Dolomite Sprint Engine Numbers

[ham204]

What is the range of numbers for the Sprint engine.

Mine is VA4014..... (undecipherable). Could that be correct, starting with a 4?

[gmsclassics]

Below is a link to the chassis numbers by series and year, and while the chassis and engine numbers don't match exactly, they aren't usually that far apart in early cars.

My '79 car has a chassis number 30xxx, but the original engine is 21xxx. It appears that while the chassis numbers were reset and jumped for the start of each new series, the engine numbers just continued to be sequential. Given the engine numbers do not go up to 40,000, yours is almost certainly VA4014

Suffix that you can't decipher is almost certainly HE (H=high compression and E=engine). Theoretically it could be LE for low compression but I've never seen one.

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=29700

[ham204]

Thank you Geoff, that was very helpful indeed.

In fact the last letters were HE although very faint but I managed with a endoscope!

[ham204]

So now it transpires that my 1980 Sprint actually has a 1973-ish engine (VA4014HE).

At that point in time, were there any differences to the 1980 engine? Maybe the distributor (I have a 44D4)?

[GrahamFountain]

I have been told that the early Sprint engine blocks had a different mix of alloyants in the cast iron. I think it was a bit more nickle to increase hardness and reduce bore wear. There's an old thread somewhere discussing it.

Graham

[Howard81]

were there any differences to the 1980 engine?

Yes, if you can provide proof of age, a 1973 engine would exempt from the emissions test at the MoT!

[cliftyhanger]

Good luck with that!!!

Check the V5 engine number (MoT station will likely just check from that, certainly won't want to poke about and put any effort into reading the engine number)
Then you will need proof of age for that number. I know with DVLA and IVA you need a letter from the manufacturer. But what will be adequate proof here I am not sure. Certainly not anything off the web, so that could be almost impossible to prove?

[Carledo]

It's all a bit moot anyway, since Ham's car is in Malta now and not subject to a British MOT!

Steve

[ham204]

Steve, you're right, it doesn't get a rod stuck up it's exhaust at it's age! Not even in Malta