What year is mine & what badges?

[Alfadog]

"whether or not he has the retracts for the seat belts"

They dont retract.

"whether his fuel vapor recovery tank is metal or plastic"

Where's that? And more importantly, WHAT is that???

I have the hand throttle and choke, although they aren't connected atm...

"The tool storage compartments in the Series I were not compartments in the true sense of the word. They were Plastic Covers that hinged from a floor bracket to the vertical steel that comprises the rear axle "step". The tools, handle, rod and the wrench were put in a bag and the jack was mounted below. The cover just hinged up and hid it from view. Think of the tray table in an airplane and you get the general idea. The covers had 3 sides as well as the face of the cover. The fourth side was where the hinge went. One side was bigger than the other, but don't recall which.

When they did away with the Series I Tool Storage, what they did was cut two holes on the floor of the rear deck, closest to the seats, and put a pair of hinged covers with a latch that you turned to open it. The space directly behind the seats was no longer used for tool storage at all, the tool storage was now hidden underneath the floor carpeting on the rear deck."

My storage bins are just behind the seats, in the parcel shelf....

I'm pretty sure now that my car is a series 2 ...

[EScanlon]

Although it is definitely pointing to a Series II there are still a couple items that could make it a Series I.

You haven't mentioned if you do in fact HAVE the vents in the C-Pillar. That is, do you have the round "Z" emblem just aft of the quarter lights? (this indicates a Series II)

As far as the retracts on the seat belts, look on the floorpan, near where the seat belt bolts to. Is there a "pocket" there? If there is that's the pocket for the seat belt retract mechanism. (This indicates a Series III)

The Throttle Cable and Choke Cable side by side is definitely a Series I and an early one at that by US standards. The throttle cable was obsoleted very early, as it was deemed a safety hazard.

How about your doors? 2 step detent?

And lastly the fuel tank vapor recovery unit is hidden behind the plastic panel on the same side as the fuel tank access door. (Right Hand Side, unless you RHD chaps really are completely flipped around.) It's a minor point, but as Mike can atest, it is an indicator.

[jcdozier]

Alfadog:

The storage bins do point to a Type-II car, despite the 1970 registration. As EScanlon noted in an earlier post, "Items or features of the car that are not easily removed or replaced are easier to use to "type" the car than items that are a known weak spot and hence easily and commonly replaced".

When one considers what is more easily replaced, items such as the rear hatch, the seats, the doors and the center console do come to mind. The interior rear deck, where the bins are, doesn't seem as likely a replacement.

Since you haven't been able to locate the MVSS tag that lists the build date, (perhaps an indication that the quarter panel, including the door pillar, has been replaced??) I guess all one has to go on is the "replacement logic". I suggest you check the door detents. pillar vents, retractor pockets and the vapor recovery tank. Then look at how many, (and what kind of) Type-I and Type-II "indicators" you have and make your judgment call.

Good luck.