just wanted to contribute that i have one of these ryan-numbers. ;)
according to this website should be 1983 made in usa.
thx for this website.
greetz from germany
markus
Re: my black hutch pro racer f/f has serial 0146025
Yes, my Expert Racer also starts with the "014"8608 on the lower left drop out, and does not have the baseball.
To the OP, if yours has the drilled weep holes then it's almost 98% USA for sure.
Mine has drilled weep holes at the rear drop outs.
I always thought only USA frames had drilled weep holes, but JJR says both USA and Japan were drilled. "I'm not arguing and I'm sure he's right."
Another thing I remember to tell a USA vs japan was the USA frames, it was easy to see the stretched tubing of the butting whereas the japan versions, it was hard to see the butting and the tubes look like straight gauged even though they were butted just not to the extent the USA versions were.
At any rate, a Japan made frame is just as good if not better than the USA version as far as manufacturing goes and the quality of materials. Yes, a USA is more sought after. But in the end it's no better or worse than a Japan made Hutch frame.
A drilled weep hole will be flat whereas a punched hole will divot "Curve in" inward slightly from the punch.
That being said, some drilled weep holes, will sort of, look like a punched hole from the bending of the tube and distorting of the weep hole slightly "bending the weep hole Cr-Mo steel around hole inward" during the bending process, so you have to really look.
General knowledge on the weep holes for who ever might be reading this.
I have owned a new from the store Hutch pre serial back in 82/83ish and one of the drill holes looked as if the drill got stuck, and they backed it out. So don't assume just because it looks like someone tried to pull a fast one and drill out the weep holes and failed, that it's not a USA made frame. Some did have messed up drilling marks (Not perfectly drilled).
Strange for a Hutch being his attention to quality. But true all the same.