Rupert

Thanks to both of you for taking the trouble to reply, appreciate you pointing me in the right direction. Regards, Rupert.

hi, can anyone tell me where I can obtain the correct brass eyelets/rivets used for fixing the brass endclasps on British ww2 webbing straps? Live been doing some alterations and want to re attach the brass fittings so they look right. Thanks., Rupert.

I wondered about drilling and tapping the lower end to attach a disc, but I think I'll turn a brass flange and silver solder it in place to try to recreate what it should be like.

Many thanks for confirming that Ron.

Hi, hoping that other 3HW owners may be able to help with details of the steering damper bottom nut/threaded sleeve, part number TE2692? The one I have is Brass, cylindrical, slotted for the girder fork spindle to pass through and the damper rod screws into the upper end. But it has no flange to apply pressure to the damper assembly, it just fits loosely in the hole in the middle of the plates. The photocopied parts book I have misses off the bottom end of this part in the illustration, deep joy. Any help to identify the part I have, or how to make it work would be appreciated, or otherwise any details of what I should have so I can make or modify. Many thanks, Rupert.

Aha! Thanks Ron, understood, post war additions. At least someone, at sometime in the past, made bit of an effort to put compatible parts on it rather than any old rubbish... Regards and thanks again, Rupert.

Hi, just in the middle of some remedial tin-bashing with my 1942 3HW, which has involved localised sanding through various layers of paint on the rear mudguard tailpiece. Sanding has revealed that under the expected green (looks like DBG?) is RAF blue with red oxide primer under it then base metal, the same blue is also visible here and there on the rear rack and mudguard brackets. So assuming that these parts are original to my bike which was produced 7/42 as part of contract C13948, it's feasible that these are surplus parts from the preceding RAF contract C12492, overpainted in green to suit the army? If so the rear guard tailpiece shows a detail which may or may not be known about already, if it is an original RAF finish? (Apologies if it is already common knowledge) - 3 Gold pinstripes over the RAF Blue down the centre rib. Details of these are - centre pinstripe 3/16" wide 1/8" space either side of that to a further pinstripe on either side 1/16" wide. Happy to be told that I'm barking up the wrong tree and this was all done to it in the 1970's... Rupert.

Hi Ron, that's excellent thanks, problem solved. I have the Ali cases so will turn a couple of 1/2" spacers to suit. Best regards, Rupert.

Happy new year all. On-going snagging of my 3HW. Just a minor niggle but if anybody can help with the following I'd be grateful (just trying to get the details right while I'm at it!) Re the battery tray bottom mounting to the chaincase inner; are any spacers fitted between these two parts, on the two bolts? With my battery tray resting directly on the chaincase bosses the top mounting hole to the frame stud is 1/2"too low. Cant find any spacers listed in the parts book (a couple of 1/2" nuts had been used as spacers when I removed the tray). Is my battery tray incorrect/from a different model? Could anybody confirm the height of the 3HW battery tray from base plate to top mounting hole centre please? I'm just checking I'm not missing part of the jigsaw here before I reach for the hacksaw and welding torch... Regards and thanks, Rupert.

Hi Jenkinov, thanks for that info, it fits with what I thought may be the case at BSA, somebody there acting on behalf of the army to oversee or maybe accept the vehicle by attaching the data plate. It would possibly make sense that that process may have been done in batches, hence the small range of date stamps in the larger contracts and the single dates found for smaller batches, made easier by the date being month and year, not individual days. Heres best guess for the process at the moment, happy for anybody to shoot holes through it - Engine number stamped as engine is completed. Frames drilled with pop rivet holes for Data plate immediately prior to being put on assembly line Engine fitted to frame already on production line with some parts already added. Engine number copied onto frame. Sometime between then and completion of the bike, I.e before the tank is fitted - Data plates stamped on the bench with serial number (which links directly to the frame number) and date before being pop riveted on the bike. Data plate serial number entered alongside frame number in despatch book Rupert.

Hi Richard, the other factor which points to the brass plate being fitted at BSA is that the serial number on it is recorded in the BSA despatch books against the frame number. Agreed re contract dates. Re the GN models, my understanding is that the service records for these machines are currently missing. I have the BSA despatch information for all of them, and a couple of anecdotes of them in service.

Hi Richard, that's interesting, I'll check again but havnt yet seen a date stamp after the bike was despatched from BSA? I had assumed the plate was attached to the frame at BSA as it is awkward to drill the frame and pop rivet it in place once the tank is fitted. New spare frames are not pre-drilled for the plate. Do you remember seeing any bikes having the plate attached in army depots? Rupert

Hi all, just doing some research into BSA WDB40 production. Re the Brass Data Plate usually found pop riveted to the near side headstock gusset plate on British Army WDB40's. The date stamp on these plates is always after the contract date (contract number is shown on the plate) and usually before, never after, the despatch date given by BSA. So exactly what does the date relate to? Best guess so far is it's the date that the brass plate is attached to the frame during assembly, I.e. The point it actually becomes a British Army vehicle. Anybody have a better suggestion for the meaning of the date or knowledge regarding the stamping proceedures for brass plates on other British army vehicles in the 1960's? Thanks in hopeful anticipation, Rupert.

Thanks, had a look at that link, It's all about there 'the line' is drawn... At least they're not metric!

And if you turn up one of the brackets you removed at some point I'd be interested thanks, I think the pannier set up may be the way to go.