[Clawed]

Hi Kev

If you haven’t already done it, pull the front brake balance box apart and lubricate all the moving bits in there, I used grease. It transformed the brake from poor to rather good.

 

Geoff

[Clawed]

Hello Martin
I have successfully ‘reground’ steering head bearings by fitting new balls to a pair of races and adding fine grinding paste and spinning. When the rumbling noise stops you are done. I used a lathe because I have one but a drill press with appropriate fittings should work as well.
I did not use the balls used for grinding in the steering head, but fitted a new set. I have used the grinding balls again to regrind another set of races.

Geoff

[Clawed]

Sorry Brian but CEI (and BSC) is not quite Whitworth form. They have a 60 degree thread angle not 55, but do have the rounded tops and bottoms that Whitworth has. There are also some 28 TPI threads over 1/2 “, (mainly steering head in 15/16″, 1″, 1 1/16″ and 1 1/8”) and bicycle bottom bracket assemblies may have 30 or 32 TPI, I cannot remember. Bottom brackets also come in various sizes and left and right hand threads. And don’t forget spoke threads are CEI threads. BSC is CEI with some of the weirder, (less preferred) sizes taken out.

Strangely enough, even though many say it is a weird thread, it is about the only world wide thread. As best as I can find, bicycles from the UK, France, USSR, USA, China, Japan and everywhere else I can find use CEI.
Bicycles have united the world. (Nice dream).

Geoff

[Clawed]

Hello morningside

I have just measured the radius on my 1949 Flying Squirrel from the rear wheel spindle centre to the outside of the rear mudguard and found it to be 14.75″. I have no reason to believe my rear mudguard is not correct. One would assume that 1948 and 1949 would be the same. My rear mudguard is also 5.25″ wide. Hope this helps.

Geoff

[Clawed]

Hello Tman
Make sure you have a 9/32″ ball in the selector stop mechanism. A 1/4″ will work ok if everything is ideal but a 9/32″ ball makes it so much easier to set up. It is a pain to check the ball size so check other stuff first.

Clawed

[Clawed]

Hello Garnet

Try Stewart Engineering, the Sunbeam S7 / S8 people. The Sunbeams use the DKX2 distributor. Also good for spares for the big generator as most of it is the same. Some differences at the drive end and some of the Sunbeams used 2 brushes instead of 4.

Geoff

[Clawed]

Hello Garnet
My 1949 three speed gearbox is the same. It engages when the lever is about 5 to 10 degrees above horizontal. I think this is how they are. If the motor is even just barely OK it will still start.

Geoff

[Clawed]

Make sure you lubricate the internals of the box. My brake was poor until I greased the moving parts in the splitter box, it is now a good brake.

Geoff

[Clawed]

Are you sure it is 26 TPI. Standard BSC 1″ is 28 TPI.
From memory, not always reliable, steering head BSC in 1″ is always 28 TPI. I think 15/16″ and 1 1/16 X 28 TPI, are steering head sizes as well.

Clawed

[Clawed]

I have heard from a few sources the bronze / brass wire works quite well on outfits, enough drag so it negates the need for a steering damper and lasts for ever.
I doubt it would be good on a solo, but I have never tried it. If someone does I would be interested in the results.
I have reconditioned a few sets of early 50’s Matchless steering head bearings in a lathe by assembling the bearing, with balls that are in reasonable condition, and putting one against, not in, the chuck jaws and the other over a live centre and lubricating it with fine grinding compound. Apply moderate pressure with the tailstock until the rumbling stops, about 10 minutes as I remember, it was a few years ago. Buy a new set of balls to use in the bike.
The last set I did this to have so far done about 25000 miles and are still working fine.
I know this is not the best solution, the radius of the bearing track will be 0.001″ or so undersize, but I could not find reasonable bearings for the Matchless at the time, and this is, surprisingly, very successful.

Clawed

[Clawed]

1/4″ B.S.P.T has 19 T.P.I and a minor diameter of 0.4506″. Not that far from 7/16″. 0.4375″.

Clawed

[Clawed]

If it has the Lucas DKX2 distributor then the points from the Sunbeam S7 or S8, which uses the DKX2, will fit. Stewart Engineering, the S7 – S8 specialists, for them. Good to deal with and have stuff for the Lucas 70 watt pancake generator as well. The S7 – S8 used that too.
The DKX4 was apparently popular on pre war, the big one not the great one, English cars. I know little of cars so I do not know what type of car.

Geoff

[Clawed]

Hello Kev
In case you are interested being able to screw a 5 mm screw into a 2 BA hole means someone has tapped it out to 5mm.
5 mm, 2 BA, and 3/16″ BSF are all quite close in diameter and TPI. 3/16″ BSF will sometimes go into an old 2 BA hole, 5mm will not.
It is not only the diameter difference it is the different thread angles. The 55° of BSF and 60° of metric mean the bolt thread is fatter than the 47° of the BA.

2 BA, 0.185″ OD, 31.35 TPI, 47°
3/16″ BSF, 0.1875 OD, 32 TPI, 55°
5 mm, 0.196″ OD, 31.75 TPI, 60°

Geoff

P.S. I am in OZ as well. Gippsland, Vic

[Clawed]

Should have followed this to the end, sorry.

Clawed

[Clawed]

Brian that is incorrect. It is a 6 volt battery, when fully charged each cell has 2.2 volts.
To charge it need about 7 volts. They are a 7 volt system.
If you do not believe me check the running voltage on a 12 volt system. It will be about 14 volts.

Clawed

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