Forum

[Hugh]

I wonder if anyone has any comments on this. My 57 Bullet has an engine number in the G2 16000 range. The owners club tells me it went to a dealer in Bishop Stortford (Searings)in 1949 but seems to have been returned to the factory and fitted in my 1957 Bullet. The factory ledger has been amended and my engine number is out of sequence with those around it (see later). The frame number is now range 38000+ but under the Hitchcocks parts book for 38400 where modifications were made although mine does have the new breather fitting - engine number below this. I was wondering if anyone can advise what modifications would be needed on a 1949 engine to get it to 1957. In looking at the parts books they seem similar but different - e.g. magnito 57 mag dynamo 49.

The delivery of this bike took place in 1957 to Blackpool (Whittakers dealership). The owners club given the amendment to the factory ledgers state that it is a 'matching' engine with frame as no after market modification like a new engine in an old frame would be in the factory ledger. The old green log sheet has the relevant matching numbers to my frame and engine. The bike is very pure for 1957 with the exception of 12 volt electrics. Is this an example of RE recycling before it came into fashion? Any views would be helpful I wondered for example if Enfield sent out engines to dealers as some sort of marketing display and the engine would then be returned at some point. I am interested to find out what I can as been trying to follow owners through the green log book and have had some interesting feedback from those I could contact. Any responses would add to this picture. See also The GUN OCT-Dec 2008 for some details on getting it going again.

Regards to all,

Hugh

[vince]

Hi, the engines are totally different and parts not interchangeable,smaller bigend, barrel,head, crank, square pump covers and no bulge for A/R pinion. The breather is through the crankshaft and out the bottom of the chaincase. I'm more inclined to think you have a 57 engine with 49 number. Vince

[Adrian]

I found a 2008 issue of The Gun while attempting to tidy the garage yesterday, and if that was your red 350 with the alloy rims in the article I saw, it certainly looks like a '57 engine with the SR1 mag and alternator chain case.



A.

[Hugh]

Hi Adrian. That's the one although as said in owners club letter they matched the engine nember to the original factory ledger with the 16000 number written in as per original post. It has the Lucas mag which is superb at starting incidentally and looks like the standard engine so maybe will remain a mystery. Given the written in ledger number and the green log book matches although a continuation sheet I believe its engine wise as left Redditch. The alloy wheels are non standard as I forgot about them on a slightly bigger wheel but they are after market. Thanks for the response - again. Hugh

[Norm]

Well heaven forbid, I guess somebody has re-stamped the engine numbers, now how could that possibly happen?

[Hugh]

I don't think so Norm as I believe I would spot it if they were not so obviously the originals. Also if this were the case iit would have done at the factory given the ledger entry so given your theory can you suggest why this could have happened. Hugh

[Bullet Whisperer]

In the good old days before the DVLA and mountains of red tape, if you blew an engine up, you could get a new unstamped one to put in to replace it. Bent frame? A new, unstamped one could be had to rebuild your bent / broken bike. It was ASSUMED that the original numbers would be stamped on the replacement items for either case, BUT, as an example, I have an unstamped NOS Triumph Tiger Cub plunger frame and an unstamped set of NOS sidepoints crankcases for a later type of Cub. I could stamp anything I wanted onto either of these items. I assume RE probably also sold unstamped replacement parts such as these for repair purposes?

[Hugh]

Thanks BW adds to my knowledge as something I didn't know. It would seem to remain a puzzle in the sense of the factory ledger engine number being written in against the actual frame number pre dispatch to dealer in Blackpool. To me strongly suggests was done at the factory as I can't see any other explanation and in green log book though I regard the factory ledger as stronger evidence of Redditch's action. In the sense of I will never willingly sell the bike I am just trying to explore history and carry on learning about it. Cheers, Hugh

[Hugh]

Thanks BW adds to my knowledge as something I didn't know. It would seem to remain a puzzle in the sense of the factory ledger engine number being written in against the actual frame number pre dispatch to dealer in Blackpool. To me strongly suggests was done at the factory as I can't see any other explanation and in green log book though I regard the factory ledger as stronger evidence of Redditch's action. In the sense of I will never willingly sell the bike I am just trying to explore history and carry on learning about it. Cheers, Hugh

[Wheaters]

In the 1970s BSA and Triumph made it more difficult to "adjust" or clone the identity of an engine by etching multiple copies of their respective company logos onto the flat space where the number was stamped. If the engine was supposedly produced after this practice was introduced but didn't have the etched logo, it was unlikely to be the original crankcases or if they were, the original number had been milled off and the engine given a "new" identity.

Having said that, whoever stamped the number on my 350 Electra's engine must have used a 14lb sledge hammer!