Dear All

Thats fantastic information from Lewis on Webbs, it seams to me that just about everyone copied them and before they new it identical and similar forks where being made for other bikes. The thing I found hard is when a set of forks pops up on eBay or at an auto jumble they may look like Webbs but are they? I couldn’t find a set of definitive dimensions for Webb forks on a Scott. The Webb catalogue doesn’t give dimensions and indicates that the made forks to just about all lengths widths and sizes. It’s helped now of course by the fact that I have a set of Webbs that’s are defiantly for a Scott and the vellocett owners club where I found some dimensioned information (attached) .I still wonder how they make the tapered tube, I am sure the machine used is impressive.

So on with the build, the next thing I did was bought a lathe. I have spent many a happy hour in Roger Moss’s workshop talking about Scotts and machine tools and I have admired Rogers collection of Smart & Brown machines. Smart and Brown built lathes etc in Biggleswade not far from where I live and there machines where absolutely top notch. They didn’t make that many compared to other manufacturers, these machines where tool room lathes for very high precision work and they came at a high price. Most of the machines are huge and just too big for me but there model S or SAB lathe is small being a copy of a South Bend 9” lathe built to a very high spec. I took me ages to find one but as soon as I did I snapped it up (photo attached). I am no expert, not by a long stretch but it serves my purposes. It means I can make up things like the attached picture of a rear axle adjuster nut, in stainless!

I now turned my attention to the gearbox. The casting its self was in good condition having never really been converted to a foot change but the end casting was in poor shape. The kickstart mechanism had obviously over time broken the cover plate and it had been welded up and repaired but it looked like a bodged job. I tried to get another from the spares scheme but it was sold out unfortunately. Salvation came when I purchased a box of bits which had an end cover which was not new but in much better shape and I decided to use this.

Now for the gear wheels! The box had a set of old vintage wide wheels in it and they were in a sorry state, I hadn’t seen anything like it. When I purchased the bike it looked like the box had been cleaned up and was in good shape but the wheels where dreadful. It’s was the first indication I had that what I purchased was a bit of a pup. I sent the photos (attached) to Glyn Chambers who attends my local Scott meet in London Colney and he mentioned that this was probably caused by a type of oil which was Thicksotropic ?? Which became more fluid the more it was agitated, it was discovered later that when left it became acidic and ate metal. Glyn  look at his spare parts and came to the rescue providing me with some of the wheels I needed and the Scott spares scheme providing the rest. I now have a much better modern close ratio box for the bike.

The bearings in the gearbox where shot and so where the bronze bushes so new bearings were purchased and I took some much better bushings out of another old gearbox and put it all back together. I have to say I did it about 8 times before I got it right but at the end of the day I was left with a usable box. As soon as the madness of Corvid 19 is over I will sent it up to Eddie to get it done properly but until then on with the next job, clutch!

Keep safe everyone and best wishes to you all

Edward