1977 Model year Changed

[Nigel W]

My car is a late 76 build, 77 model year car. There are 2 things I know of which make it a 77 model, its Tahiti Blue, and it has the filled in segments on the steering wheel. When I was at a recent show I was talking with another Stag owner whose car was only a few Chassis numbers before mine, but was a 76 model (it had the open steering wheel arms.) Two questions, does anyone know exactly what the model changed were for 76 to 77 and at what chase number they started producing the 77 model in late 76? Just interested.

[jbuckl]

This topic has been nicely answered before, by posting this information:-


Key Dates for Stag Production
These figures are reproduced from the book ‘Original Triumph Stag - The Restorer’s Guide’ with the kind permission of MBI Publishing Co & James Taylor. Note: Rate of production varied because Stags were built in small batches, it is therefore important to use caution when attempting to date a car from these figures. LD is Triumph code for all Non-Federal Stags. LE is Triumph code Federal Stags from approx. 1972, early Federal cars had LD prefix.



Commission Number
Production Date/Year
Production Remarks


LD1
14th November 1969
First 'off-tools' car


TD2
12th February 1970
Second 'off-tools' car


LD3
13th March 1970
First line built car


LD748
1st January 1971
First car built in 1971


LD1001¹
4th November 1971
First 'second-sanction' car


LD3900²
9th November 1971
Last 'first-sanction' car


LD10760
3rd January 1972
First car built in 1972


LD20001
17th October 1972
First 'third-sanction' car


LD14581
10th November 1972
Last 'second-sanction' car


LD21087³
2nd January 1973
First car built in 1973


LD30001
14th September 1973
First 'fourth-sanction' car


LD25432
22nd November 1973
Last ‘third-sanction’ car


LD31153
4th January 1974
First car built in 1974


LD34617
2nd January 1975
First car built in 1975


LD40001
4th September 1975
First ‘fifth-sanction’ car


LD36714
18th September 1975
Last ‘fourth-sanction’ car


LD40809
5th January 1976
First car built in 1976


LD42366*
4th August 1976
First car built on Innsbruck line


LD43908
4th January 1977
First car built in 1977


LD45722
24th June 1977
Very Last Stag


1: The earliest build record found in this sequence is actually for car 10004.


2: Build sanctions always overlapped. Thus, the first cars with the specification agreed for the 'second-sanction' (e, 1972 models) started coming off the lines before orders for 'first-sanction' cars had been fulfilled.

[Nigel W]

Thanks for the info, but I was trying to find info on the model years as opposed to the calendar year. My car is about 1200 units into the Innsbruck Line, and about 400 units before the end of the calendar year, but is there a Chassis number when the 77 model year was introduced, or did they just change bits like the steering wheel as they came into stock?

[DJT]

Model years are referred to in Triumphspeak as 'Sanctions'. 1001, 20001, 30001, 40001. Therefore the '76 MY cars started build on 4th Sept '75. After this date there were very few changes as the number was effectively up for Stag production. As for the steering wheel spoke inserts, only the very last ('77) cars had this feature, with no definitive Commission Number for introduction listed.

[mole42]

Also, the plastic infills for the steering wheel arms are easily removed, so is not really definitive.

[Tdm]

Just checked mine again out of curiosity, and because I had forgotten - my commision number is LD44729A, which makes it 993 cars before the last one (LD45722), but it wasn't 1st registered until 4th January 1978.

If you are interested in finding where other relevant numbers can be located on the car (I know because I had to clean & photograph them to get the car onto Canarian plates):- engine no. rear flange close to "V", Gearbox no. LH side gearbox casing, Diff no. stamped bottom rib (or so it says on the notes I took at the time). My engine no. is LF044359HEA.

According to my Heritage Certificate, it was manufactured at Canley, Coventry in March 1977, and when I purchased the car in July 1994, the SOC valuation put on it was £8,500.

[Nigel W]

Thanks for the feed back all. Dave, your comment that 'only the very last ('77) cars had this feature, with no definitive Commission Number for introduction listed' is very interesting. My car LD43507A was built on the 22 Nov 76, and has the infills. The car I saw at a recent show was only approx 50 before mine, and did not, although mole42's comment does of course mean this info could be wrong as the car was red and not a new to 77 colour.

[Stocky]

Mine is LD43564A, built 3 days after yours, and doesn't have the inserts.
Any PO could have removed, or inserted, the infills so surely it can't be any indicator of originality.

[HersnotHis]

Any PO could have removed, or inserted, the infills so surely it can't be any indicator of originality.

Exactly, or fitted an entire steering wheel from an earlier or later model. Mine is a late 3rd sanction model and does have steering wheel infils.......

[Nigel W]

Stocky & HersnotHis, you both make valid points, although as Stocky,s photo looks like Tahiti blue (only available for 77 I believe) possibly suggests that the inserts may have gone walkies? I also received a PM which suggests that the 77 model year was a bit of a non event, a few more colours, the inserts and a different washer pump, although mine has an after market one anyway. Thanks for all the feedback, it looks like we will never know when the 77 model year commenced. Its not important, I was just curious.

[Bob Heritage]

Thought those infils were to stop your medalions getting caught in the spokes, Ah Ah Ah Ah Staying alive staying alive

[Nigel W]

[QUOTE]Just checked mine again out of curiosity, and because I had forgotten - my commision number is LD44729A, which makes it 993 cars before the last one (LD45722), but it wasn't 1st registered until 4th January 1978.

If you are interested in finding where other relevant numbers can be located on the car (I know because I had to clean & photograph them to get the car onto Canarian plates):- engine no. rear flange close to "V", Gearbox no. LH side gearbox casing, Diff no. stamped bottom rib (or so it says on the notes I took at the time). My engine no. is LF044359HEA.

According to my Heritage Certificate, it was manufactured at Canley, Coventry in March 1977, and when I purchased the car in July 1994, the SOC valuation put on it was £8,500./QUOTE]

Terry

I was just re reading your comments, and one thing that I found curious is your engine number. I have owner 2 Stags both 76 build, and both had engine numbers slightly lower than the chassis number. My current one is 14 below, but yours is 370 below. Makes you wonder what was going on back in the day.

Nigel

[Tdm]

[QUOTE=Nigel W;378791]

Just checked mine again out of curiosity, and because I had forgotten - my commision number is LD44729A, which makes it 993 cars before the last one (LD45722), but it wasn't 1st registered until 4th January 1978.
If you are interested in finding where other relevant numbers can be located on the car (I know because I had to clean & photograph them to get the car onto Canarian plates):- engine no. rear flange close to "V", Gearbox no. LH side gearbox casing, Diff no. stamped bottom rib (or so it says on the notes I took at the time). My engine no. is LF044359HEA.
According to my Heritage Certificate, it was manufactured at Canley, Coventry in March 1977, and when I purchased the car in July 1994, the SOC valuation put on it was £8,500./QUOTE]
Terry

I was just re reading your comments, and one thing that I found curious is your engine number. I have owner 2 Stags both 76 build, and both had engine numbers slightly lower than the chassis number. My current one is 14 below, but yours is 370 below. Makes you wonder what was going on back in the day.
Nigel

Could be entirely wrong Nigel, but being as mine is an Automatic, could be they made a batch of Auto fitted engines, but then had a batch of cars to be fitted with manual gearboxes come off the production line, so had more "Auto" engines than cars to fit them it for a month or so - hence the discrepancy in numbers!?.

[Nigel W]

Who knows what they did back then! Both of mine were autos as well. It all adds to the mystery. I would of expected the engine numbers to be greater in late production, bearing in mind how many replacement units they were having to supply.

[new to this]

Ive got them on my 73 model,but did fit them extra