Taco numbering system for year/model/engine???

M

maggiemini

New Member
#1
#1
I am in the process of restoring a Taco (hanging engine type) missing the original engine which is a oddity for the position of the serial number stamping. The serial number on mine is stamped on the front edge of the 3/16" thick steel top front fork plate in 1/8" tall letters and reads Z75 K8 700. I have heard of only one other bike with similar stamping on the front edge of the top plate but this bike has one less number than mine and has serial # 155K858. This bike has a WB 580 5 Port engine as originally fitted.
The four slots in the mounting plate on mine are 5/16" wide narrowing the only possibility to a West Bend 820 since the WB 580 5 Port and WB 700 5 Port use 1/4" bolts and the mounting plate would have been slotted 1/4" wide accordingly as I have seen on a friends bike.
It seems logical that the last numbers indicate the engine size but my slots are too large for a WB 580 or 700 5 Port.
Since mine and the other bike have the welded in gusset plated at the steering head I am guessing mine and the other bike are late 1963 or very early 1964 models falling between the Series 1 which had no welded in gusset plate at the steering head and the Taco With Hot Sauce model that had the gusset plate welded at the steering head.
Both bikes have the welded steel collar rings for jackshaft bearings used in 1963-64.
I'm thinking these two bikes were a transition machine and thus the serial number stamping in an odd area on the front fork top plate before normal production got going and stamping done on the top left frame tube just behind the steering head tube.
Since no model name is able to be found I'm going to dub these bikes as "TACO BENDERS" since they are Tacos with West Bend engines.

If anyone else can shed light on this serial numbering system as to amount of number variance and location of stamping on the edge of the front fork top plate please chime in, and better yet, post pictures and description of your bike.
Thank you,
Mike Cates
 
Hounddog

Hounddog

Well-Known Member
#3
#3
Hello Mike, Could you please post some photos of the serial number on your bike so we can all see exactly what you are explaining. That would be very helpful and enjoyable for all of us to see. Thanks, HD
 
M

maggiemini

New Member
#5
#5
It would be appreciated if other TACO enthusiasts can look at your TACO bikes and see if you have serial numbering stamped along the edge of the top fork plate like mine shown in my previous posting. It would be interesting to start this series of serial numbering to clarify what it means as to MODEL, YEAR OF MANUFACTURE, ENGINGE SIZE, PRODUCTION NUMBER and add this to the TACO Registry already in place for future research.
Thanks,
Mike Cates, CA.
(760) 473-6201
 
Hounddog

Hounddog

Well-Known Member
#8
#8
Hi Mike, Thanks for the pictures of the fork and serial number. I am not familiar with these serial numbers either. You should try Bill or Don like Neck said, they would be a good source. If I was to guess from your serial number of Z75 K8 700, a Westbend 700 would certainly sound correct. Your engine plate looks like it was probably drilled out over the many years to run a different engine when the first one retired....Good luck on your quest and let us know what you find out....:thumbsup:
 
M

maggiemini

New Member
#9
#9
Thanks Neck and Hounddog,
Tacobill has checked and he does not have this stamping on the edge of the top fork steering plate on any of his bikes.
My bike is serial number Z75 K8 700 and the other bike Tacobill knows of is serial number 155K858 and is one digit less than mine and it has a WB 580 5 Port as originally fitted.
I will PM Tacodon for researching this recently found numbering system.
I also did think the WB 700 would be correct due to the 700 being in the numbering sequence but what confuses this is that the original untouched slots at the bottom of my engine mounting plate are 5/16" wide and the center hole is 2 5/16" diameter which is smaller than that of a original plate Tacobill measured on one of his bikes that has narrower 1/4" slots and a larger center hole oft 2 1/2" diameter. These facts led us to deduce that the narrower 1/4" slots and larger 2 1/2' diameter center hole would be for WB 580 and 700 engines which used 1/4" mounting bolts. The larger 5/16" width slots with the smaller center hole of 2 5/16" diameter would be for a WB 610 or 820.
It is possible to mount the WB 580 or 700 in the plate on my bike but the fact that the existing lower slots that are untouched, and are the original 5/16" width, point towards either a WB 610 or 820 which use 5/16" mounting bolts that would have been originally fitted. The WB 820 seems the logical choice as the WB 610, I don't think, was used on any Taco bikes and correct me if I am wrong here. The WB 580, 700 and 820 engines were advertised on Taco bikes before and after my model.
Thanks to all of you for you replies and hopefully we can get this figured out for future research of Taco minibikes.

If you do find a number stamped on the front edge of your top fork steering plate please post it with photo here and also send it to the the Taco registry TACO Registry.
Mike Cates, CA.
(760) 473-6201
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top