I have what I think is a 1942 WLA The enging crankcase number is 42WLA35690 But the belly numbers are 356-2063 on both halves. Does anyone know what this means?

 

Not sure you want to hear this so file it under FWIW department...

356-2063 are what are referred to as belly numbers or lower case numbers.

The '3' indicates it could be a W/WL/WLD/G/GA.

'56' designates the year of the cases; on this case 1956.

2063 are the production numbers.

So what you have are a matching set of cases.

NOW FOR THE BAD NEWS...

In 1942 they made 24,717 units of WLA models and 2467 WLC models (TTL = 27364). Your vin number is 35690 which is 8326 beyond total production numbers. Unless someone knew it it would not raise the flag during a vin check, but.......

Once the belly numbers are checked it would be obvious for this reason (above) that the vin is bad.

Additionally, HD did not make/stamp/produce that model after 1945 (another red flag withe the 56 belly numbers). WL models were on the market until 1952 however.

So what you have is a G/GA that has been during its life been re-stamped to appear to make it something it is not.

And I suppose some could argue that could it not be a 42WLA that someone re-stamped with G models belly numbers? Sure ...and pigs can fly! But here is no high-dollar "value" in G-cases, but a hell of a lot in original WLA cases.

 

Don't mean to cloud the issue but my vin is 42WLA64714. If what you say is accurate then someone has tampered with it. With that being said, when I registered it, it had to be inspected by the CHP and they said it was a good VIN. I also sent a pics of the vin and the bike to the factory where they confirmed that it was good. (Even gave me a certificate to show the CHP). So this tells me they didn't number the first one with
42WLA00001.

 

Sowersby if you want to be sure do what I did and contact the Harley Davidson Museum and they will put you in touch with the guy that can confirm the authenticity of your numbers.

 

I agree with panzer.
According to "how to restore your milit.HD" by Bruce Palmer, p.9, crankase production
numbers are as follow: 3 = 45 ci , 56= year of production. The remaining numbers stand for the sequential machining production of the crankes halves.
Otherwise, if the vin number 42WLA35690 wasn't restamped it would be motor built between May 42 and April 43

 

Sowersby, welcome to the forum. I have seen a serial number such as the one you mentioned and it was on the internet. I saved a photo of it. Some of the characters in the serial number photo I have are not the usual Harley types for a 42WLA which indicates that the serial number wasn’t stamped at the Harley factory. However, I can't really see any sign that the number boss has been altered. The cases may be a pair that weren't originally assigned with a serial number and then someone other than Harley stamped that serial number on at a later date.

The 3 at the start of the belly numbers is a code number which was first introduced for the 1948 model year. And it USUALLY indicates that the engine is a 45 cubic inch side-valve of either the W-series or the G-series. The 56 indicates that the crankcases were machined/line-bored in 1956. And 2063 represents the sequential machining production of the case halves. Because the belly numbers completely match each other that means the cases were machined together as a matching pair, provided of course that the belly numbers are authentic Harley.


According to Bruce Palmer’s 1932–52 military book, the 42WLA was produced from September 1941 through August 1945 and there are several types. But the model year stamped in as part of the serial number is the same for all of them so they all begin with 42. The number you gave may have originally been assigned to a bike assembled in the 1943 model year but it would still have had 42 stamped in at the start of the serial number. Some which were assembled in the 1945 model year can be found with serial numbers in the 70,000 range but they still have 42 at the start of the serial number.

IF your serial number is the one in the photo I have then you may have a pair of matching cases that were machined in 1956 but were never assigned a serial number. Then someone other than Harley stamped the 42WLA serial number. I can think of two possibilities regarding that:
1. The original cases were damaged and someone bought the 56 cases as a replacement set which had no serial number and then stamped the original serial number on them.
2. Or someone noticed the original factory serial number on a bike (or in a photo) somewhere and then copied that number and used it on those 56 cases.

In closing, and for future reference, the last year for the WLA was not 1945. In fact, the WLA went back into production again later on and was made for 1949–52. Information concerning the 49–52 models can be found in Bruce Palmer’s 1932–52 military book. Eric