Oh the Humanity... anyone know of super secret VIN locations ?

[02Les]

49 minutes ago, Conserv said:

 

+1

 

The solid panel over the heating plenum -- a '66-only feature -- and 1600ti -- available '67 and '68 only -- are mutually exclusive.  But the presence of the servo might be an issue.  I thought that '66 1600-2 models came without power brakes, as did '67 1600-2 models, but that power brakes were not yet an option in '66.  Hoffman Motors soon began ordering the power brake option on all 1600-2 cars he imported into the U.S.  Maybe they were an option in '66....

 

Attention, Anders, assistance needed in aisle 66....

 

Best regards,

 

Steve

 

 

Good point.

I think the remote servo/booster appeared later in '66 (Sep~Oct maybe).

[Conserv]

10 minutes ago, 02Les said:

Good point.

I think the remote servo/booster appeared later in '66 (Sep~Oct maybe).

 

Hmmm....

 

And this is a September 12, 1966 car, Les.  Maybe this Bristol Gray "VIN-less" car is one of the first 1600-2's with a factory (option) servo....

 

Best regards,

 

Steve

 

 

 

Edited October 1, 2017 by Conserv

[Conserv]

Here's the window sticker from 1527753, a May 1967 1600-2 imported into the U.S. by Hoffman Motors.  By this time, most (all?) U.S.-imported 1600-2's were coming equipped with the optional:

 

POWER BRAKES.              $45.00

 

Regards,

 

Steve

 

Edited October 1, 2017 by Conserv

[73tiiDavidPA]

On 9/29/2017 at 9:23 PM, '76mintgrun'02 said:

David, the next time you are there, you should slide a Popsicle stick up under that lip and see if you can feel the back of the welds, where they welded that VIN into the other car... just for fun. 

 

Yeah...... that's not going to happen.  The car being restored in the shop is owned by someone out of state - its under a cover - and I asked nicely just to get a couple of photos of it.  

 

I'm thinking that asking "hey can you lift the covers on that car over there so I stick a Popsicle around and see if you have been doing some VIN welding / swapping / chop shopping" would be unwise... either in the north or the south.  Being a Northerner in the South (yes I've been called a Yankee, and people immediately know that "you ain't from around here" the moment I open my mouth) it become even more unwise. 

 

If I ever get to a real conversation about buying the car (which will most likely take about a year), then and only then will I even entertain such wildness... 

 

(not trying to bust your balls or anything, and I appreciate all the curiosity, but there is a certain, slow... dance or courtship that is needed, and that I'm slowly learning about, in order to get people to work / do business with you down here)  It's an interesting place.   

[dbmw2002]

Small town living, rules are a little different.  You seem to be catching on, took me awhile. Don't  ever leave a gate open, or ever covet what's over that fence. Wife or vintage car is no different, city boy's won't get this, take your time and make friends before you try to make deals. 

[jgerock]

20 hours ago, dbmw2002 said:

Small town living, rules are a little different.  You seem to be catching on, took me awhile. Don't  ever leave a gate open, or ever covet what's over that fence. Wife or vintage car is no different, city boy's won't get this, take your time and make friends before you try to make deals. 

I always ask and then don't speak out if the car or part is a POS. That's a quick way to end your research project.  I asked permission before I snapped a few pics of an original turbo in GA under a tarp a few years back. The owner took it apart for "safekeeping".

Edited October 4, 2017 by jgerock

[02Anders]

On 10/1/2017 at 7:08 PM, Conserv said:

 

 

The solid panel over the heating plenum -- a '66-only feature -- and 1600ti -- available '67 and '68 only -- are mutually exclusive.  But the presence of the servo might be an issue.  I thought that '66 1600-2 models came without power brakes, as did '67 1600-2 models, but that power brakes were not yet an option in '66.  Hoffman Motors soon began ordering the power brake option on all 1600-2 cars he imported into the U.S.  Maybe they were an option in '66....

 

Attention, Anders, assistance needed in aisle 66....

 

Best regards,

 

Steve

 

 

 

Pardon my absence!

But here's my input for what ever it's worth...

 

The early 1600-2's did indeed have the this type of remote servo.  I sadly haven't got a precise cut-off for when they became optional, but I would have been sometime around July I think.  So this particular 1600-2 could indeed have been ordered with the servo from new.  I believe it was around early '67 when the booster became standard issue.

And yes Steve, all the 6V cars had the low battery tray.

 

As several others here have already noted, this has all the signs of a VIN swap.  

David, if you don't want to be caught poking around for welds near the VIN, then read my The '66 Bible thoroughly instead.  There are several easy ways to identify whether the restored shell is a real and true '66 shell.  The most obvious is the solid panel over the heater plenum leading to a two-catch hood latch rather than the later three-catch system.  There's also the two triangular holes in the rear bulkhead between the cabin and the boot.

[Conserv]

6 hours ago, 02Anders said:

....There's also the two triangular holes in the rear bulkhead between the cabin and the boot.

 

Thanks, Anders!

 

I’m guessing you're so busy checking your oil light that you didn't have time to read every thread in the FAQ! 

 

But my '67 had the triangular holes, covered with a translucent plastic similar to that used between door card and door shell.  Or were the '67 bulkhead holes different from the '66 holes?  We need a '67 Bible now!

 

Best regards,

 

Steve

 

 

Edited October 13, 2017 by Conserv

[02Anders]

No you are of course right Steve.  While the solid panel over the heater plenum is '66 only, the triangular holes in the rear bulkhead is '66 & '67.  But if we are indeed looking at a VIN swap, then who knows what year the 'new' shell is??  It could even have started life as a SRL...
Also, if someone has gone to the effort of swapping a VIN number, then it would arguably not be terribly difficult to also weld on the solid panel at the back of the engine bay.  Swapping the rear bulkhead would require a fair bit of extra work...

[Conserv]

5 minutes ago, 02Anders said:

No you are of course right Steve.  While the solid panel over the heater plenum is '66 only, the triangular holes in the rear bulkhead is '66 & '67.  But if we are indeed looking at a VIN swap, then who knows what year the 'new' shell is??  It could even have started life as a SRL...
Also, if someone has gone to the effort of swapping a VIN number, then it would arguably not be terribly difficult to also weld on the solid panel at the back of the engine bay.  Swapping the rear bulkhead would require a fair bit of extra work...

 

Hard to imagine someone slick enough to swap the plenum cover panel...

 

I’m guessing this was not done to create a perfect ‘66 but, rather, to wind up with a car that matches an existing title, which just happens to be for a ‘66....

 

That poor ‘66!

 

Best regards,

 

Steve

 

[tjones02]

It's possible that the original VIN from this car was used on a later shell that was built into a race car that they needed the earlier VIN for. Or even swapped into a later Euro car that needed US Federalization. I've seen this at least once in my life. 

[Conserv]

3 hours ago, tjones02 said:

It's possible that the original VIN from this car was used on a later shell that was built into a race car that they needed the earlier VIN for. Or even swapped into a later Euro car that needed US Federalization. I've seen this at least once in my life. 

 

Good point, Tom,  But it does appear that a single owner of the two ‘02’s is using the savaged Bristol ‘66 shell as parts for the “painted car with styled steel rims”, which is identified as VIN 1505146, a Bristol ‘66...

 

Is it possible the owner found two Bristol ‘66’s and is making a single good Bristol ‘66 of the two?  Certainly.  Likely?  Less so...

 

Best regards,

 

Steve

 

Edited October 14, 2017 by Conserv

[02Anders]

11 hours ago, Conserv said:

 

That poor ‘66!

 

 

 

Regardless what's going on, there is at least one Bristol '66 which looks like it's destiny as a scrap car has been sealed.  Poor '66 indeed...