milbike

hi ron, love the 741 build,could you tell me how you got the contract number that you've painted on the tank cheers gruff

hi, has anybody got an original petrol tank or know where i might get one cheers

just a quick heads up on what ive found,after changing plugs to l86c i did have some improvement,it seemed as if i was chasing my tail as soon as i sorted one problem out another would crop up,so i decided to send the mag to tony cooper who reconditioned it and apparently it hadnt bee touched for many years,i wish he had checked it on the dyno before he stripped it but as usual he did a cracking job at rebuilding it and getting it back to me within a few days.while the mag was away i decided to have a look inside,firstly i found that the inlet pushrod had been repaired poorly at some time so as the pushrod span round the repair was not concentric so it changed the valve clearance,quick call to steve at amc spares and a new pushrod was sent.then to my surprise the the inlet valve was in the exhaust and you guessed it the exhaust valve was fitted to the inlet,also only had one valve spring was fitted to both valves and the springs were very weak and 0.080" (2mm) shorter free length than spec.the valve seats were both pitted and in need of a cut.luckily ive got access to a mira seat cutter,so after making a new mandrel to fit the guides i cut the seats and while i had the machine put a 60degree cut into the throat and bored out and gave the ports a tickle to improve flow.i then rebuilt the top end and stripped and cleaned the carb,i also fitted an insulating block between carb and inlet port(original one was ally which was transferring heat to the carb).fitted everything and she ran up within a few kicks,i have used the bike to go to the victory show and after many stops and starts she hasnt fouled a plug and she starts hot or cold with a couple of kicks.now that ive got the engine running ok the clutch is dragging and slipping and finding gears is becoming a problem and the carb is still running rich (needle position does not help) I need to re-sleeve the carb for (anyone know of a good place to get my carb sleeved) so thats my next job,and then hopefully i can get the ariel w/ng finished and start on the indian,thanks for everyones suggestions and help gruff

Ive managed to get me hands on an Indian 741b basket case,the bike has been civilianised so I am looking for most of the military parts as well as footboards, exhaust, complete seat assembly as well as some engine bits.can anyone point me in the right direction Cheers gruff

fitted an l86c spark plug and this seemed to sort the problem out the bike now starts easier when hot,still hasnt sorted the misfire at high loads ,im going to recheck the ignition timing next.

thanks for all the advice and Lex Schmidt for sending me detailed pictures and drawings for the pannier brackets,should be able to get them fitted for the victory show,cosby

ive fitted champion l82c spark plug to my g3l,she runs fine apart from occasionally stalling at idle and then i have to clean the plug or even fit a new one to get her started again,ive removed and cleaned the carb,played around with needle positions,and she idles lovely when warm with no ignition advance.the plug is sooty but not wet.if i stop engine by turning fuel off and let her go lean and die she will start up fine.any ideas,is the L82c the best plug to use,i did write a long post about everything ive done but the bloody site keeps crashing,so this is the abreviated version cheers

ill try russell motors next week,thanks

thanks for all the info,ive used the bike a couple of times this week and i havent had anymore wetsumping problems,i also have checked the crankase breather is working correctly and im going to replace the oil pump plunger and guide pin.thanks again for everyones help

like i said he is trying to sort the problems out,ill just have to give him a nudge cheers:-)

thanks for the info stef, after draining the sump,i adjusted the oil feed screw to the inlet valve(1/2 turn from closed) as it was unscrew by 3-4 turns.put a new plug in and she started first kick with no smoke!! the oil return is dribbling nicely as well. im going to have a look at the oil pump plunger in the next day or so. you mentioned that they do not like 50 weight oil? what do you recommend p.s i noticed you have a triumph 3hw,you dont have a spare set of girders for sale? worth a try eh,, thanks again

i ordered a rear rack from terry at metal magic,received it a couple of months ago to find it didnt fit,looked like an indian copy,anyway i have sent these back to terry at least 7-8 weeks ago and i still havent received the right rear rack,to be fair terry is trying to sort this out but when you pay top dollar you expect parts to be half right.

I have got a 1941 g3l,i have the rear rack with lugs for the pannier frames but even with spacers the frames bind on the rear brake rod etc,does anyone have some mounting brackets or pictures showing how the pannier frames were mounted,especially the lower brackets thanks

my 1941 g3l has been running ok,i have cleaned oil filter replaced oil with morris 50w and she has been on a couple of runs with no problems. she has sat in the garage for a couple of weeks and last night started her and depleted some of the ozone layer with the plumes of white smoke out of exhaust and oil trickling from exhaust to cylinder head flange as well as very thin oil coming out of primary cover. after running the bike for a few minutes and pissing off the neihgbours as the smoke just stayed the same i put her back in the garage,this morning i checked the fuel tap as i thought it might be leaking into crankcase but looks ok,then i drained the sump and there was about quarter of a litre of oil that came out readily,didnt have a strong smell of petrol.cant get the bike to start now i think the plug is knackered as i have a decent spark out of cylinder,(get a new plug this afternoon ,i am running a champion l82c is this the best plug for the bike?. has anyone got any ideas,im thinking scavenge pump or oil seeping from oil tank when she has sat for a few days, whats the oil level in the oil tank,i filled it up to approx an inch lower than the filling neck union about 4inches below oil tank cap? CHEERS

i am replacing the black sludge in my matchless 3gl with some morris's 50w ,i have drained oil tank and cleaned oil tank filter and drained any oil left in crankcase,any suggestions on priming the oil pump,i am concerned that there may be air in the feed /return lines , or do i simply fill tank and run engine thanks

nice one ,look forward to seeing the pictures.went to stafford today,managed to get some reprint parts & drivers manual for the 3hw as well as a tin timing chain cover for my ariel w/ng.really wanted toolboxes for the w/ng and rear rack but as ive found at stafford most parts are expensive and anything wd is like rocking horse,saying that there were a few bits for the m20 and one for sale at £5200 that looked original as well as a 1967 trw .

ill try again everytime i try to send a message the bloody page locks up....guy,thanks for the pictures of your lovely 3hw,ive already got several pictures of your bike and you on the beach and riding in convoy that i fell upon while trawling the net for reference material a few days ago.good luck with the forks!!

Thanks for all the info,im new to the forums and I really appreciate all the help.ron,I spent last night looking through pictures of war bikes and I thought they were m20 forks,thanks for confirming this.you’ve got some collection!!.the front wheel looks like the original 3hw.I was a bit disappointed at first that they weren’t original triumph but I’m sure ill enjoy the bike as she is until I can source some 3hw girders (and I thought getting the parts for my w/ng was tricky)but like wdbikemad has commented after 70 years the bike has been through a lot and its part of the bikes history,and I think back to some of the modifications ive done to bikes over the last 20+ years. you never know there might be someone with an m20 with 3hw girder forks fitted that want to swap!!. Am I right in thinking that the recess on the rear of the fuel tank is for the vokes air filter ducting? Cheers gareth

thanks for the information,theres quite a bit to do before i can ride the bike,magneto & dynamo need repairing,also the speedo drive needs attention as well as quite a few other bits,i have managed to speak to the previous owner in holland and he's quite adament that the bike has been in holland for many years.anyhow im just trying to get my ariel w.ng finished so i can ride that for the next couple of months. cheers

i have just bought the triumph 3hw in the photos,im interested to know how original it is.the frame number is tl36984 & engine number 3hw 55534.the fieldstand lug is not fitted and it looks like it is bolted on,and after reading rons info on the fieldstand lug being bolted on the 3sw and the 3hw being welded,i am a bit concerned its a bitsa, and also do the forks look right for a 3hw?any info would be appreciated thanks

i have just bought the triumph 3hw in the photos,im interested to know how original it is.the frame number is tl36984 & engine number 3hw 55534.the fieldstand lug is not fitted and it looks like it is bolted on,and after reading rons info on the fieldstand lug being bolted on the 3sw and the 3hw being welded,i am a bit concerned its a bitsa, and also do the forks look right for a 3hw?any info would be appreciated thanks

i have a 3hw 1943 and i havent got a field stand or bracket on frame,i noted that 3sw had bolt on lug and 3hw is welded,my frame is a 3hw frame but it has got no bracket fitted but there are holes for the bolt on bracket?can anybody let me know any info as to why thanks

hi, thanks for the info.ive just come home to find that i've got a fieldstand delivered,i rushed to the garage to fit this-as i thought this is going to take a couple of minutes,after 10minutes of buggering about it occured to me that the lug on my frame has got the flats on the half moon facing upwards so if i turn the bike upside down i'tll work,ahhhh!!!any ideas? it doesnt look like its been repaired/welded at any point,but i guess it must have been damaged at some time and welded onto the stub upside down, this part looks cast,but im not sure and i cant decide how to rectify this problem.can i weld it? mig,tig,arc,gas? any suggestions/advice would be very welcome thanks gareth:(

nice one chris gareth

hi , thanks for the info,i have already tried draganfly and got a few parts but they dont have any toolboxes,mudguards,handlebars,pannier carrier,etc.i bought some headlamp brackets and headlamp from them and a big bag of fasteners (trying to work out which ones are for what is fun-without having complete bike)and the headlamp brackets did'nt fit -they had drilled the wrong size mounting holes and i have had to rebend them as they were at least 1" -2" away from headlamp,to be fair they are sending me out a parts book free of charge.i think ive got a nos front mudguard to pick up from the ariel owners club agm on saturday and have managed to get original front mudguard stays -apart from the centre bracket on top of mudguard,ive got some 1944 pannier carriers but no pannier frame as yet.Ive found a steel timing chain cover but still looking for steel primary chain backplate and cover. chris,could you let me know what paint you used on your wng,thanks gareth