Speedy Gonzalez

tonight i was talking to a guy with a mint RS500 and we got talking about the chassis number stamped on the floor.


He reckons all cossies had their numbers stamped up and not down
saying only reshelled cars had them stamped down.


I had a look on my 3dr when i got home and the number is stamped up
but my mates is stamped down


Is this true or is he talking shit? my mate is really pissed off as he thinks he's got a reshelled cossie

Greg Shepherd

i would not panic m8

iirc have seen a post about this same subject and makes no differance

hopefully someone will reply soon who knows for sure

flyingfocrs

Oh god.
The toys have been getting well and truly thrown out of the pram on RSOC about this.
So much so that any mention of it is forbidden and posts locked.
There is supposed to be an official statement about this in the near future which "should" answer this once and for all.

The DIVA

iTrader: (3)

It`s bollocks mate,some of the early 3 doors had the number stamped down,as did all of the Escorts as they were handbuilt at Karman

Kevin Sharp

iTrader: (3)

i broke a genuine 3door with low owners and FSH last year and the numbers were stamped down...original ford ..not fucked around with.
all of the other 3doors i have had..around 5 or so have been stamped up

Speedy Gonzalez

he seemed quite adamant it was true

i'm not at all bothered cos mine are stamped up but my mate is furious!

Alan s1

I heard my self it was a reshell if it was stamped down

Also a m8 said that all new sheels came with a new number stamped in them but i thought that was wrong can someone tell me for sure ??? Or was it only the 909 shells that had no numbers if it was a new shell

Eagle

iTrader: (2)

yeah go and look on the rsoc or ask Pete,RS Specialists

The DIVA

iTrader: (3)

All new shells came blank with no number stamped on them regardless of wether they were motorsport shells or not.....

The first production run of 3 doors all had the numbers stamped down,not sure how many cars this was......

Anonymous

The DIVA

iTrader: (3)

You knows it......

MichaelG

Personally, i heard that if your numbers are stamped up , back to front, and 2mm apart, with the sun shining on the 2nd moon of Jupiter, and your pubic hair laying towards the west....then your car will be worth Ł30k more than all the rest......

But i only heard it ...... so shhhhh

Does it really matter ? If your cars mint, and all is well with the docs and history....who cares lol

Speedy Gonzalez

Thats what i've told my mate but he won't have it until he gets confirmation that his ain't a reshell

I wish this guy didn't say anything now!!!!

Fastmaul

Funny enough we had this same discussion on my Merkur board.

Here is what we found out..
Any and all XR's built Before 3/85 had the numbers stamped DOWN
Any and all XR's built on or After 3/85 have the numbers UP.

Speedy Gonzalez

is there any reason why Ford stamped the numbers up or down?

Iain Mac

Depends if the workers were sober enough to stand?

And yes, bare shells are supplied without VIN numbers, either stamped in or rivetted on. Just a consignment plate where the colour plate would go telling you the model and where it was being sent.

Dirty Harry

iTrader: (12)

dont beleive everything you here a re shell is easy to tell,I beleive I know the truth as I think Ive seen more RS cars then most,thers those that know and those that think they knows thats the dangerous parts which starts rumours,tell your mate not to worry

PAUL S

iTrader: (8)

3 things for him to check

the courtesy light in the boot - is it the same as yours

Does it have the ariel hole in the drivers rear quarter

Is the fuse box square - if so is it secure or sloppy

Dirty Harry

iTrader: (12)

nothing to do with it mate please dont confuse the guy any further

Speedy Gonzalez

this is what the guy i was talking to said to look for thry are all the same as mine

my mate is now tracking down the 3 previous owners!

Dirty Harry

iTrader: (12)

dont listen to me then,tell him not to worry about it.as thers tons of bullshit going around infact tell him to call me i will tell him exactly what he wants to know

Speedy Gonzalez

i'll pass your number on Pete!

cheers mate!

nellyscossy

oh my god.....not the bloody number up or down thread....................
wonder if it will carry on as long as the r.s.o.c. row did ( and still is!!!)........people were waking up with horses heads in their beds for arguing on that site!!!!!!!!!!!...lol

Iain Mac

Personally, I prefer mine up not down.

But that has NOTHING to do with VIN numbers.

Speedy Gonzalez

FPMSL

Rippers

Sorry if this is a really thick question but what do you mean stamped up or down? dumb it down for me

neilm

The numbers are stamped in the floor from either in the car, stamped down towards the floor / road

Stamped up, stamped from underneath the car facing the roof.


Personally I think this is an absolute load of twaddle, the first I heard of it was talking to Pete at Ashfield and I've been into Cosworths for years, as has Pete.

If this was the denoting of a reshell then there are one helluva lot of re-shelled Cosworths out there.

This is on a par with no sunroof in a 3 door denotes a motorsport shell....

NO... its just a 1.6L shell, nothing to do with motorsport at all.

These shells were used for motorsport because they were the cheapest shells to buy either bare or in a trimmed state.

Having no sunroof was an advantage as it adds a little more to shell integrity.


But this numbers thing is rubbish and the person who started this rumour wants a bloody good kicking if you ask me.

This is going to run and run like most Cosworth myths and its going to cause a lot of genuine people, selling genuine cars a load of grief.

Fastmaul

So uhm, what years have you found from the showroom cars(not motorsport shells) to be up or down?
All Sierra's from what I understand came from the same place no? Including our Yanky XR's which like I said..above on what years have them (the vin) up or down.

flyingfocrs

From what I remember from the RSOC threads this debate only applies to the RS500 and not the original 3dr.

Ryan

mines stamped down and i dont give a foooook

Redkop

Very true!

Not 'going to'... has done

Fraz

Not true its 3drs aswell, the RS500 is just a tweaked 3dr anyway and started life as a 3dr before Tickford got them.

My RS500 is stamped down, 5000 miles full history, talked with previous owners to see if it had any work done on it and even had it inspected and certified by Ford Genk (factory that produced the cars) that it was stamped down by them at the factory. Got this done earlier this year at the height of the arguements on RSOC and passed all details of this on to RSOC.

Dirty Harry

iTrader: (12)

I have an idea that will basically sort out the myths to stamped up and down,its quite simple really
get in touch with all the owners of 3 doors and 500 who are know my the RSOC Iam sure there will be more that isnt but its a start.
Find out how many cars are stamped down and how mant are stamped up
are you following me so far
once this has beed established, I think we will know if there a reshell or not,as can you honestly see ford reshelling a vast number of cars
I dont
I like to think my theroy is correct as i think I have has suffient knowlage and experinence with the RS 3 door cossie over the years. have seen just about eveything there is too see ,ringers,cut and shuts,reshells ect ect
In my proffesional opinon the 3 doors and 500 were stamped up and down.as thers no way on this planet there all re shells
If you have a stamped down car which has origonal primer in the numbers and a "star" at either end you have nothing to worry about
and for the record I have also had some Sapphires stamped down

Rippers

Cheers mate

Turbo Zetec

iTrader: (1)

my sapphire's numbers are stamped down, still with the primer and the stars at either end

Ryan

as pete has said nothing to worry about IMO

fordsportjay

iTrader: (6)

mine has been re-shelled at some point in its life-do i give a fuck.........no.

its an rs500 on the v5,it has rs500 vin tags,it has all the rs500 bits,

well actually it has a 200 block engine in it at the mo(but i still have the original 205 thick walled block one).does that mean its not an rs500???


its my car,the way i want it and i dont give a flying fuck what anyone else thinks.these cars should be merited on what they are like now.its great that there are so many left today,as ford certainly didnt design them to last 20 years!

how many mk1/2 rs escorts are there out there on standard shells??????

It's Czech Mate

7

-scar-

Your suggestion has already been carried out for the RS500's Pete - not the 3doors but definately the 500's and there are batches of chassis stamped down and batches stamped up. Only 2 of the 3 colours have been found to be stamped down though.

As for the last part - primer, stars etc - as you say, thats the best way to tell if it's a reshell or not.

nellyscossy

whehey!!!!! its getting just like the r.s.o.c. row!!!!!
who gives a fook anyway!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

p.s. just for the record mines stamped up...