Today I collected the wonky wheel from Robert Cassidy, the engineering firm that I took it to. They have bored out the centre of the wheel to a larger diameter (approx. 30mm) and then inserted a steel sleeve with an internal diameter of 20mm to fit the axle. The sleeve is an interference fit inside the new hole which means it fits tightly and does not need any form of securing in place. I was charged £17.50 for the job, which wasn’t too bad. It was something I did not have the machinery to do myself.

With the repaired wheel, I was able to fit both wheels to the axle. I then cut the axle to length and drilled a 3mm hole at each end of the axle to allow me to fit a washer and an R-clip to keep everything secure.

The wheels may need a further coat of paint, as they have got pretty bashed about in the process. I now also need to paint the barrow style handles that I have got, and mark out and drill the holes in them in order to fit them to the trolley. Come to think of it, is it a trolley or a barrow?

 

 

 

I decided to clean the magneto chain, the valves and valve springs etc. I washed and brushed them in paraffin and then lightly oiled them before putting them in a container for safe keeping until I need them. The valve springs were quite corroded and pitted, so I have decided to scrap them. I can get a brand new pair for £14 and will order them when I am ready to reassemble the rocker shaft and valves.

I have also wire brushed the fuel tank straps and given them a coat of red oxide.

09/04/15. A sunny day meant that I took the governor housing outside in an attempt to remove the governor weights. I used my new parallel / taper punch set to try to remove the taper pin holding the gear onto the governor shaft. After several hefty whacks with a hammer, it did not want to move. So I resorted to drilling it out. However, after drilling around 3-4mm, I decided to try again with the punch and hey presto, out it popped! I was then able to remove the shaft from the governor housing and completely dismantle all of the components. I have ordered a new set of 700rpm governor springs, which I will fit when I reassemble everything.

After a month of inactivity, I took the wonky wheel to a local engineering workshop, namely Robert Cassidy Engineering of Leiston, Suffolk. They agreed to do the work for a reasonable price. It will need a vertical milling machine or a substantial pillar drill, as it will need to be bored out to a diameter of around 30mm. Hence me contracting them to do it. Unfortunately, I do not possess such equipment.

Had a go at starting to assemble the trolley today. I need the trolley to be completed before I can get on with dismantling and cleaning up the cylinder block. With a finished trolley, it will mean that once the cylinder block has been cleaned and painted, I can start to rebuild it on the trolley. I fitted the pillow block bearings to the underside of the trolley and inserted the 20mm stainless steel axle. One of the wheels fits fine, but the other has a very wonky hole through the centre. This appears to be an original defect as the wheel is quite old, and must have been drilled out in the afternoon by someone who went to the pub at lunchtime! I will need to find an engineering firm locally who can possibly drill it out to a larger diameter and insert a sleeve.

Today I dismantled the magneto again. Rubbed down the body of it with emery cloth, rubbed down and sprayed the coil cover with black paint. I stripped the old and crumbling insulation from the coil wires and replaced this with some heatshrink tubing and a new spade connector. Fitted new points and condenser as well as a new HT lead and a brass terminal. It now looks the part, but the bloody thing doesn’t spark anymore. I’m hoping it is something trivial and I will have to have a fiddle about with it to hopefully get it working again. It now looks presentable even if it doesn’t work! It’s not too much of an issue at the moment, as I’m months away from needing it. The mechanical restoration is going to take me quite a long time.

With my shiny new impact driver I have finally been able to remove the screws from the magneto and extract the rotor. It was quite rusty inside and would not turn freely. I managed to clean the insides and apply some grease to the bearings. Once reassembled it now turns easily by hand and even produces a tiny spark! I have ordered a new set of contact breaker points and a new condenser for it. Hopefully I can manage to repair the magneto myself, as it is very expensive to have them professionally rebuilt especially if the coil is knackered and needs rewinding.

Third and final coat of varnish to trolley frame. It should be something approaching weatherproof now!

Added a second coat of varnish to trolley frame and a second coat of black paint to the wheels.

Applied first coat of varnish to trolley frame and first coat of black paint to the wheels.