For the first time in ages I spent a quiet but productive day in the workshop.....can't remember that last time I did this...........
Plan was to spend time today looking at the recently-acquired WD/RE Flea and in particular the engine.............the extractor tool I ordered for the (incorrect) Wipac magneto flywheel currently fitted had arrived earlier in the week and I was pleased to find it fitted (almost) despite being designed for a BSA Bantam rather than the scarcer RE2 set-up.......but a bit of adaptation saw the extractor fitted.......
Sadly, however, the flywheel was on exceptionally tight and it took me nearly two hours of careful work to remove it from the engine.......patience was the key here........
Removal of the engine unit from the frame took 10 minutes without difficulty and I then spent the afternoon stripping the engine unit........for a small engine it needed no less than three separate extractors (clutch, engine sprocket and gearbox sprocket as well as the magneto flywheel extractor)........
I was seriously surprised by the good internal condition of the engine.......the piston and bore were still on STD and the rings within tolerances measured in the (unscored) bore........the big and small ends were good too, again within tolerances and all bearings and (most) bushes without wear.........the gearbox however has a bit of end-play on the shafts so this can be easily sorted and all dogs were good with nice sharp teeth........only bush that needs replacement appears to be the kickstart........even the clutch was as good as new.......
It is one of the things that I really enjoy, a voyage of discovery stripping down an ex-WD unrestored engine unit.....an exercise becoming scarcer today sadly.......fortunately no horrors with this one hence my "shopping list" will be minimal on account of spares already held for this bike............
Lucky man Steve...I've spent half my life reading about bikes that were stripped and found to be in good condition..
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I could count on one hand how many times it's happened to me...with fingers to spare..
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It seems to have been my lot to get all the knackered ones...
One exception was the last B33 engine I rebuilt (for someone else!) before I stopped doing it....That one was a 1950 unit and was in incredibly good condition..So I guess it had an easy life...
Currently I am putting together a spare engine for my B33 from parts which were never together in one piece in the first place, so I made sure I picked out a really nice set of parts for that one!!...Ian
email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com
Thanks Ian ! I guess I was lucky with this one..........
I guess you spend far more time in the workshop than me, and are far more experienced than I, but don't you think that stripping down a long-untouched engine provides a fair bit of exitement and trepidation throughout the process......? As I mentioned, very much a voyage of discovery with "ups" and "downs"..........
But in my later years, I've at last learnt patience !!! If a job isn't going according to plan, walk away, have a cuppa, a sit-down, and then return re-focused........after all, what's (and whatever was) the rush........? !!
I really enjoyed today......think I need to do this more often.........
Yes, I always like stripping one that hasn't been apart for a long time...and there is always that feeling of a 'journey of discovery'..What's it like, what's been done and what might have caused the layup if it was a mechanical problem...
It is often the case that the last time anyone was poking about in there it was a completely different world!..
I still spend most days in the workshop...I never tire of messing about with old bikes and engines etc....Ian
email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com
I'm fortunate to have a fairly decent workshop now, a decent range of tools and facilities, and retired too............life's good !
But the one thing that hasn't changed but I've now learnt in latter years is there's never any rush with anything and if it's not going according to plan simply walk away, have a cuppa and a chat with your better half and return later re-focused and re-invigorated................life can sometimes be a good teacher........
I find the 'time to think' most useful when building a 'special'..
In that case the right match between various components that didn't necessarily originate from the same source or even the same period, colour selection and thinks like the balance between chrome and paint etc. all require a lot of consideration to avoid creating a machine which just looks like a lot of randomly selected components just bolted together...
I can spend months on this and when I do finally start the project I'm building to a 'template' that is largely already established in my minds eye...
As for things like struggling with 'fiddly' assembly work or the 'fitting' together of components it's definitely better to take a break if things aren't going well!!....Ian
email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com
I think, on reflection, that the most useful tool in my workshop is actually the stool............
It's seated on that, that most of the work and inspiration comes from.........
I think that at a certain age Rik you have earn't that right and certainly to pick and choose between them !!
And as Ian suggested, possibly the other most useful tool in the workshop is time seated thinking about and studying the beast in question................
Funny how certain things come to you later in life.............
I have a rolling bar stool in my garage; sorry, no place for anything more comfortable. And at 81, I tend to hurry because time is in short supply, but wisdom is slowly taking over...
Hans, you are a very talented man and you will be with us for years to come ! 81 is a fair mileage but nothing special nowadays..........now when you reach 95 things may change slightly....... - Lol !!!