new projects / winter projects

Im was just thinking with winter on us what do we all have planned over the few months before next rallys season .

Wherever its a new engine , jobs to finish etc

I have a few to do -

1 finish the Fowler 1pa off and get it on the trolley
2 find a dynamo / generator to go with the Fowler and get on the trolley
3 knock up a frame for my cooling set up and mount the tank , and trickle cooler
4 make a stand for the trickle pump and sort out pipes

.... oh and make a new trolley for a new engine coming my way and sort out a few bits on it ready for next year

if i have time and money i need to get 2 mags sent off to have sorted . Mag for Fowler is a bit iffy and the one on the A has a week spark at the plug .

matt

I need to get the Briggs finished, which involves removing the shaft extension, flywheel, painting and putting back together as well as mounting a petrol tank to it (sounds easier than it is )

Sort out my Stuart Turner, it needs a proper exhaust system added and some sort of load. If I can't get that old electric motor converted into a genny I'd like to find a centrifugal pump for it. Also she needs a new trolley making up, or at least convert the existing one. I'd prefer a 2 wheel with handles type of thing as opposed to 4 wheels.

Find out what my Petter diesel was originally connected to and try to get it back to what it used to be or try to get a genny for that one.

Get the Douglas flat twin out of storage and get her back to her former glory.

While all this is going on I really need to sort my garage/workshop out, I thought I was on top of it but yesterday I needed to move a few things around and made it worse than I've ever seen it before
I also have lawnmower/garden machinery repairs and servicing to do for customers as I start to turn my business in that direction.

Ianhw77k wrote:I need to get the Briggs finished, which involves removing the shaft extension, flywheel, painting and putting back together as well as mounting a petrol tank to it (sounds easier than it is )

Sort out my Stuart Turner, it needs a proper exhaust system added and some sort of load. If I can't get that old electric motor converted into a genny I'd like to find a centrifugal pump for it. Also she needs a new trolley making up, or at least convert the existing one. I'd prefer a 2 wheel with handles type of thing as opposed to 4 wheels.

Find out what my Petter diesel was originally connected to and try to get it back to what it used to be or try to get a genny for that one.

Get the Douglas flat twin out of storage and get her back to her former glory.

While all this is going on I really need to sort my garage/workshop out, I thought I was on top of it but yesterday I needed to move a few things around and made it worse than I've ever seen it before
I also have lawnmower/garden machinery repairs and servicing to do for customers as I start to turn my business in that direction.

sounds like your going to be a busy man .....

Garden machinery thats what i do for my job . but i work for swindon council , anything from a small chainsaw , brush cutter , hedge cutter , slab cutters through to ransomes , Dennis and john Deere cylinder bowling green mowers , with rotary mowers mainly hondas but have a few hayterets still . and then going up to a few smaller ride ons and compact tractors then we have a fleet or around 30 hayter 324 tripple gang mowers . at the top end a few new hollands , and some valtra tractors with various machinery .

So quite a variation of work . at the moment we have just started the winter servicing for the hayter triple gang mowers , takes around 3 days to service one thats is reasonable condition a bad one takes a week ...
Think i got my work cut out over winter

If you need any help ie for parts , or general advice feel free to ask have a few contacts in this field , if you need parts diagrams etc can get those as well .

All the best setting it up though as it can be a hard due to customers not thinking what you done is worth it due to the mower itself only worth around a few 100 max and then if a major problem the hours can mount up .

matt

Well the same old story for me, my health plays a big part in what I can do over the winter. I have an appointment to see if I have and if so can they sort out sleep apnia. This is causing me a lot of problems so fingers crossed I can get it sorted and back to working on my engines. I need to get some mags sorted, rebuild my little Jap 2a that's been n the bench for 12 months waiting for me to fit some new rings. I would like to get the mag sorted on my International and clean the fuel lines/carb and I think that should be ok after that. So plenty to go at fingers crossed I can do it.

Good luck to everyone planning work over the winter and keep s updated on how you get on.

Stu.

Stu i should really take some more pictures of the fowler and get the thread updated ....

I will do that soon .

matt

Nice one Matt

Stu.

Few from me, finish rebuilding and painting a H1 pump, sort out base unit for Portass lathe, restore union pillar drill, knock together lighting display and restore generator and all before May next year

i don't have many.
1, to finish my stuart turner r2.
2, to help my daughter with her first engine.

its a 1949 lister d. the engine is complete but does not have a spark. it has been stood for ten years
but was a runner when put away. the engine is in quite good condition and is not seized.
richard.

matt86 wrote:

If you need any help ie for parts , or general advice feel free to ask have a few contacts in this field , if you need parts diagrams etc can get those as well .

Cheers Matt, all my stuff will be domestic, hoping not to meet any cylinder mowers as I wouldn't know where to start. I'm a gardener most of the time so this is just a sideline, I don't want to be gardening all my life. I nearly got the chance to buy a small local engineering firm for a great price, unfortunately I was too late so my garage will have to do for now and we'll see how things progress over the next few years. At the moment I'm doing an engine change on an old Stoic, push along cutting deck. Proving to be a bit of a headache finding an engine with a 7/8ths shaft, got one now but need to figure something out with the dead man's handle/kill switch as the old B+S engine never had one.

Ianhw77k wrote:

matt86 wrote:

If you need any help ie for parts , or general advice feel free to ask have a few contacts in this field , if you need parts diagrams etc can get those as well .

Cheers Matt, all my stuff will be domestic, hoping not to meet any cylinder mowers as I wouldn't know where to start. I'm a gardener most of the time so this is just a sideline, I don't want to be gardening all my life. I nearly got the chance to buy a small local engineering firm for a great price, unfortunately I was too late so my garage will have to do for now and we'll see how things progress over the next few years. At the moment I'm doing an engine change on an old Stoic, push along cutting deck. Proving to be a bit of a headache finding an engine with a 7/8ths shaft, got one now but need to figure something out with the dead man's handle/kill switch as the old B+S engine never had one.

what type ignition set up has it got ? points or a ignition coil , if has a lead and you send it to earth this should stop the spark killing the engine ... so a switch linked to a deadman handle so when let go sends circuit to earth and stopping the engine .

Cylinders are easy enough , but you really need a grinding machine for cylinders and bottom blades .

matt

matt86 wrote:
what type ignition set up has it got ? points or a ignition coil , if has a lead and you send it to earth this should stop the spark killing the engine ... so a switch linked to a deadman handle so when let go sends circuit to earth and stopping the engine .

Cylinders are easy enough , but you really need a grinding machine for cylinders and bottom blades .

matt

Its quite a late Honda OHC engine (bought from the tip a few years ago for a fiver) I'm hoping to use (as long as the shaft length is the same) so I'm guessing the ignition is electronic. Never thought about using some sort of switch, it has got a bit for the dead man's handle cable to attach to the engine separate from the throttle cable where the old B+S engines had a micro switch on the carb so when you throttled right down it would kill the engine. I'm trying to avoid having to mount any more cables to the mower itself. Maybe I should start another thread, I'm guessing a few people might be interested even if it isn't a stationary engine and it isn't very old

The only thing the engine is missing is the plastic air filter cover.

ahhh now where talking those hondas are my bread and butter ...

i assuming its a horizontal engine ? air filter cover easy enough to get ... may have a few at work if your looking at the carb side of the engine there should be a lever which looks like goes to a arm with a brake pad on the tip ... well that's the dead man linkage , there usually a micro switch behind that lever and when its depressed it cut the spark off ...

The switch cable will go to the coil module under the top covers at the front of engine above the cam cover , the other end after switch will be earthed out when closed . If need a switch i have one of those too .

matt

Cheers Matt, I hope to be looking into it further today after I've painted the bathroom. I wired the dead man's switch up with some gardening wire just to get it running once (this was years ago) but obviously the only way to stop it was to cut the wire (cutters were always there just in case). This engine has stood for a few years since then so it will need a strip and clean. I'll get some pictures next time I'm down there.
I remember one strange thing though, being a nosey git I wanted to see what the OHC looked like, so I undid the bolts on the cover only to find the cover seemed to be glued down , I didn't venture any further as I didn't want to ruin the engine. I guess this part is supposed to be sealed for life.

earlsinclare wrote:i don't have many.
1, to finish my stuart turner r2.
2, to help my daughter with her first engine.

its a 1949 lister d. the engine is complete but does not have a spark. it has been stood for ten years
but was a runner when put away. the engine is in quite good condition and is not seized.
richard.

Richard if you don't mind me asking did you buy this or swop it for the lathe? Now that engine shouldn't take you long to sort I'm sure, so are you going to sort a lighting display for it?

Stu.

the lathe is still available. the engine was generously given to her. she is very excited and can't wait to start. i would like to rig up a lighting unit, but i think i will loan her one of my shearing drives to run off it. that's a long way off yet.
richard.

I will be busy modifying my new caravan for a while anyway,

my tip for the next few days ...................................get in your workshop and make sure anything that has had water in it this season has the drain cocks open and all the water out frost damage can be expensive and some parts just can't be replaced........................

Neville

hob wrote:I will be busy modifying my new caravan for a while anyway,

my tip for the next few days ...................................get in your workshop and make sure anything that has had water in it this season has the drain cocks open and all the water out frost damage can be expensive and some parts just can't be replaced........................

Neville

up tip your water pumps they always hold water somewere
as neville says
water can become distructive to the castings
kev

I winterised my caravan on Thursday. It involves leaving the taps on and removing the drain plug from the water heater.
I suppose I should have unfolded the pump and hose and given them a bit of a shake out but it'll probably be fine.

So, to any of you caravanners, don't forget to empty your water systems

Ianhw77k wrote:I winterised my caravan on Thursday. It involves leaving the taps on and removing the drain plug from the water heater.
I suppose I should have unfolded the pump and hose and given them a bit of a shake out but it'll probably be fine.

So, to any of you caravanners, don't forget to empty your water systems

mine was done ages ago ... good job , if the taps do bust mine are only cheap cosmo taps anyway .

matt

I've got to finish the Homelite, which involves sealing the tank, reassemble & see if it runs. Then it needs some spring mounted skids making up.

Also I've got to make up a tubular metal frame for the JAP Model 3 & try to fix a direct drive alternator or dynamo to it.

I've got to do my bit with the Douglas, which will probably involve me taking the engine for a strip down & rebuild, although I will probably get involved with the frames & generators as well.

I've got to sort out the Tarpen (the one I restored & rallied this year). It stopped running at the end of the last rally & won't restart.

Then I've got the other Tarpen to restore, the one I just bought, ready for re-sale or showing next season!

If I happen to get bored during all of this I've also got a German WW2 Auto Union 2 stroke generator engine in bits in the workshop. Although this is unlikely to make it back together in the foreseeable future.

I'm also still looking for a Lister D or Wolseley WD or something like that for Ian's boys to restore. Got my eyes open & feelers out, but that'll be one for the boys to restore, not for me.

I'm glad I managed to find a gas heater for the workshop (good old freecycle), it's getting blumin cold out there in the evenings now!

Oh yes, & I've got work to do on the caravan & the car! MOT is due day before xmas eve!

Ianhw77k wrote:I winterised my caravan on Thursday. It involves leaving the taps on and removing the drain plug from the water heater.
I suppose I should have unfolded the pump and hose and given them a bit of a shake out but it'll probably be fine.

So, to any of you caravanners, don't forget to empty your water systems

You forgot the water filter! (& so did I ) It needs unscrewing & draining. I know we took our filters off, but the chamber still needs emptying!