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MG MGA - Markings on Block

Hi All
Started rebuild the engine today and found these markings on the underside of the block next to the front bearing block. Any ideas what they mean?
Thanks Brian


Brian Paddon

Good puzzle. Perhaps some sort of production coding in the machine shop? The 9127th block in 1960. Inspected by foreman 'E'.

Steve
Steve Gyles

If I recall correctly, some things were recorded by week. 91st in week 27 of 1960?
Shane
Shanerj

Shane

That looks logical. The '1' is more heavily imprinted, so is the number likely to be changed more often. It, and the 7, are also slightly out of alignment compared to the other numbers, suggesting they are on a rotary stamp.

Steve
Steve Gyles

I have the same puzzle. Must be some type of batch number. My 1600 block engine number 16GAU16771 has the numbers 20-52-60 stamped in the same place. Photo attached

As the motor is from an Australian car the engine number is stamped direct onto the block and also part engine number 16771 is stamped at the back of the block.

From the engine number this would not be a last week of 1960 engine. So must be some batch numbers

Russell


R J Goebel

Russell

The 1600 engine numbers were from 101 to 31660. This would presumably put your block mid range 1960/61? What date is your car? Were the engines made in the UK and shipped out to Australia for final assembly?

Steve
Steve Gyles

Russell,

What is the chassis number (VIN) of your car?
The chassis numbers of each batch of CKD cars sent to Australia, some with shipping dates, is held at Gaydon.
I have a copy of the list.

Mick
M F Anderson

Steve,

The engine 16771 is a spare motor. Don't know where engine assembly took place. There were Australian manufactured and assembled BMC engines for various Austin, Morris & Wolseley cars in AUS, but not for MG as far as I am aware.

Mick,

The engine in the car is 27962, Car number is 8 96780 1005

My understanding is as under;

8 = 1960 production
96780 = UK chassis number
1005 = AUS assembly number (started at 501 for the 1600)

Would be very interested in any details you have available. Please e-mail auslander2010@gmail.com

Russell
R J Goebel

It is quite possible that the numbers stamped in the block are employee numbers assigned to the inspectors that were responsible for quality control on the line.
.... CR
C.R. Tyrell

Russell,

As your engine number 16771 does not belong in your car any date of the car itself is of no value.
Steve's estimate is probably the best you are going to get.
Just for interest though your car chassis number 96780 was a CKD unit shipped to Australia on the 11th. august 1960 in a shipment of 20 cars, numbers 96779 to 96798 inclusive.
It would have been assembled at the Pressed Metal Corporation in Enfield, Sydney soon after arrival as there was a backlog of orders for the MGA.
I will send that list to you.

Mick
M F Anderson

Brian also asked the question on the other forum. One of the guys posted a picture showing his markings as 92 95 60E. That rather puts paid to the second pair of digits being the week. It looks more likely to be a sequence of the 4 numbers, plus year and suffix letter, in this case E. Perhaps the sequence was always 4 numbers. When 9999 was reached within a specific year the suffix letter increased by one and the numbering returned to 1001?

Steve
Steve Gyles

This sounds like a job for Bletchley Park and the Enigma Code breaking team!
DLD

About 10 years ago I looked into this. I found one 1960 MKI with engine markings 148 48 60 reportedly built Aug '60. Note the 5 digits 148 48. I only had 2 engines to work with back then. From that small sampling, I tested whether the 1st two numbers should be combined into one longer number. I took that longer number divided by the number of cars built in that year and multiplied by 52. If that theory was right, that would give me the approximate week the engine was built. That also assumes a constant build rate, which is not reality. The engine markings did not give me a very good correlation to car build dates. It could be due to bad input on my part.

I assume that engine 16771 was built around the 7th week of 1960 based on an even run rate of 325 engines per week in 1960 and a starting engine number of 14258. According to my 10 year old theory, the numbers 20-52-60 (20520 would suggest a build of the 6th week and an engine serial number of around 16310. The real and estimated engine serial numbers work out to be only 461 apart.

If true. the OP's engine would be around serial number 23384 and the car would have been built around mid July '60.

I'm thinking that perhaps the block stampings are either the machining or assembly numbers, not direct serial numbers. If that were true, then the engine serial number would always be higher than the block stamping.

It would be interesting to get the block markings, associated engine serial numbers and car VIN's of several more 1960 engines to fill in the blanks and test my theory further. I could apply this to 1500 and 1622 engines too.
Chuck Schaefer

Very hard to see here but mine is marked 5 29 59 E Since my 1600 was built in June of 59 I just assumed it was a date,not a code. Sadly my engine serial tag is long gone


gary starr

I see it as 5-22-59 E

I doubt it's a date, we Brits put DD/MM/YY.
Geoff_MGB

Gary, Thanks for your number. Funny, yours is just a couple off from somebody's (I don't know who) I had from 10 years ago. It was 5-22-59. I need some more numbers in order to find some pattern. '59 is the tough year since 1500 cut off in May and the 1600 started. If my guess is right, these markings started over serial/year on the 1600. Still not sure yet.

I can use 1500 markings too if that helps.
Chuck Schaefer

Gary, I did a search in the archives and found your engine as one I had not identified the owner in my spreadsheet. You posted it then as 5-22-59, which is what I read in your pencil etching posted then, not 5-29-59

http://www2.mg-cars.org.uk/cgi-bin/gen5?runprog=mgbbs&access=&mode=archiveth&subject=6&subjectar=6&thread=200412160038508850
Chuck Schaefer

Good thing I took a tracing Chuck I have no idea why I wrote 5 29 so long ago. Can't remember what I had for breakfast ;)
Geoff and I know better too, it just seemed to fit so I didn't think any further!
gary starr

Ive got a 1622 / 26 58 62 engine # 16GC UH 8478.

The car....I have no info on.
Steven Devine

This thread was discussed between 04/12/2015 and 15/12/2015

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