This little piggy ran all the way home.

My uncle decided to sell his little LA on, I've always quite fancied another so seemed a good opportunity.

This is a fairly early one from 1935 and Ross has done most the work to put it right, sadly the magneto is open circuit and the WICO H coils are pretty much unobtainable.

Quite looking forward to getting it, will be nice to reunite my son with one. The one that got away. A later one but an original UK import, which was green with a red flywheel. Ran lovely as well!




The new engine.

As bought

During clean up




The Magneto has this style coil as fitted to a early R3 I had with a WICO WBC flywheel magneto




From the 2nd year of production (only around 30 were made in 1934) this is one of the 14,500   made in 1935, these are the American Lister D!

Tank repaired, core plug replaced, all instant gasket replaced with paper gaskets, cleaned off and coated in matt clear coat. Flywheel has since been refitted.



A bit more of a common engine for me (snob I know....) But I've always had a liking of them. I do like a nice square box of an engine, just need a Bernard WO now!

Cheers!

Lovely job!

Rather more manageable size than that lump of mine Steve! I hadn't realised they made two sizes of the things. It gets heavier every time I have to move it. My coreplug leaks as well, I have had one on the shelf since last year so must get around to fitting it 'one day' in the future. Mustn't rush into these things though. Interesting that yours has a lever speed control fitted like mine, all the early ones I have seen have all been either on a fixed throttle or have a thumbscrew control behind the flywheel..

Pete.

Yes if it was the 3-5hp (?) I wouldn't be bothering.....

No no point in rushing them, the bigger ones are that bit harder to put on their back!

I was wondering if the speed control is original as you say I would expect it to have a thumbscrew.

Oie, if you think the engine is nearly common which level do you place mine on, be careful what you say

Maryalice

Wouldn't say the LA is nearly common, it's really is common; they are plentiful! Especially in their homeland.

Looking at production records it looks like there were more LAs produced in 1935 than the total number of my Stuart 2 port, K (only produced 63), H1 (only produced 15), WD, Norman SC (probably one of my most common engines 8,100 1935-1958) and Barr and Stroud combined, you could possibly add my ABC into that as well as still be below or very near the 14,500 LA's produced in 1935 alone.

Don't mean anything by it, I just tend to have a more eccentric taste in engines.

Plenty of LA's over here as well, I think there were at least four at Lincoln last year and many rallies seem to have at least one example. The larger ones are quite thirsty, mine used almost 15 litres at the Sheffield rally which was its first outing whereas my 1.5 hp Model M uses less than that amount in three rallies. It's better on fuel now though as it usually takes half a day to get the ***** thing started! Looking at the pulley I think mine came off of a McCormick baler originally, although it doesn't have a radiator which the ones in the USA were normally fitted with. It's not so hot over here.

Pete.

There is that, I think the old one I had was off a milking set. Ross used to have a complete LA milking set back in the 80s. Set up the teat so spectators could put their finger in to feel the action. No good this year..... like this set.

StuartTurnerSteve wrote:Wouldn't say the LA is nearly common, it's really is common; they are plentiful! Especially in their homeland.

Looking at production records it looks like there were more LAs produced in 1935 than the total number of my Stuart 2 port, K (only produced 63), H1 (only produced 15), WD, Norman SC (probably one of my most common engines 8,100 1935-1958) and Barr and Stroud combined, you could possibly add my ABC into that as well as still be below or very near the 14,500 LA's produced in 1935 alone.

Don't mean anything by it, I just tend to have a more eccentric taste in engines.

You climbed out of that hole nicely

Maryalice

I have one of those vacuum pumps as well Steve, I collected it from Hull and rebuilt it during 'lockdown' and will probably mate it with my Model M as the LA is too large really. I remember setting a milking set up at one Cheshire rally so that the public could put their finger in the liner to feel the pulse, however I was ordered by the safety officer to either remove it or leave the rally as it was in front of the 'white line' indicating three feet from the fencing. He even made me move an empty milk can back behind the line. However the following week, at the 1000 engine rally, another exhibitor did exactly the same with a cup and liner, he had it strapped to the fence with a sign 'feel what a cow feels twice daily' on it and the same safety officer actually had his fingers in it! I mentioned it to him: "this event is run under different rulings" was his answer! I never bothered again after that.

Pete.

Be nice to find an IHC Vacuum pump for it.

H&S is an odd thing, even better when the safety officer is consistent.

Foden wrote:I have one of those vacuum pumps as well Steve, I collected it from Hull and rebuilt it during 'lockdown' and will probably mate it with my Model M as the LA is too large really.  I remember setting a milking set up at one Cheshire rally so that the public could put their finger in the liner to feel the pulse, however I was ordered by the safety officer to either remove it or leave the rally as it was in front of the 'white line' indicating three feet from the fencing. He even made me move an empty milk can back behind the line.  However the following week, at the 1000 engine rally, another exhibitor did exactly the same with a cup and liner, he had it strapped to the fence with a sign 'feel what a cow feels twice daily' on it and the same safety officer actually had his fingers in it!   I mentioned it to him: "this event is run under different rulings" was his answer!  I never bothered again after that.

Pete.

That safety officer is obviously a "bottom hole" as it must have been one of his mates or he was having his monthly periods.

Maryalice

Got the LA home today, the magneto is kaput but it will run with it, it's not happy though!

With Christmas not far away money is a bit tight to spend on these old engines, so I've exercised a bit of Bodgenomics and used the primary windings from the magneto to power a 6v coil.
It seems to work ok, not quite rewound magneto level but at least it's running now. The throttle lever was adjusted wrong (probably because it's from a later engine..) and I've ordered a hotter plug.
Just need to tidy up my bodge a bit now.

Hotter plug, a tad better but still not as good as it could be. All a bit of a waste of time without getting the magneto done really. Might have to be up for sale soon due to a possible house move.

Thought you had just sold a magneto (on another site), can't you use the proceeds to get this one fixed up ?

blue cat wrote:Thought you had just sold a magneto (on another site), can't you use the proceeds to get this one fixed up ?

That was sold to fix the one on the Stuart Turner.....

whats the size of the stator or the square i wonder if an old suffolk punch coil could be made fit in there

Sadly not, I went through all the options looking for a coil to for the Stuart with the same magneto, a Wico.X may fit but I think they are too long.
The stator is massive.