Triumph 5ta engine year

baz

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Could somebody tell me what year a unit triumph 5ta engine number 5ta h16744 would be?
This one has points in the timing cover and I'm not sure that's correct?
 
According to Roy Bacons Triumph Twins and Triples, it’s 1960 (H11512 to H18611).

Elsewhere, he says that twins had distributors to ’62. I’ve no idea if this is right.
 
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According to Roy Bacons Triumph Twins and Triples, it’s 1960 (H11512 to H18611).
Yep that seems correct
I don't know that much about the smaller unit twins
But I'm guessing what I have is an early 5ta with a late timing cover and exhaust camshaft?
 

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You can see that the dizzy drive hole has been plugged. Later points on the side engines did not have the drive hole etc machined.

I think modifying dizzy engines in this way was very common over the years.
 
You can see that the dizzy drive hole has been plugged. Later points on the side engines did not have the drive hole etc machined.

I think modifying dizzy engines in this way was very common over the years.
It would rather it was an end fed crank later model
But I've checked the timing side bush and there's zero up and down movement so that's ok
 
I worked on one of those for a mate of mine. I think the first 5TAs arrived in 1960. The 5T finished in 1959, and would have had the distributor where the magneto was on the pre-unit Triumphs. My 500cc Triton was made out of 650 bits, but with a 63mm stroke billet crank. The crank in the unit 500s was 65mm stroke. But the only ones which had a proper bearing in the timing side, came in 1973. I saw a complete bike at a swap meet for $2500. The motor would have been eligible for pre-63 historic racing, but it would have involved making gears. The Percy Tate 500cc Triumph which beat the MV500 at Spa was a development of that motor. My 500cc short stroke Triton could beat any other 500cc four stroke racer. It badly needed 6 gears. Any four stroke engined bike which can beat a 1962 Manx is good.
 
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