From:Russell Hughes e-mail:russellhugheskj@yahoo.com
Subject:RE: RE: RE: RE: 1917-19 Hendersons numberig Date:Thu Aug 12 19:23:09 2010
Response to:3006

Steve your not correct, I don't have a stack of cases in front of me at this time to examine and point it out but the date information is part of the castings. It is latent data but it is there but I am the first to admit that I don't know everything about castings...bottom pours, hot tops, hanging pockets, loose patterns, stack pours, zip slip and don't forget when to use potatoes.

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Russell, you are apparenly not familiar wih the Detroit Henderson case castings. Unlike, K, D and KJ, the Deroit cases do not have casting dates. Even though, the brothers sold to Scwhinn in 1917, the blocks for 1918 and 1919 carry the same part numbers in the books. There were either sufficient cases cast in 1917 to carry over or the 1917 patterns were used as Schwinn and his engineers contemplated the new K bike for model year 1920. The upper case carried a boss on the left side of the flywheel for a stamping. The engine number was also stamped on the thin flange above the timing gears with a corresponding stamping adjacent on the timing cover and the pan was stamped as well. There were also multiple internal stampings of the engine number on main bearing caps, obviously to insure a matched motor on subsequent tear downs and rebuilds after initial assembly.

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Im trying to answer this from my phone so if the message is mixed up you will understand. This wont help with your original request but it may be of interest. Yo have seen the alphanumeric data on you upper and lower case that has a date with it. That cast in date does not help you much as it was pattern and casting information. Those large parts were cast in large lots every month or so. also there were multiple patterns involved that could cause further confusion without the pattern identification numbers. So you could have a case from last year with everything else being correct. I hope this at least interesting. I have posted more information on this subject in an earlier posting under my name. Sorry i dont have the post number, Russell----- ORIGINAL MESSAGE FOLLOWS -----
Ross, the quick answer o your question is that no accurrate numbering system from the factory exists today. The closest list known was one prepared by Ballock, a St. Louis dealer, that you may have seen. The 1917 models never carried a letter designation on the motor. I owned one that was 87xx and have never seen or heard of a '17 motor reaching five digits. Ballock shows the 1918 models o carry an "H" prefix and the '19 models "Z" or "2Z". I did have a case with the "2H" as you, so that numbering sequence obviously existed. I've noticed frame numbers all the way up to KJs but I've never been able to figure out a correlation with the motor number.Some years ago, I had an opportunity to look through the contents of the Schwinn Library that were transferred to the AMA Museum. I specifically looked for annual production info, serial numbers, numbering sequences,etc but could not find any. While many of Will Henderson's original plans for the Detroit years models were saved, there was scant little other info except for a few catalogs. There wasn't much of anything for the '18-19 years period. While more info existed for K model and up, it wasn't as much as to be expected and there seemed to be a "hole" in it for the period '25-26. Starting with K model and later, I think the Ballock list becomes fairly accurate based on the bikes and motors I've seen over the years but it would be nice to have more factory data.This is the best I know but perhaps somebody can add more. ----- ORIGINAL MESSAGE FOLLOWS -----Hi,I have only recenly got onto this forum as I thought it was only for KJ's. I noticed the forum had the article on my restoring the 1917-19 down under. Since that article got around I have restored the original engine and am now working a second 1917/18.The reason 1919 was mentioned in the article is that there is a numbering system around that has a 2H engine put out in that year. I dispute that as the sumps on my 2H were made in May 1918 and the bike was first registered early in 1919 and it would have taken up to two months to be shipped to Australia.If any one has acurate numbering for the 1917 to 1919 bikes with both frames and engines I would be keen to get a copy. The numbering on the frame I am currently working on was rusted out, hence my query.
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