Doc

Front forks, suspension, tank look similar but looking more closely I concede that the engine is not the same.

https://cybermotorcycle.com/marques/sunbeam/sunbeam-1914-1918.htm I was thinking of the 1916 model with the MAG engine.

Sunbeam?

Not sure what happened there... I was trying to type most pictures show a metal beading strip running across the top and down both sides.

The modern approach would be biscuits and glue. What might they have used? Tongue and groove? Dowels? Most pict

Steve, Please see page 11 of the Karrier WDS blog for details of orbital welding. Basically, the two work pieces are held in alignment in a jig while the welding electrode orbits the joint. I imagine this would have been done by hand in the Peerless factory. Regards, Doc.

Steve, I wonder if they were orbitally welded, with the small hole being drilled to relieve pressure. By "eye of faith" there is a ring discernable on all three parts in the 2nd photograph; this may indicate the position of the weld, or the heat affected zone. Expect corrosion rate to be different to that of the bulk material. Large drilling might be to match the wall thickness of the selector end to that of the tube. I would probably make them like this today; I'm not sure if Peerless would be in a position to do this 100 years ago. Doc.

Indeed. Fuse wire passes through the tubular tufnol body, loops round the brass screws (that also clamp the brass connectors to the fuse body) and is retained by the knurled terminal nuts. Doc.

In a break from tradition I'm not on a speeding train; I'm writing this from the comfort of my armchair. This is the culmination of many weekends work, punctuated by the need for some vital pieces of tooling and waiting for them to be delivered by our favourite online retailer. Most recent in this category were a 1/16" slitting saw and a 12.5mm reamer. Anyway, enough of this rambling... With the 4 jaw chuck fitted to the lathe it was time to start turning brass Next, transferred to the milling machine to drill the various holes After drilling and reaming the holes, it was time for the slitting saw. Next, a quick paraffin wash to remove swarf and cutting compound, then the fun bit: assembly. Now: don't they look lovely!

Elsewhere, this has been a weekend of heavy lifting. In lieu of a 4 cylinder 8kW Austinlite generator, this 2 cylinder set has been acquired and is in the process of restoration. One of the two cylinders was badly scaled up; this one has a burnt exhaust valve seat and broken valve guide so is away being fixed. With a long weekend, a break in the weather and the neighbour's forklift available, it was time to lift the set into place in the workshop. One of the two wooden pillars had to be removed first. Then the set was lifted into place, supported on blocks. Then by taking the weight first at one end, then the other, we were able to remove the blocks, lowering the set to its final position.

Another speeding train; this is getting to be an expensive habit. Two long weekends have afforded the opportunity to get all manner of jobs done. Karrier wise, the seat box has been placed in it's correct position on the chassis, as testified by the correspondence of the holes with their respective features on the petrol tank. Not sure what this little chap is doing here... After a bit of fettling the door pillars are fitting a lot better. Attention has now turned to fitting the outer rails that support the ends of the floor boards.

This is a classic example of where my friend Richard used to say: "It says Nestles on buses but they don't go there!"

A quick update from a speeding train. Our favourite online auction site supplied some shiny new hole saws, so I have proceeded to cut holes. With help from my brother I lifted the seat box up onto the radial drill and clamped it to the bed. This drill was chosen for its very low drilling speeds - 20, 30 and 40 rpm. Hole positions were pilot drilled but the saw was centred using a length of 1/4" brass rod to guard against the saw wandering. Holes for mummy bear and daddy bear were cut before the box had to be repositioned to cut the hole for ickle baby bear. Pictures below will fill in the details: Followed by a trip to the paint shop and a brush full of primer on the freshly cut and sanded surfaces. I've also found time to get some primer on the floorboards.

The Easter holidays have afforded the opportunity to head east and continue with the seat box construction. All pretty self-explanatory: Then off to the paint shop: Grey undercoat applied this overcast Easter Monday. I still have to cut the holes for the fuel filler, level gauge and dip stick. I had measured and marked the positions but will get the box up onto the chassis before I commit to cutting them.

To my mind it is the same generator (without the radiator of course) identified as a potential engine donor on page 4 of this thread.