History of the engine front cover fasteners

[Duane Ausherman]

I posted this on the /2 list, so thought it might be of interest here too. Someone asked what was period correct for the front engine cover nuts. Here is my answer. I think that it might also be on my website. It should be.

A 1966 would have had the 13 mm heads on the front engine cover.

The first ones (late 55 into 56) were a slot screwdriver type, same as on the /3, but it seems that they only "used them up" on the first Earles models.

Then from 1956 thru mid 64 they were all 14 mm.

Sometime in late 64, or starting with the 65 they went to the 13 mm heads.

Sometime in early series of the 68 models they went to the 10 mm heads.

I don't think that any of the changes in head size occurred with a year change. Rather common for BMW.

The most confusing year was 1964 when various fasteners stopped being 14 mm and became 13 mm. It seemed that early 64 were mostly 14 mm and later were mostly 13 mm.

Remember, as a general rule, if the part would work forwards and backwards, the parts books didn't reflect it with a SN.

[wirewrkr]

Interesting. My 64 R60 came with 10mm headed ones.
I bought the bike in 1996 from the original owners son.
The son disassembled the entire bike in 83 after his dad died and put everything in potato baskets and shoved in the barn.
I was the first one to see the bike in 12 years.