Gentlemen (and Stan!)
Thank you for your considered responses to my small end reaming query.
Roger, your two pence worth is always good value for money and always instructive and informative. However, your responses always frighten me to death! They make me wonder how I’ve managed to keep my Scotts running for the last 49 years without a fully equipped workshop. I’m limited to a worn out Atlas lathe, a pillar drill and a bench grinder. Your methods obviously work judging from you racing successes.
Stans methods are more my style with my limited resources (blacksmith engineering) but I agree with you Roger, one needs to start with a level playing field, or rather con-rod, if one is not to compound errors already in existance.
The reason that I asked the question in the first place was that a few years before Clive Waye died, I aquired an engine from him that I fitted into my Brum Scott. The engine had Silk cranks, crankcase stuffers, ported pistons and barrels. It’s an absolute pig to ride in traffic and the engine performance is all revs, no bottom end torque and doesn’t suit my riding style at all. I therefore thought about changing the barrels and pistons for standard ones and to that effect sent a scored cylinder block to Tim Sharp to be bored and have new pistons, rings and gudgeon pins fitted.
Now it could be that the new gudgeon pins will fit my rods with no reaming required, but if they are a smidgion or a tad tight (note technical terms) then I may have to ream the small end bushes. This I will do with an expanding reamer, so the next question is – what are the pitfalls to avoid when using an expanding reamer in this situation, other than opening it up too far?
Merry Christmas to one and all (even Stan)
Dave
