Fun with 42WLA Engine Numbers

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17thAirborne
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Re: Fun with 42WLA Engine Numbers

Post by 17thAirborne » Thu Sep 08, 2016 10:34 am

Another Type III crank case for sale somewhere. What do you think of the stamping?
engine 5.jpg
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Oz

Feb 43 GPW 98532 USA 20206257
Oct 70 Land Rover Series 2a 25334079G NZ16GF36
http://gpw.castraponere.com/ (My Restoration Page)


Lib45
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Re: Fun with 42WLA Engine Numbers

Post by Lib45 » Fri Sep 09, 2016 6:55 am

Looks fine and legit to me.

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Re: Fun with 42WLA Engine Numbers

Post by Spider-Man » Fri Sep 09, 2016 8:10 pm

Hi Oldabewla,

What an interesting post, I'm super interested to see if you can assist me locate some kind of path in history for my bike?.

I have read the information on the liberators site, and the Bruce Palmer book, I know/believe that my bike ended up in Ireland later in its life and due to the numbers....

42 WLA 39447

Think it's a IV type, April 43- August 43

It then came here to the Middle East, but prior to Ireland is there a way of trying to find the path it took, maybe by the Lendlease programme or registered vehicles to particular country's in War during WW11


Look forward to your feedback

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Re: Fun with 42WLA Engine Numbers

Post by Lib45 » Sat Sep 10, 2016 12:28 am

Yes, that's an early type IV:

Type IV April 1943-August 1943 42WLA39230-42WLA50829 U.S.A.-671621-U.S.A.-683220

Since civilian production was as good as nill (only on request and approval from the WD), yours should be fairly easy to figure out.

(50829-39230) + 1 = 11600 WLA/WLC's produced within (April to August) 4 months..that makes (11600 / 17 weeks) about 682 bikes a week.
Yours is 39447, 200~ish higher then the (probably) first, so still in the first week of Type IV production: so still April 1943.
Your (guesstimate!!) WD number is (671621 + (39447 - 39230 + 1) 671839.
Now for the Lend-Lease part..; as long as the US Department of Defense won't provide us with those documents, one can only guess where your bike went.
Type IV's went to Russia for the best part, from there to the Middle East is quite possible since the russians used them on both their west-front (Poland-Germany) and their south (Black See, Mongolia, Turkey).


Feel free to jump in if you think I made a mistake..

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Re: Fun with 42WLA Engine Numbers

Post by Spider-Man » Sat Sep 10, 2016 1:36 am

Thank you for your feedback

Mark

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Re: Fun with 42WLA Engine Numbers

Post by 17thAirborne » Tue Sep 13, 2016 5:07 pm

Another out of Russia on ebay. Notice the difference in the two 4's of the year stamp "44" on the crank case half.
rmgomr6.jpg
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Oz

Feb 43 GPW 98532 USA 20206257
Oct 70 Land Rover Series 2a 25334079G NZ16GF36
http://gpw.castraponere.com/ (My Restoration Page)

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Re: Fun with 42WLA Engine Numbers

Post by Lib45 » Sun Sep 18, 2016 11:53 am

Here's another case for an early type III.
Cast in Nov '41..it seems legit.
$_1.JPG
$_1.JPG (43.14 KiB) Viewed 3045 times
$_1 (1).JPG
$_1 (1).JPG (47.46 KiB) Viewed 3045 times
$_1 (2).JPG
$_1 (2).JPG (30.33 KiB) Viewed 3045 times

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Re: Fun with 42WLA Engine Numbers

Post by OLDABEWLA » Mon Sep 19, 2016 9:27 am

I have cases 42WLA 19246 with production belly number 19753 With (D2) casting number.

Interesting 42WLA19246 mine
- 42WLA19127 ebay
= 119 from each other on serial numbers

Belly production numbers
19753 mine
-19549 ebay
= 204 away from each other production numbers.

Shows how mixed the number productions were assembled.
☆42WLA Harley-Davidson #19,246 Type III

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Re: Fun with 42WLA Engine Numbers

Post by 17thAirborne » Sun Jan 29, 2017 6:42 pm

Another
vin_64duo (1).jpg
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Oz

Feb 43 GPW 98532 USA 20206257
Oct 70 Land Rover Series 2a 25334079G NZ16GF36
http://gpw.castraponere.com/ (My Restoration Page)

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17thAirborne
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Re: Fun with 42WLA Engine Numbers

Post by 17thAirborne » Sun Jan 29, 2017 6:46 pm

and another
a.jpg
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Oz

Feb 43 GPW 98532 USA 20206257
Oct 70 Land Rover Series 2a 25334079G NZ16GF36
http://gpw.castraponere.com/ (My Restoration Page)

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Re: Fun with 42WLA Engine Numbers

Post by Lib45 » Mon Jan 30, 2017 9:58 am

Steve do you have the casenumbers and tagdata of these last two cases too?
Please add them to the Yahoo list..

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Re: Fun with 42WLA Engine Numbers

Post by 17thAirborne » Mon Jan 30, 2017 1:08 pm

Lib45 wrote:Steve do you have the casenumbers and tagdata of these last two cases too?
Please add them to the Yahoo list..

Sorry, but I was unable to get those pieces of information. I thought it would be nice to see just a few more VINs for the record. The more examples we see the better.
Oz

Feb 43 GPW 98532 USA 20206257
Oct 70 Land Rover Series 2a 25334079G NZ16GF36
http://gpw.castraponere.com/ (My Restoration Page)

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Re: Fun with 42WLA Engine Numbers

Post by bpinkerton » Wed May 08, 2019 6:16 pm

Great information but wow a lot to take in. I’m looking at 42WLA52902 selling in my local area the guy has done an incredible job restoring it but during our conversation he confirmed the case numbers didn’t match. The case number is 44-7151 which based on the vin was made some time early November, which means the case that was made in 44 could be correct. The bad news is that the other number being 75737 on the adjoining case. No clue what that means. The comment was this was a war time Jeep and work in the field the mechanics just got them working again. Wonder what you all think?

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Re: Fun with 42WLA Engine Numbers

Post by OLDABEWLA » Wed May 08, 2019 7:36 pm

The 75737 lower production number would be a servi-car case number.
I'm not up that well on the post war production belly numbers but after 1952 the WL's & WLA's were done and servi-cars were only 45s engines being built until 1973.
The numbers could be 1975 #737 not sure if Harley did replacement cases after 1973 but it's not a war time case.

WWII motorcycle engine rebuilding was done in the rear and most cases they would just switch out the engine with a new engine if the bike needed major engine fixing.

Craig
☆42WLA Harley-Davidson #19,246 Type III

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Re: Fun with 42WLA Engine Numbers

Post by bpinkerton » Thu May 09, 2019 3:19 pm

Thanks this is really helpful, so based on this should probably stay away from this one?


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