A point of clarification.
Am about to register the Mk1 after a 26 year rest.
For the RMS in NSW, I am asked to quote the car's VIN.
To be sure I get it right, is the VIN for a mini its model number (YKG2S2) + Car Number - both from the ID plate?

Technically (I was told by my blueslipper who was a stickler for the rules) it should only be what is literally stamped in the body itself and so mine is registered as a Morris Mini Cooper S and the number is just the 4 digits.

If they are willing to ad the YKG2S2 to the paperwork then I wouldn’t argue.

Only problem I found is many inspectors go straight for the Rad shroud because so many later minis, (which they are more used to seeing) and insist they are the numbers they need.

I ended up insisting that this was not correct and made the guy ring the technical people at RMS head office. They looked up there official records and confirmed I was right. He wasn’t happy but had to admit he was misinformed.


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68 Morris Cooper S Mk1 (*ex 78 1275 LS 4th last built, 70 Morris 1500 OHC & 70 MiniMatic)

It should be the chassis number only. Whatever numbers are stamped below the ID plate.

A MK1 S should not have the YKG2S2 as part of its chassis number. If they include the YKG2S2 then there is a chance later down the line that they will want to see YKG2S2 stamped into the firewall as well. Don't risk it.

I would also make sure they select the correct model on their system. I think COOP65 is for the MK1 S and COOP69 is for the MK2 S.

Yeah that’s a good point actually... I agree.

Mine is just the 4 digits. When you get to the the motor registry they will probably find boat trailers and maybe other old cars with same number (mine matched an old valiant and a boat trailer) but usually someone senior will just ok it.


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68 Morris Cooper S Mk1 (*ex 78 1275 LS 4th last built, 70 Morris 1500 OHC & 70 MiniMatic)

I would hate for some admin expert to quote their RMS bible to you and force you to restamp the car because your stamped chassis number doesn't match what their computer says. Every pink slip you will be running the risk if the inspector doesn't include the YKG2S2.

Yes. They made a mistake looking mine up the first time. Then it sounded like it was listed as Morris Cooper S Series 1 but they may have updated the list. In my case they
Literally just looked along the wrong line.

The head office give the blue slipper a map reference like B4 and the blue slipper has a generic engine bay “map” to know where to look, at least that’s how it worked 10 years ago....


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68 Morris Cooper S Mk1 (*ex 78 1275 LS 4th last built, 70 Morris 1500 OHC & 70 MiniMatic)

This is informative and more tricky than I first thought!
To clarify:
My Mk2 has the full YG2S4#### on its compliance plate AND the radiator shroud so that is more straightforward;
but a Mk1 has YKG2S2 only on the ID plate and not part of the VIN; the radiator shroud has a number which is 501 (approx) less than the actual body number stamped near the ID plate (prefixed by the MO02) and the number near the ID plate IS the VIN number. Yes?

My blue slip garage is classic car friendly - the forman is restoring a Morris 1500 OHC! So hope not to get stickler.
Thanks Phill and Brad for the pointers.

I have seen issues in the past because they are calling it a VIN and not a chassis number. They should select "chassis number" on their computer system. That way they can input the 4 digit number. If they select "VIN" their computer will want a 17 digit number.

The M2/06 number on the radiator should be covered in paint so they dont use it. This has been an ongoing issue for decades where they look at the wrong area.

If he is a sticker for the rules then that is good, it should then get done correctly!

Rest assured the Technical Dept of the Service NSW DOES have the correct info for the location of the stamped numbers for your MK 1 cooper S. Just make sure you are clear it is a Mk 1 or Series 1 Cooper S.

The problem is when blue slip people THINK they know better.

I was very fortunate at the time I did mine that someone on here privately told me that they DO have the correct info and to politely ask if they could please recheck their info. They were very apologetic that they made a mistake looking up the info.


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68 Morris Cooper S Mk1 (*ex 78 1275 LS 4th last built, 70 Morris 1500 OHC & 70 MiniMatic)

Thanks Phill, Brad and John Sneddon (pm). I've made notes!

Some time in the late '90s I got a renewal notice from the then Revenue Transfer Authority (RTA) for my Mk2 S. The notice included a VIN/Chassis number for the first time. Previously only used engine numbers to identify cars. Unfortunately RTA got one letter wrong in the VIN.
When I tried to correct their misprint, I had to pay to have an inspection station site the correct number and lodge paperwork.
So, I know that things can go wrong.

I learned an important lesson. Never call a Government Dept late in the afternoon. (And I should know I work in a government Dept)

In my case the blue slip guy was like....
“mate I’ve done hundreds of Minis over the years and the numbers I need are on that radiator shroud, you need to expose those numbers for me”

When I protested he got the sh!ts with me and rang the technical people at RTA ...at 4.50pm. Bad idea. In a rush they look up the wrong details.

Blue slipper gets off the phone and says to me “told you so mate, see, I was right....”

I then get inside advice next day that they have made a mistake.

I then somehow managed get in contact with the Tech people and they admitted they had made an error. They contacted the Blue slip guy to let him know.

Blue slip guy was not happy, not only was he proved wrong he had to tear up all the paperwork and start again.






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68 Morris Cooper S Mk1 (*ex 78 1275 LS 4th last built, 70 Morris 1500 OHC & 70 MiniMatic)

UPDATE:
Took the mini to the blue slip inspectors who accepted all of the above advice and listed chassis No. as 4 digits only.
It passed for the blue slip.
Arranged comprehensive and CTP insurance; printed CTP document to find the car had been allocated a whacky chassis number that I have never seen before. "YKC2S26690". Whoever copied it got the "G" as a "C", then used all the numbers on the radiator shroud but read it upside down (it's actually 0699 - If only there had been a number that only reads one way up.
Went to the Services NSW lounge for registration and discussed the wrong chassis number. Service person was very good - never had this problem before; spoke to supervisor; rang RMS for advice.
RMS advice was that the firewall and ID Car Number was the correct chassis number and I have to submit documents and photos of the stamped numbers and ID plate for a correction.

Mine still has my engine number in their system as the "VIN". I tried for a couple of days to fix it but they never got back to me! Next year at rego time I'll try again

It was all in there correctly prior to the historic plates...

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I think it was my GT was registered as YG258XXX. They read the S as a 5. I knew what it was supposed to be and in the scheme of things didnt matter. So didnt bother

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I had the same issue with Mk2. One year in the '90s RTA started to quote chassis numbers on the renewal notices and mine was exactly the same problem of mixing up 'S's for '5's. I had to have the vehicle blue slip inspected and pay a fee to correct RTA's mistake.
There should not have been a mixup, as by 1970, the chassis number on the compliance plate and the number on the radiator cowl were the same!