Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Classic Morgans (pre-CX) Crosshead numbers

I have just had the crosshead chemically stripped of paint and rust prior to refurbishment. Now its back to bare steel I noticed some stamping on the top bracket where the Kingpin locates. the nearside is stamped V4/1/68. I assumed this to be a date stamp as the car was built late 1968 but not sure what the V indicates. I then noticed that the offside bracket is also stamped this time with V4/1/67.

It seems odd that one is 68 and one 67 unless whoever stamped the brackets picked up the wrong stamp, a 7 instead of an 8. or could it be that the brackets are stamped individually and then just picked out of a box and brazed to the crosshead.

Anyone else seen these stamps and are they a manufacturing date?

If I remember rightly the bracket you describe is either a casting or forging so it could be the manufacturing date.

My 1950 Auster has quite a few parts stamped 1949. And each part has its own stamp and manufacturing date so Morgan, being of the same era and ilk, is likely to follow the same procedure. Just a guess.

Think it's a casting, same as the lugs on a two or three speeder three wheelers chassis.

Yes bracket was the wrong terminology, it is either a casting or forging.

They are part numbers.
My car, built in early 65, has the same numbers.
Sorry for the poor picture quality, but you should get the idea...

Great, thanks for that, it clears up a small mystery.