classic motorcycle forum

More grinding...

I think I'm getting a little pressured and starting to make stupid mistakes - so need to try to slow down a bit and be thorough.

Yes. What you're doing is not OK; I'm not sure why. Better get some help.

Leon

Yes that's an engine by A.W. Wall - think ROC. It was rated 3 1/2 hp, so somewhere around 500cc. Lewis only used it 1909-10, as the Precision - or at least the Lewis engine built for Lewis by F.E. Baker - became available.

Glenn found the frame; I described the engine and told him if he could find one I'd give him the exhaust system. He found it and I gave it to him!

1910 was an extremely chaotic year at Lewis. They offered Wall, Stevens and Precision engines, air- or water-cooled, in either the old Chater Lea set (with the Simplex leaf-spring front suspension) or the new Chater Lea set with the leading link CL suspension fork.

Cheers

Leon

Oh dear.

Re gasket sealant, I've used Loctite Aviation Gasket Sealanf No. 3 https://autopro.com.au/ap/Autopro-Category/Brands/Loctite/Loctite-Gasket-Sealant-No-3-Aviation-50mL---3JA/p/DI01199 for may years. It's a bit old fashioned, but is has many properties that I like. It doesn't set (surely it's best feature - I hate nothing more than to find bits of sealant crap floating around in an engine), it seals well, it's cheap, and it's a dark-blackish-brown colour. Just a thin layer on any gasket, or machined metal-to-metal faces, wipe excess off with a rag - looks good and works well.

Avoiding things clanking is the ancient art of "fitting". Lots of measurement and care required. Often forgotten is that things expand when they get hot, so clank-free  on the bench is not enough - correct clearance is important. Make sure the rod is central to the crankcase opening, and double check that the piston is precisely at 90 degrees to the cylinder base. (You can do the latter with an engineer's square on the crankcase mouth, remembering that the piston is not round, and probably tapered! If you do a trial fit of the cylinder with no rings, the gap between the piston and the cylinder should be even.)

All good fun!

Leon

Looking good. I notice there's not too many fins on that cylinder head. Was your dad running it on petrol?

Leon

33d6 - I sent you the text version of the article by PM.

I love that the Williams boys were "half cousins" with S. L. (Les) Bailey of Douglass: explains a lot!

Leon

Thanks - that's very interesting: memoirs like this from people who were actually there are rare, and give us an insight into the non-public goings-on in the industry. The downside is they are often written down late in life when the memory is not quite tip-top. But here Reg Williams gives it a red-hot go and paints an interesting picture. There are a few puzzling bits: in particular the reference to Wolf doesn't fit in with anything I've seen about Williams, but perhaps it's just a mis-remembering of Sun. (In the 1930s it was Bennett and Wood who, in Sydney, brought in Wolf bikes/sets, which they sold as the B&W Wasp and Hornet.)

Page 3 ends half way through a sentence - have you got the next page?

Cheers

Leon

Wow, that's a big project for an auto cycle. I reckon you might buy a complete, running Malvern Star for maybe $2-3k, so a restoration like this would have to be a labour of love. Hope someone has fun.

Leon

... and deliver it to Melbourne for a cup of tea...