1951 170Da tag info and location

[krome04]

Hi guys, I'm new to the forum. I am looking to purchase a 1951 170Da and had a question about the chassis number. From reading the literature that is available, it seems like the format of the chassis number is R136160-XXXXX/51 (right hand drive car). But on the car I am looking at, the chassis number is in the format of R136160-XXXX/51. So basically missing one digit after the dash. Is this normal?

Also, the location of the tag and stamped chassis number on this car is on the left lower side of the chassis. In the diagrams I have seen, its shown on the right hand side.

Are the above two issues something i should be worried about? Does the tag location vary from lhd to rhd cars?

[John Ellis]

You bring up an interesting point ..... I don't know if the right hand drive cars are identified differently from left hand drive.  Obviously the "R" prefix was added to the chassis number, which I also didn't know.  So with that said, it is possible that the chassis sequential serial number could be shortened by one number.

Check to see if the number stamped on the chassis matches the identification tag.  I would also look on the right side for the stamped number where the left hand drive cars are identified

[krome04]

Thanks John for your reply. The number that is engraved on the chassis and the number on the ID tag matches. My only concern is the fact that the format of the VIN is not consistent with the documentation I have read so far and the placement of the tag and the engraving is on the opposite side.

Would anyone with a right hand drive car (possibly in Australia) care to comment? I'd love to get an solid input from someone with first hand knowledge before committing to purchase the car.

[John Ellis]

You might try MB Spares in your country http://www.mbspares.com.au/ and their forum OZ Benz http://ozbenz.net/.  They may have the answers you need.

[CraigS]

Unfortunately, my car is in Brisbane and I am in Sydney. I was up there the weekend before last and could have had a look for you. Mine is an "s" but the VIN numbering should be consistent. Mine has five digits before the year, and even if it was car number one, it would have 4 zeros before it.

From the photos I have, I also cannot see the holes where the plate is fixed, so cannot say whether it was on the left or right, but both my 2220s's are on the right.