How do we decode engine Victa numbers and what can they tell us? Does it just tell us the year and sequential build number?
Well, not quite. This is a bit of a can of worms, as Victa used at least three different engine serial numbering systems, in the period 1955-1980, as far as ODK members have been able to work out.
Unfortunately, several of the members with detailed knowledge of this subject have departed the forum, or now only visit very occasionally. So I've had to piece a scheme together from old ODK threads, as best I can.
The earliest system was sequential numeric-only, which was used from the 1955 Model 1 Rotomo to the first series Model 5 in 1957. This is thought to end somewhere in the 300,000's.
And Victa were apparently manufacturing Model 4 Standards in parallel with the Model 5 Specials for that year, as Model 4's with serials in the 300k range have been found.
The second system, used for the later series Model 5's and 1960-61 Sheerline Model 6, had various letter prefixes [up to four letters are known] and [usually] five digits.
The third system, variants of which were used up to 1980, started in 1962 [1962-serialed Sheerlines are the earliest that have been found, anyway], as far as can be worked out. This did include a year code, 2-digit at first, but there was at least one preceding digit.
I have come across an old toe cutter engine number AC 65797 doest this make it a fairly late build?
A late Model 5, Series 2; as far as can be determined from the information in those threads.
That'll do for the moment; I'll add a bit more detail on the third system, and reference thread links, when I can find the time.
