GLR99

Here's my 3HW showing the carb disassembly and rebuild; https://youtu.be/ni5WF0mPoYc

This is my lovely Triumph being started. It is a 1938 frame with a 3HW engine that was assembled under a military contract in April 1943. It was sent to Italy after the war where it was formally registered in 1950. It formed part of the same private collection from the early 1960s until 2015 when I bought the bike.https://youtu.be/btMCkBOQYBg

Thanks Ron, The lower frame tubes are definitely "squashed". Sometime this winter I'll take the tank and handlebars off and see if I can scrape away enough paint to see the numbers. Cheers, Gareth

Thanks Jenkinov, That appears to be the case because the registration documents (from 1950) show it to be a 1938 bike. Obviously the owner would have wanted to show it as a 1943 bike i.e. the age of the engine, but the authorities must have forced him to use the age of the frame (as there is only a frame number shown on the Italian documents) to date the bike. So instead of having a 7 year old Triumph, he was forced to have a 12 year old bike. I've looked everywhere for other stamps on the frame but found nothing. I live 10 miles from the NMM and will be down there next Saturday for their open day and will take your advice and have a look then. Thanks again for your help. Best regards Gareth

Hi Ron, I've scraped a bit more paint off the frame and cannot find a TL stamp on the headstock. Hope that helps.... Cheers, Gareth

Thanks guys, you've posed a lot of questions ! I'll try to answer them; Frame number and location The only stamping I can find on the frame is on the left hand side of the headstock (see photo). Sorry for the earlier error - I was talking about the frame number on my L2/1. I've attached some photos of the top of the headstock which does not appear to have any markings - I'm reluctant to scrape off the paint to check further. I've also attached some photos from under the seat and again it doesn't appear that there are any numbers stamped there either. What is interesting is that the area where the frame number is was scraped clean by the seller and it shows that under the class black enamel paint there is a beige (sand colour?) primer. Petrol tank cut short ? I don't think the tank is the shortened variety but have a look at the photos. Field stand lug It doesn't look like there is a field stand lug welded onto the frame Engine Finally, here's a photo of the engine stamping I appreciate your help in sorting out the history of my lovely Tina. Cheers, Gareth

Thanks for the prompt reply Ron and don't worry about offending me - I'll always bow to the facts. I'm guessing the front end has had a bump because, as you say, the forks are different, as is the front hub and the wheels have alloy rims which I wouldn't expect someone to fit unless they had to make a change for one reason or another. That might also explain the different (but very good) headlight and the speedo drive. I found out today that the speedo drive is not original when I tried to get a replacement cable ! The frame number is stamped on the LHS of the gusset plate welded behind the headstock and simply says 39866. I'll try and post a picture. The centre stand was definitely an after market addition because it is great (!) but hard to find with your foot sometimes. Thanks again for your help guys. Cheers, Gareth

I've got a Triumph which is a Tiger 80 look alike with a 1938 model frame (39866) and a 3HW engine (46708). It was registered in Italy in 1950 stating 1938 as the year of manufacture (I see from the Orchard & Madden book that it was assembled under an April 1943 contract) but I was wondering if there was any history that any of the learned members of this forum could provide? Is there anything I should be looking for / wary of? Thanks in advance Gareth

Hello, I'm a bike collector based in England and have a selection of Honda race bikes, Italian exotica, and pre-war Triumphs. I'm in my mid 50s, work in the oilfield, and like to mess about with engines. My Triumphs are a 1925 Model P, a 1934 L2/1 and a 1938 Tiger 80 / 3HW. Cheers, Gareth