‘83 SJ scuttle vent

[Nigelblandin]

I’m just trying to understand a detail on the two SJ 410s I now have.

My resto project, “Fenton” is a metal dash and has the scuttle heater vent in the normal place. First reg’d in December 83, it has a serial number ending in 547122.
The other one, “Marwell”, I picked up last week for spares. It has the heater vent on the left of the scuttle and it’s only about 3” wide. So, this should be an earlier one. It is a metal dash and has the serial of 572086, so later than the other one…..

Fenton was Silver, the paint codes are right and inside the panels was silver.
Marwell is white and also always has been.

I have brochures from ‘82 and ‘82 and both show the vent in the centre.

The heater on Fenton is correct, all the brackets are for the centre and all the plastic is correct. Nothing under there looks repaired or altered to show and changes.
Marwell has the correct brackets and plastic for a left vent.

I reckon the side vent one is an ‘81 - but it has discs so some sort of changeover model. Can’t explain the serial number though.

Any thoughts?

[ScottieJ]

What is the roof type on each? Both soft top or is one a tintop?

[Nigelblandin]

Hi Scottie- both are tin tops.

[ScottieJ]

Have you verified the vin numbers stamped on the chassis match the vin plate riveted to the body on both?

There’s another member on here with an 84 sj410 tin top van with the offset scuttle vent so it’s probably correct for the one you just bought. Has your other one got rear windows? Could be a van back body thing over a number of years, I used to have an 86 van back but that had its vent back in the centre.

83 was the changeover to front discs as far as I’m aware (I could be wrong though, it’s hard to gauge as it’s so easy for people to swap out axles etc.)

[Nigelblandin]

Morning. Yup, I check both vins yesterday and both match top and bottom. Both have rear windows which look factory.
The white one wasn’t registered until ‘85 so I think it sat around at SGB until sold to Marwell zoo.
Both have discs so I ‘m pretty sure they are ‘83 models. There must have been some side vent shells lurking at the factory somewhere.

[ScottieJ]

Yeah sounds like it could just be a random production run for some reason it does only seem to be some tintops with the side vent, I’ve never seen it on a softop body.

[Nigelblandin]

I just checked some pics of my brother’s ‘81, drum braked soft top. LHD and canvas door tops- full old spec!
That even has the vent in the middle!