VIN Decoding?

[CJR]

Does anybody know how to decode the vin on a chimaera,I need to know if the engine was changed from the original one fitted.
I have used the free vin decoders on the web but they only give me the make and the country it was made in, My VIN is SDLDCC4P7SB011183.
Thanks

[spend]

There were a couple of threads on PH which explained how to decode the chassis numbers.

If anyone can find them maybe they should be added as FAQ/WIKI

The links to the threads will be in my profile, but I don't relish searching back 5 years...

[loud430]

hi, have you checked the engine number on the engine against the one on the plate on your inner wing & the one on the log book? ive been told that part of the engine number relates to what size engine was fitted? the number on the engine can be tricky to get to though!

[GJR]

Not going to search back 5 years for the specific thread, but I rememberd that I'd copied and pasted the info for my own reference....

An old thread from many... many years back said:

Someone's Question......

vin/chassis number :

The last 4 digits of the vin/chassis number seem to be marked on a lot of components to identify the car in production. Are these sequential in order of build ?

Answer given......

Yes and no.... Yes they do use the chassis number as a tracer but the number is sequential for the number of TVRs that they made. 214 would refer to the 214th TVR to be made that year not the 214th Chimaera. The chassis ordering can also get out of step with registration number so you can have a later chassis number car registered before an earlier one...

---

eg: SDLDCC4PX

First 3 letters are for TVR
D = drophead
Next 2 characters are type - ie CC Convertable Chariot
Next number is model - ie 4 = 400
P = petrol
Next number is random security number
Next letter is the build year (A=1980 B = 1981 and so on - i is not used) - build years started in September for the October Motorshow apparently - so you can have a 1990 registered car on a 1991 build year.
Next letter is the build month (A=Jan B=Feb and so on - i is not used)
Next 3 numbers are believed to be standard/random of no significance..
Final 3 numbers shows the car number - ie 14th car built from the 1991 build year.

---

[spend]

Blimmin Eck! IIRC I was the questioner & Mr Heath the responder?

Must be over 5 years ago....

[CJR]

Hi Thanks but how do you know if it was a 4.5 but changed to a 4, and also these figures that were suplied say that my car is 1981 and its acctually a 1995

GJR said:

Not going to search back 5 years for the specific thread, but I rememberd that I'd copied and pasted the info for my own reference....

An old thread from many... many years back said:

Someone's Question......

vin/chassis number :

The last 4 digits of the vin/chassis number seem to be marked on a lot of components to identify the car in production. Are these sequential in order of build ?

Answer given......

Yes and no.... Yes they do use the chassis number as a tracer but the number is sequential for the number of TVRs that they made. 214 would refer to the 214th TVR to be made that year not the 214th Chimaera. The chassis ordering can also get out of step with registration number so you can have a later chassis number car registered before an earlier one...

---

eg: SDLDCC4PX

First 3 letters are for TVR
D = drophead
Next 2 characters are type - ie CC Convertable Chariot
Next number is model - ie 4 = 400
P = petrol
Next number is random security number
Next letter is the build year (A=1980 B = 1981 and so on - i is not used) - build years started in September for the October Motorshow apparently - so you can have a 1990 registered car on a 1991 build year.
Next letter is the build month (A=Jan B=Feb and so on - i is not used)
Next 3 numbers are believed to be standard/random of no significance..
Final 3 numbers shows the car number - ie 14th car built from the 1991 build year.

---

[spend]

Post your Vin/chassis number and engine number & we should be able to give you an idea. It should be quite safe if you just replace the last 3 digits with 'XXX'

Check the vin plate v chassis number are the same.

[CJR]

spend said:

Post your Vin/chassis number and engine number & we should be able to give you an idea. It should be quite safe if you just replace the last 3 digits with 'XXX'

Check the vin plate v chassis number are the same.

Thanks
I have checked the vin plate and the chassis number they are the same

vin
SDLDCC4P7SB011XXX

engine
37A40P2XXX

Body code (incase it helps) P422 4YP9B

[spend]

vin
SDLDCC4P7SB011XXX
..........^Feb
.........^1997
......^4.0

engine
37A40P2XXX
...^^ 4.0
^^^TVR pre-serp IIRC likely to be one of the higher compression engines?

Note its common for the chassis to predate the registration, but sounds a bit odd. There was something about a shift in years to do with 'motoring' calendar years but I can't remember what that was

ETA: try quoting the post to read, I certainly get fixed font then so the dots line up

Edited by spend on Thursday 16th April 14:05

[CJR]

Thanks Spend you have cleared a lot up for me, I was told when I bought the car it was a HC but had no proof even though it has the driving traits of one, god knows why some previous owner put a chimaera 450 badge on the back confused:, they arent cheap, and I now know not to read too much into the dates of manufacture.
Thanks again:

[spend]

HC are the high cam engines? The early pre-serp 4.0's were all nearly 10:1 I think - which is what I was referring to

[CJR]

Mine is a serpantine engine though

[Warbas]

Hi Guys, I'm new to piston Heads and am having trouble posting.
I am trying to work out the build date on a TVR Chimaera which I have purchased here is Australia
the VIN Reads
SDLDCC4P7SE011***

I was sold it as a 1995 car, but have to prove this to satisfy the import guys

Are you able to help?

Thanks guys

[Warbas]

Hi guys, a bit more info
I have tried to use the formula's above, omitting the i and am getting May, 97?
Do I have to omit the Q and the O also?

SDLDCC4P7SE01

SDL – TVR
D – Drophead
CC – Convertible Chariot
4 – 400 (4.0L)
P – Petrol
7 – Random Security Number
S – Build Year = 1997
E – Build Month = MAY
011 – Random Sequence of Numbers
456 – Build Number

A 1980 JAN
B 1981 FEB
C 1982 MAR
D 1983 APR
E 1984 MAY
F 1985 JUN
G 1986 JUL
H 1987 AUG
J 1988 SEP
K 1989 OCT
L 1990 NOV
M 1991 DEC
N 1992
O 1993
P 1994
Q 1995
R 1996
S 1997
T 1998
U 1999
V 2000

[sixor8]

I think your build year list may be wrong. I think E, O and U were missed out. I've also searched several threads in the past, almost all the supposed decoders on the web are USA biased or don't work.

I have a Feb '99 Griff and the corresponding letters are B and X. I previously had an early 2000 Chimaera that also had the year code X (built in Nov '99).

[The Three D Mucketeer]

Build Numbers allocated when the Customer Specification Sheet was completed at the factory.

[PabloGee]

As confusing as that initially became, the last post clarified that the date etched on my Chim chassis (Dec '95) corresponds with the VIN code on the plate.

To answer Warbas' question, the first letters of my VIN are SDLDCC4P7S... too - N reg 1995 car, though yours might b M reg since it looks to have been registered in May.

Perhaps rather pleasingly, the last three digits on mine is 001, which suggests it's the first one of that year, but not sure if that makes sense if the point about September for the October Motorshow is correct?

[The Three D Mucketeer]

Of course the body and chassis could have been made months earlier and sat outside curing (or sat in a container coming from Kuala Lumpur)