Gearbox id

[a10sausage]

i am just wondering if anybody out there has any id what the two x x are for on the gearbox..one line of thought was that it was a mark stamped on by a bsa main dealer when it was under warranty and a gearbox repair was carried out...somebody out there must know !

[trevinoz]

I have the same stampings on my plunger boxes.
Possibly an inspection mark. There are letters stamped in various places on the frame and engine.
Trev.

[a10sausage]

So im not alone....i wonder if this was a common practice by the dealers and bsa...anybody else out there with these marks !

[coater87]

 I don't know if this applies here, but I did hear about this type of thing in the past.

 Most manufacturers have a Quality Assurance program in one form or another. Maybe every fiftieth (or whatever number) gearbox was pulled off the line and hooked to a mule set-up. Here it was run through the paces, and when all went well it got stamped and was noted.

 If gearbox number 250 passed, but 300 did not for whatever reason- they knew they only had to check back 49 boxes (more then likely number 275 would have been checked right off to split the difference).

 Maybe those XX marks were the Q.A. passed symbol. I know some early AMC (auto) rear axles had a capitol "I" on each side of the serial number- and this caused huge confusion for restorers!

 Lee

[a10sausage]

hi lee....it would make sense for bsa to do that testing to make sure quality standards are being met...and to locate any bad gearbox production faults...you may be on the right track with that idea...cheers !

[BSA_54A10]

Those little marks you find all over the place are either clearence or matching marks so that machined sets stay together or the other parts fitted to them maintain the proper clearences.
In BSA's days economic machining tollerances were 10+ times larger than they are today so holes that were a bit bigger needed to be fitted with shafts that were a bit bigger

[alanaitch]

Hi a10sausage!
just a small point: judging by the photo you posted of your gearbox, I'd say you've got the wrong clutch cable fitted.  You need one with a threaded adjuster at the gearbox end, which screws into the slotted hole in the gearbox inner cover.
regds
alan

[a10sausage]

thanks alan...i think your right about the clutch cable...one job for the future!

cheers
andy