Yup. I had a tear tattoo placed under my eyes for each one. Now I permanently look like a woman with mascara running after a good cry!

The way I remember it, a VIN [Vehicle Identity Number] is an internationally agreed format number[?] of seventeen alpha & numeric characters that encodes some details of the vehicle, including it's country of manufacture amongst other things. They did not come into use untill long after Datsun 1200 production had ended.

The numbers that are quoted on our little Datsuns are serial numbers, chassis numbers or body numbers, but they are not VIN's.
My Datsun 1200 parts book calls them "Car Number's"
In right drive models there is a "Type Plate [Car Number Plate]" affixed to the "Hood Ledge" [inner mudguard] & this plate lists the
Engine Capacity
Max HP at RPM
Wheel Base
Engine No.
Car Number
This car number should match the number on the firewall & the plate shows the number of the engine originally fitted to the chassis, so this is how they get the "matching numbers" info

Each model had it's own block of numbers, so there is no real linear string of numbers through the whole model range. By way of example, what follows is just for the right drive models.

Datsun 1200 Four Door sedan Standard & Deluxe. Also Two Door sedan, Standard & Deluxe
From Ser. No. B110- 247,023 From- Apr '71 [Z]
From Ser. No. B110- 341,001 From- Jan '72 [Z]
From Ser. No. B110- 655,001 From- Jan '72 [N]

Datsun 1200 Coupe
From Ser. No. KB110- 877,228 From- Apr '71 [F]
From Ser. No. KB110- 940.001 From- Jan '72 [F]

Datsun 1200 Van Standard & Deluxe [The picture shows a Four Door station wagon]
From Ser. No VB110- 170,001 From Jan '72 [N]
What do the [Z] [F] & [N] mean. I don't know,...... yet.

The ute is a commercial model, or truck, so is not listed in a passenger model parts book & it's my guess that the two door van is in the same category.

Thats all there is in my right drive parts book which is the "revised, December 1973" version.
Note how 'car numbers' seem to be allocated in "blocks', particularly when they start with a number that ends in xxx,001. There is obviously a gap between the last number of the previous model & the first number of the next model, but we have no way of discovering the last number actually used in any allocated block of numbers.

Again, by way of example, the first number allocated for the April '71 coupes is 877,228 while the first number for the January '72 coupes is 940,001 suggesting a production run of 62,772 units, but it would be too much to suggest that they actually made exactly that many so that the new model for '72 would 'conveniently' begin on a number that ends with a xxx,001.

The only way to check on the relative "oldness" of a 1200 is by reference to published production data that lists the relevant 'car numbers'

pretty, well totally off topic, but what did the datsun 1000 win? dodgeman?
i like your avatar !

ben

Ben
Class A, Gallaher 500, Bathurst, 1967 ['68?]

OK the year might be off a tad, but with any luck, someone will set the record dead accurate. [B310GX?]
The picture is from a Datsun 1000 sales brochure & is of the dead stock, class winning car coming through the esse's at blinding speed. The car is a 1967 Datsun 1000 'standard' two door sedan, which was the lightest model.

Datsun 1000 is always a winner, you know you want one.

Quote:

Well we need to muck up the waters on this one as well!!!

Mine is a 72 but we've owned it since 1985. So who as the oldest and owned it the longest??

Tom , cars don't rust in Vegas.

PS I too am responsible for at least 3 shells going to the great beyond

I bought my 1968 Datsun 1000 four door sedan in about April or May of 1980. I still have it
That makes it close to 26 years by my reckoning.
Surely someone can beat that for length of ownership.

OK, so it's not a 1200, but it IS a small Datsun.

P.S.
I bought, & drove home, my 1933 Dodge coupe in about August or September of 1967. I still have that too. It was my second car.

Probably meaningless in this discussion, but my VIN is 764507

My first 4 door Sedan 1200 had the chassis stamped with number B110-000210.

I'd have to confirm on my rego/engineers certificate. Without looking I can't vouch that was the number of zeros, but it was chassis number 210.

I think Whorida chopped it up for it's Auto tunnel.