Wow John this is fantastic. I'm delighted I found this forum, from knowing very little to all this info is amazing.what a great bunch of people. Thanks very much to you all and keep the info coming if there's any more .Thanks again Gary

email (option): Shamrockwindows@hotmail.com

Hi Rob I emailed you some pics there ,I can't upload them to this forum for some reason tks.Gary

email (option): Shamrockwindows@hotmail.com

Some more of Garys pictures, I would still like to see an image of the tool box to see if it ever had the brass sidecar plate fitted and a picture of the contract plate on the rear mudguard would be nice but I understand they can be difficult to get at if they are behind a number plate.

I'm interested that although this is a 1941 machine it has the early type speedo fitted with the different cable fitting and the "armoured" rubber outer, was this carried on to the end of big4 production or has this early part been retro fitted?

Rob

email (option): robmiller11(a)yahoo.co.uk

email (option): robmiller11(a)yahoo.co.uk

My guess is that the speedo was later fitted, the speedo has the daytrip option. I believe this was not standard for WD B4's or the Irish War Office should have requested this specifically.

email (option): wdmotorcycles@gmail.com

The speedo has olive green paint all over it so I presume it's always been there .unless it came off another WD bike !!

email (option): Shamrockwindows@hotmail.com

Gents,

Speedo's for the British army were definitly without trip.
It may indeed have been an Irish requirement to add the trip version.
Maybe even more so as it is said to be painted green in this case!

Cheers,

Rob

email (option): wd16h@telfort.nl

What an excellent find and a very worthy project. Finding a sidecar chassis will not be easy but hopefully one can be found. If of any help I have some spare large bearing housings for the WD Big 4 including that for sidecar chassis + the matching large nuts which I acquired some 50 years ago all NOS with some other WD Big 4 spares that came from a Midlands dealer.

I do have one wartime photo of a WD Big 4 and sidecar taken in Ireland - like so many wartime photos it is focussed more on the people than the machine - the photo is taken square on from the front so the census number is not visible BUT it does show the speedo cable which is as per this recent find.

email (option): keithchandler@clistandchandler.co.uk

Rob this picture from the same contract, shows the later speedo and cable. Which now means I'll probably have to throw my Jaeger and outer sheathed cable over the hedge:confounded: Ron

email (option): ronpier@talk21.com

Years ago before I learned much, forgot it all again and relearned some of it I had a regular speedo cable made for my big 4 project with the thick rubber outer, I may fit it "if" I ever get to that stage of the rebuild.

Rob

email (option): robmiller11(a)yahoo.co.uk

Very nice bike to start with! just two observations, there was one bike, the 1940/41 Matchless G3WO, that had a trip in the (pin drive) speedo in the early contracts, then the cable, late Matchless G3WO's, the last contracts for 1941, also had the newer types of speedo, not saying Norton did the same, checking the parts lists might help here.

This is not the first Big 4 that was found in Ireland, but that one is in Holland now, all restored.

Let me know Gary, if you need more info, I have pictures and info on most of the parts, I own 2 of them.

One of them is fully restored, here a picture some years ago, in Ireland!



Cheers,

Lex Schmidt

Norton parts lists, as usual follow a little behind..On the 16H, they show the change as between contracts C9062 and C10217 but in fact, period photos suggest that it occurred a little earlier - in the forst half of 1941, under contracts C7353 and C7576..Big 4s from around S3000 ought to have had the later type S433B speedo and cable.

The fact that these few Irish machines were delivered from British contracts would suggest that they initially had non-illuminated, non-trip units...Do we know what the pre-war Irish M20s had ? If they had trips then this is probably where they came from.

Hi Rik
There is no evidence yet to indicate that bsa K series or any of the early bsa W models supplied in 39 or 40 to the iDF had trip option speedometers fitted
Br
Job

email (option): jonnyob1@googlemail.com

Thanks for your help Lex.

email (option): Shamrockwindows@hotmail.com

There's a couple of Norton big 4 sidecar chassis on ebay, they're located in Germany.

Here are the links. Ron

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/175054352546?hash=item28c20d70a2:g:tmAAAOSwOiRhr1RW

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/175054408038?hash=item28c20e4966:g:e6sAAOSwSdNhr1xP

email (option): ronpier@talk21.com

Yes, that is Thomas in Germany, I bought several Big 4's from him, for friends, only the one in the first link is a real Big 4 chassis.

Cheers,

Lex

Thanks Lex .

email (option): Shamrockwindows@hotmail.com

Thanks Ron .

email (option): Shamrockwindows@hotmail.com