ok been reading alot just finding out what ive got to start with
dunno if engine numbers been covered over here? sorry if it has as im about to post on it lol.
i copied this from a member"str8lolly" about defining your reliant engine further.. he posts..
heres what we have gentlemen. First part was originally from Elvis old forum that I saved many moons ago. Seems to agree with Reliant service bulletins. Add, subtract what you will and we should end up with a really good insight into the engines.
The first section of an 850 engine number denote year and month.
A=Jan, B=Feb, C=Mar, D=Apr, E=May, F=Jun, G=July H=August J=september
6=1976, 7=1977, 8=1978, 9=1979, 0=1980, 1=1981, 2=1982, 3=1983, 4=1984, 5=1985, 6=1986, 7=1987
I can just about confirm this!
We know the second section is the engine size i.e. 85 = 850cc.
The third section appears to be a consecutive numbering of engines.
SO....
2D/85/65955 is an 850cc engine made in April'82
3D/85/69696 is an 850cc engine made in April'83
If we subtract the two engine numbers we get 3741 which should be, roughly, the number of Reliant engines produced in that 12 month period.
Something odd seems to happen to this number in the late seventies...but that's another problem!!!!!
PHEW! Does that seem to make sense?
Makes sense as my daughters 1983 Rialto has the engine number 3D/85/69696! But it does mean that the car was built in April and sold/registered 21/May/1983! Built and sold in a month, good going by anyones standards. Actually makes sense with my Robin engine number 9L/85/57630 Which would mean being built in September 1979 and sold/registered in February 1980. Suggests the Rialto was built to order for a customer while the Robin was built for a showroom.
We all seem to miss that the registration date will not be the build date of the engine.
My thanks to the members of R3W for the following contributions.
I've dug around and found a photocopied list of principle engine changes for Regal and Rebel. Six digit numbers begining with the number 7 are Rebel engines.
600cc
87367 Distributor was lowered.
88758 Gudgeon pins enlarged to 9/16" diameter.
91700 (c. Mar '66) Oil supply to rockers modified.
93860 Crank pulley bolt changed to 3/8" UNF.
101090 Three studs added to the side of the head/block.
107142, 700001 (c. Nov '67) TW7B Full flow oil filter and 30IZ Zenith carburettor.
700cc
115915, 700491 (Jun/Aug '68) 700cc introduced. Distributor rotation now anti-clockwise. Electrics now negative earth.
117572 Water outlet branch changed
129628, 700904 Timing chain tensioner fitted.
136204, 700981 Water pump improved.
141460, 701041 Crankshaft sealing changed.
142300, 701052 Sealed crankcase ventilation.
The only other information I found was in the Reliant Kitten Register's fantastic "Mewsletter" No 36. The engines stamped with just an "8" inbetween , date from around 1973 to August 1975, so I'm guessing that these are in the main 750cc engines, although the article doesn't state. Oddly an engine number 5G/8/10014 appears in the Kitten column as July 1975). Prototype?
5J/85/25866, 5K/85/100226 up to these engines numbers, angled split big end caps were fitted.
Right, the C70 blocks are 700cc ones - no ribbing on the block side. Early 70s vintage would be about right.
(S) = special - unsure if its a reconditioned unit or something else. On early Regal engines.
(R) = reconditioned unit used by Reliant and gmreliantpartsworld.
(@) = reconditioned unit used by gmreliantpartsworld.
If yuhs dunno then this may help
