A few more electrical items

Well, not much to add this weekend. We've been very busy with work, paintwork for an MZ TS125 and a poorly VW Beetle with inlet manifold leakages. 

All we've managed to do is strip and repaint the dynamo end cap and the regulator. We used Hammerite Kurust on some parts of the regulator, at double strength, which seems to work very well. The parts are painted with high street acrylic aerosols & U-Pol etch primer. The end cap is from the original Lucas CF35D dynamo, the rest of which is still attached to the engine. The regulator is a 1962 Lucas MCR2, with a brass case which though a later replacement part is correct for the machine

Ammeter Finished

So, here is the finished article. The ammeter has been stripped & cleaned inside & out and is now working happily.

The chrome on the rim is good, and the case has been repaired.

This is the new ignition light. The design & material selection is inspired from the genuine ones I have seen on eBay and the various forums, particularly the C10/C11/C12 forum. It's not an exact replica of anything but it looks the part.

I've made a carrier from 2 mm Tufnol which is a little thick, but all I had. The lamp bracket is made from 0.5 mm brass sheet, with insulation gaskets as necessary, riveted together. The one thing I would like to find now are a couple of 2 BA thumb nuts to replace those steel hex nuts.

Almost a red spot ammeter

Well, here is the first of the post-Christmas presents!

This is the kit of parts that I have, now that I have stripped a Lucas red spot ammeter that I bought on eBay from a member of the AOMCC, for a lot less than one can spend on such things.

It is a bit of an oddity. It seems genuine, it has a Lucas part number and is made of parts of approriate 'quality'. It is marked '1980', and I guess it was a replacement part for vehicles still using red spot ammeters. It is marked 'Lucas' on the dial, but it does not have a window in the back, like the earlier versions that would have graced Amelia's curves when she was new, and it has no facilities for an ignition lamp internally so it could not have functioned as the red spot ammeters were intended to do.

The plan is to replicate the parts used for the ignition lamp and to cut the window through the ammeter, so that we end up with a suitable white faced ammeter with the functionality that we need.

So, starting the work. Here is the back plane of the meter, with it's insulator. I've marked out the holes I need, and I've drilled a pilot hole in each. Then I have taken my piercing saw with it's V-table and carefully cut the shape we need for the ignition lamp aperture. I've cleaned the hole up with needle files.

Here is the back of the ammeter, the back plane and the insulator, all assembled and showing the aperture lined up. Not quite right yet.

Here's are the prototype parts for the ignition lamp. Following the style of the original ammeters, I have used a plastic card to replicate the tufnol insulator that is used to mount the lamp holder, just to get the shape, and the position of the lamp correct in relation to the aperture on the back of the meter.

The lamp holder is mounted on a small piece of 0.5 mm aluminium sheet, pop riveted to the insulator. There is a plastic insulator between the centre terminal of the bulb holder and the mounting bracket.

So for now, the lamp is in the correct place. We will reassemble and see if it looks OK from the front, when it is illuminated, then we will make some nicer parts.

Here it is, put back together with the ignition lamp off...

And here it is with the ignition lamp on! Isn't it exciting!

Headlamp almost there

So here are a few pictures of Christmas holiday activities. The chewed pilot light housing has been filled & built up around the front edge as a low-risk alternative to a welded repair - I figured I would rather try this approach and have to redo it than melt an original SSU700 headlamp housing with clumsy welding.

After going through the grits with the help of some knifing stopper the headlamp shell is now looking very smart.

I have ordered some W-clips; I have rubbed down the newly straightened rim and I will order a plating kit after the holidays.

Then I plan to plate all the screws and maybe the rim as well.

And hopefully there should be a Red Spot Ammeter in the post!

Fill in jobs...

This is an original Lucas Altette, bought from eBay for the Ariel. Apart from one stripped thread and non-original acorn nut, it is perfect.

It came with the right angle bracket, an original Lucas one, that is used on the earlier machines with the smaller battery. Since Amelia should have the big 20 Amphour battery, we will use the straight bracket shown attached to the horn. I bought this from Vintage Bike & it looks like a nice quality part.

All gone a bit quiet

Not too much activity these last two weeks, as Christmas is coming and I've been away at work. However, I've managed to straighten the headlamp rim and I have stripped much of the scratched chrome away - there was a couple of very large scrape marks & dents. I've knocked out the dents and I have lead loaded the scrape marks. This needs a bit more work but is going to be a good solution.

I've missed a few eBay items - a pair of tank rubbers & plates, originals, which went for £51, a rear stand with all fittings which went for £130, and a lifting handle... No matter, I have plenty of other work faces!

Parcels still wrapped - more electrics

Well, the eBay parcels are still under wraps. Christmas is coming and sometimes it isn't wise to buy too many present for other women, however much shiny paint & chrome they will have when they are finished!

So in the meantime, let's get on with the headlamp. We've got a nice original SSU700, no repro bits here!

The instrument panel looks like it is off a WD bike; it's in great nick but the ammeter is wrong - it's not the white face one with the ignition light that should grace a Square Four headlamp.

Also, there are some flaky bits. The edges of the pilot light aperture are rather ragged - it's an aluminium casting and I'm not sure how to repair it yet. Then there is the rim:

The picture is not too hot but it's bent and it looks like it has been thrown down the road. I'm going to see if I can straighten it before I give up and buy a new one.

Here's the inside of the switch panel from the inside. All right & proper, apart from the ammeter I mentioned before. A new one will have to wait though - the proper ones will be like hens teeth!

Lighting switch, cleaned up nicely.

Here's the pilot light mounting plate. It was missing, but I made this one from some photos & dimensions provided from the fantastic people on the AOMCC forum. It's designed to hold one of these in the underslung pilot lamp:

And here is the ammeter, with the steering damper knob lurking in the background. I'm going to tackle the rim and the headlamp fasteners with a Plug 'n' Plate chrome plating kit, and see how much of the original stuff I can save.

More later.

Distributor - All done!

So, this weekend we finished off the distributor and did some easy jobs, painting one or two electrical pieces.

We also had a bit of an eBay-Fest, and got some good bits from John Mitchell

These two are the distributor cap again. If you look at the one on the left, you'll see the wire staples we put in have now been covered with an epoxy putty (free of metal fillers and non-conducting - thanks to the advice of the AOMCC members!). In the right picture, we've filed, sanded & painted the putty to match the rest of the distributor cap.

 

Here are a few more views of the finished distributor. It's been fully stripped down & cleaned. Painted parts have been re-painted, plated parts have been cleaned of any corrosion and replaced. The capacitor has been refitted, but we have no means of testing it so it may need some attention later. There is no evidence of pitting on the points though.

Last thing before we go back to work - the ignition switch and coil. The coil checks out on the meter, and has just been cleaned and repainted. The ignition switch has been stripped, cleaned and painted and a new key made from some scrap brass.

Next step - the headlamp!

In the meantime, eBay has come up trumps with original front mudguard, rear mudguard and lower chainguard. John Mitchell has sent a clutch lever (for the gearbox) and the offside footrest support, and we have one or two more original spanners for the toolkit.

More next week when the parcels arrive!

SQ4 - repairing the distributor

Here is the broken corner of the cap. The plan is that we will repair it with a metal loaded filler - we've fitted brass wires to small holes drilled in the cap, to act as a reinforcement for the filler... at least, that is the plan...

Here's the body again. It's been dismantled, degreased, primed & painted. The original screws, labels & cap clips have been cleaned up & refitted. The cam and auto advance have been cleaned, polished & lubricated. Looking good.

First parts in the workshop

This is first part up for refurbishment. It's the Lucas DKX4A distributor, it's all present and correct, but the there is a chunk missing from the cap. The bearings are good though!

One Day...

One day, she will look like this fine beast... this is a 1951 Square Four sold recently at Andy Tiernan's Classic Bike Emporium in Framlingham, Suffolk.

Welcome to your new home!

This is Amelia... She is a 1951 Ariel Square Four Mk1 and she is my 50th birthday present! The engine turns over, she has good compression but there are a couple of broken fins...

Here are some pictures of Ariel parts. You can see the gearbox and the oil & petrol tanks, the forks are all there as well.

Most of it is there. You can see the clutch and the chain guard, the toolbox, the headlight which is correct & complete & most of the rear suspension components No mudguards or rear stand though, but we do have all the stays and the sidestand. There is a biscuit tin full of small parts - but it is only a small tin! I think we will be looking for a lot of items...

No footrests or speedo either. We'll see if we can find originals before we look at repro parts. See that two into one exhaust pipe? looks like someone had a sidecar at some time in her life!