John Hurley asked if bikes (frames) even left the factory without the threads tapped and follow up questions if there is a problem what does one do?
Plenty-
And many arrived less than perfect, frames and bikes alike.
Way back the shop I worked for sold Bob Jacksons in 1972 through 1975. Some were sound, some were dreadful. My own track bike was the latter.
I did not build the bike up originally, upon its first bottom bracket repack... The bearing tracks in both fixed and adjustable cup were oval and did not match the machining. Toss that bottom bracket. Bring in the Campagnolo tool kit recently purchased to deal with these frames. Tap then face, it took 1mm off one side and 1.5 mm off the other to get aligned faces. It was assembled with new and adjusted well, but with a washer under the fixed cup to retrieve the metal lost and help the chainline.
One particularly bad frame was kept aside, Bob Jackson made a visit in 1974 and he was shown the frame, he measured and admitted that the fellow who clamped the Bottom bracket shell in the vice was a bit aggressive. A bit?
That frame did sell eventually with a Phil Wood bottom bracket. Anything else at the time would have been short lived.
There are a few cartridge bottom brackets now around to help save compromised frames.
My view on any bike is test, don't guess. Vintage bottom brackets are not getting much cheaper over time.
John Jorgensen
today in Torrance Ca USA