We have a winner!
I asked about my mystery Campy headset cup (http://bulgier.net/pics/bike/Campy/Strange_Campy_Headset_part/)
and Bob Freitas replied
> That's the lower cup for a late Bianchi headset made by
> Campagnolo. Your photo shows the early headset
Bob shared this photo of the cup installed on a 1972 Team Issue:
http://www.wooljersey.com/
Thanks Bob that's perfect. I thought I'd seen a lot of the Bianchis with flared lugs and integrated headsets, but I must admit I didn't know they were still made into the 70s (or forgot if I ever knew).
I think Bianchi wasn't well represented in the US in those years, does that sound right to you? Lost their importer or something? Seems like I saw at least 10 top of the line Bottecchias or Atalas for every one Bianchi in the early 70s. Frejus, Legnano, even Cinelli and Masi were more common than Bianchi where I lived in 1972 (Connecticut).
Anyway, since I don't think that 1972 part would be right (or look right) for my '61-ish Specialissima, I guess I'm still looking for the older kind of Campy headset like mine came with originally -- but which is deeply dimpled ("false-brinnelling"?) from the many tens of thousands of miles the previous owner estimated he rode on it, training and racing. Yes mine is an Old Soldier.
I may get the dimpled headset back into good riding shape though -- I sent it to this dude on eBay who claims to be able to regrind and polish damaged races to better than new. $37 for the two lower headset races. I'll let you know how it comes out. Since the dimples were fairly deep and he'll have to remove some real metal to get to the bottom of them, the gap between the cups may close up and rub. But I think I can deal with that with a shim where the cone presses into the lower head lug, if necessary.
Then there's the question of the hardening -- were they through-hardened or just case-hardened, in which case (no pun intended), grinding them may go down into the softer metal below, and the usable life of the parts after grinding may be brief. But those parts were so deeply indented that they really weren't ridable in my book, so I have nothing to lose by trying. Plus I have an NOS Folgore-style headset I can put in there, V-groove style, not made by Campagnolo, but good enough for a rider.
Mark Bulgier
Seattle, WA USA