How to figure out the year of manufacture for a Land Rover Series 2A?

Early Lard Rovers were shipped out to Australia in containers, referred to as completely knocked down (CDK) and assembled locally. According to posts on aulro.com the early series models were assembled at a number of locations across Australia; Melbourne - Regent Motors, Brisbane - Annand & Thompson, Sydney - Grenville Motors in Sydney, Perth - Faull's Motors and Champion's in Adelaide. From 1956 onwards Rover Co Ltd contracted Pressed Metal Corporation PMC) to build Lan Rovers in their factory in Enfield in Western Sydney.

ID plate and year of manufacure

My S2A has the PMC id plate on the firewall and the identification plate with the vehicle number which should match the chassis number. The first 3 numbers identify the model and specification and the remaining numbers and letter signifies a year range. There is a handy tool for Series Land Rovers called CalVIN where you can enter the vehicle number and find out what each number and letter mean. Model: Land Rover, Series IIA

Body type: Basic or Station wagon

Wheel base: 88in

Engine: petrol

Model years: 1962-1971

Destination: Completely knocked down (CKD), right-hand drive (RHD)

To find the exact year you have to look a bit further at the combination of the chassis, engine, gearbox and axle numbers. Many cars have had replacement parts fitted over the years so you have to do you best to triangulate the numbers based on the closest combination.

Chassis Number and year of manufacture

Prefix: 243

→ Indicates: 88” wheelbase, petrol, RHD, export (Australia)

Suffix: Likely A (early 1964) or B (late 1964 onward, minor design updates)

Example Format: 24312345A or 24345678B

Engine Number

Prefix: 241

→ Indicates: 2.25L Petrol, Series IIA

Note: The engine number may not match the chassis exactly, but a close numerical range suggests originality.

Example Format: 24156789

Gearbox Number

Suffix B or C most likely for 1964

Suffix B: Standard for early 1960s

Suffix C: Includes updates but still partial synchromesh

Example Format: 241xxxxxC

Axle Numbers

Not prefix-coded like chassis/engine, but stamped directly on:

Front axle: RH side near spring seat

Rear axle: LH side near spring seat

Original axles typically matched to chassis at factory and support 88" petrol spec (4.7:1 ratio)

Where to find the numbers

Component	Location
Chassis Number	RH rear spring hanger & bulkhead
Engine Number	RH side of block below the head
Gearbox Number	RH side of gearbox casing
Axle Number	On axle casings near spring seats

Land Rover FAQ has a nice table summarising the the changes to Series 2A models and the corresponding relative suffixes.