here is a mission for you @JeffBowlsby .
its to do with LEs.
it might get one more engine stamp number.

for 1974
all USA 2.0s were GA engines with 621 stamp.
(low comression 7.6 : 1, 95 hp.)
European 2.0s were GB engines with 620 stamp.
(high comression 8.0:1, 100 hp).

but japan
definitely the high compression engine.
8.0:1.
and japan had introduced the vapor emission system.
(along with australia).
europe did not have vapor emission system.
so its a unique engine. euro compression internals and vapor emission system.
see images below. matsuda 914 engine bay has the can in it like all usa 74s.

which meant it had to have a drilled out fan casting with the inset sleeved tube to take the blower bleed hose to the charcoal cannister. euro cars did not have that.
and given the engines were built in hanover that meant it had to be built that particular way and identified so the correct engine was delivered at osnabruk and put in the right car on the assembly line.

i'm betting that matsude 914 that @dr914 has in his collection has neither 620 or 621 stamped on it. ie it won't have a ROW number on it just because its not a USA engine. but it will be likely in the 62....X range. maybe 622?

maybe you can find out?
its interesting in terms of LE information and more broadly.
(it means there would have been a range of J spec engine stamp code numbers because they are all euro spec internals with USA vapor emission provision on the blower casting).

it will be further evidence for my theory on engine stamp numbers.
remembering its only a theory.

Click to view attachment
Click to view attachment

NICE. Verifying the engine tin number on the Matsuda Bumblebee would be in @dr914 wheelhouse.

i'm inaccurate saying the 2.o has the fan casting drilled.
that would only be the 1.7/1.8 euros that don't have that and J spec do.
instead its the nipple on the left hand side tin for a 2.0.
nevertheless the euro 2.0 does not have nipple on the tin.
so the J spec 2.0 engine has to be a combo of USA tin and Euro higher compression internals (8:1) rather than USA internals (7.6:1)

there are no J spec 74/75 1.8s. only 2.0s sold there those years.
but there were J spec 73 1.7s. they seem to have slightly higher hp equal to euro spec.
so likely the J spec 1.7s in 73 also had a dedicated stamp number for evap bleed off fan casting but euro internals or EFI set up tuning rather than USA spec.


i got tantilisingly close to the number on the 75 euro 2.0 with a car for sale in germany. there have been a number of excellent condition 2.0s for sale in germany recently,
we know the USA 75 2.0s take 924 and 925.
and whatever the euro one is its either taking up 922 or 923 or a number sequence after 925. might stumble on the number one day.

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i'm pretty sure its 74 that australia introduces the charcoal cannister evap system as a design rule. and......thats the reason you could not privately import post 73 model 914s. the two crayfords cars that came in were 73 models and a note was made in an australian motor magazine test/review that the car they were testing would be the last as 74s were no longer permissable. japan is either at the same time ---- 74 model year or a year earlier in 73. so i'm not entirely sure if 73 J spec cars got evap.
but 74 models definitely did.

found out a little bit more on japanese and australian emissions regulations.

australia introduced ADR27 for calendar year cars 1974.
japan had very similar standards in place for calendar year 1973.
both countries modeled the standards (reg) very much based on USA emissions standards that had commended in 1970 calendar year (ie late 70MY early 71MY usa market cars).

cars for japan and australia were to be equipped with evap system, closed crankcase ventilation systems (pcv) and also meet tailpipe emissions for set standards of NOX, HCPPM and CO. the important distinction was that neither japan or aust had a tight time line set for unleaded fuel introduction. in australia's case that does not come into effect until 1984. not sure on japan deadline date but its sometime well after 1973.

hence cars for japan (and theoretically aus) could retain high compression engines running on higher octane leaded. it was unleaded fuel that caused the primary drop in performance in USA market cars as compression ratios had to be lowered.

so - a J market 73 car had to have PCV, EVAP System and meet tailpipe emissions probably very similar to USA 71MY cars.

i haven't found a 73 J market car with sufficient documentation in original condition to verify the EVAP system inclusion. however its clear from @dr914 's limited documentation that the matsuda 74 LE does have it.

its also an insight into why misawa might have dropped the 1.8 from its imported range in 1974. at that point the ROW 1.8 was a twin carb high compression motor with no emissions gear tailored for euro market. it would have been extremely unlikely that it could have passed 73 J tailpipe emissions in its euro form. as an alternative the L jet 1.8 was an unleaded fuel car well down on power. so they just gave up on that one?
the 2.0 L euro high compression engine would have been tweakable on tailpipe emissions standards yet still have retained its higher euro power due to higher compression.

its also the explanation for the 73MY cutoff for crayfords rhd converted cars for private import into aus. the crayfords business model was in alliance with malaya motors UK and cars were UK spec cars set up for UK regs (headlights, etc). as such did not meet ADR27. no EVAP and likely non compliance with tailpipe emissions = end of the road for a private import RHD 914 for australia. (note cars had to be RHD in aust).