[6pack] Date Coding

[John Macartney]

John Cyg wrote:

> Did Triumph (or their contract foundries) date code their engine and head castings?  If so, how 
> are these read?

John, heads were certainly coded, though not by date. Because there were many different engine 
specifications for overseas markets, you could find several different coded heads at any one time. 
The code that most people miss - but is in fact the key reference # is usually obscured by the valve 
cover. On the 6 cyl engine, you'll find it on a flat surface between valves 3 and 4, where #1 valve 
is at the front of the engine. Lots of people (mistakenly) tend to use casting numbers but these 
aren't always the guide you need. For many years, the company required its foundries to cast in 
their own reference #s to identify which foundry had made the head in the event of machining and 
warranty problems.

The best way to identify any Standard Triumph head is to use the Stanpart number AND the cylinder 
head code together.

Jonmac