopey]

In the photo lol thanks

[crumbly65]

Brilliant idea!  Many thanks to all involved in building & strengthening yet another S2 Club service. 

How do you want the details sent?  PM, or on the Club member-only Forum?

[Mycroft]

Thanks Crumbly, if you could send to [email protected] that would be great, but PM here is also fine 

[Mycroft]

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]

[Dopey]

Ok I will get the original registration with it also

[AlexB]

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" ?

[Mycroft]

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.

 

[Andy P]

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.....