No Signals

There are two rotting away in a mates barn. Naturally he is going to 'do them up'. Along with the twenty odd other bikes he found in there when he bought the place. That was nigh on 25 years ago, 'nuff said?

Its ok mate, nothing wrong with good advice. It could all be useful to a reader who doesn't know anything. That is what is good about this site, lots of sound advice willingly shared.

Cheers fellas!, that's all I needed to know. First job after the Holiday weekend.

My MW tonight for no apparent reason decided to open up a hairline crack across a windscreen pane, yes ok it will have had a stone knock or chip I didnt notice at some time. Are there any ready sources of 'correct' glass for these or will it do to go to my local glass merchant and get a piece cut to size and toughened. Under all the paint layers will I likely find it fitted with putty or something similar? Thanks for any helpful suggestions.

Good call that one Richard, just what had happened. I wouldn't have thought of that in a month of Sundays. Thanks a lot! (still hate sump gaskets though, they dont get any better with practise:-D)

This sounds awfully like a dropping the sump job. God I hate those end cork gaskets!:sweat:

Good point Richard, but no not to my knowledge. But obviously it is something I can check if all else fails. I've never disturbed it but that doesnt go for other previous owners. Maybe over a period of time it has gradually crept down.

Bedford 28hp. There must be something I'm missing (apart from the pressure). I've just had to have the distributor off to sort it out and now it is refitted the pressure is zero. I've checked the obvious ones like locating the 'dog' and the rivet between the dist. shaft and the drive gear having sheared. However everything seems as it should be. But still no pressure, neither on the light nor the guage which tends to rule out a fault having coincidentally occured on one of them. Both of them no. So any ideas chaps?

And another one in the news http://uk.news.yahoo.com/21/20090820/tuk-war-veteran-brutally-attacked-6323e80.html We all decide for ourselves what we see as important.

I've come across a box of Austin K3 pistons in a scrap yard (Complete set, NOS, still in original wrapping 1/32nd over), totally outside my knowledge so what should I offer the man? There's no way he'll 'give them away' so there's no point in going in at a fiver but I dont want to be stung. If I manage to get them I'll be putting them on the classifieds so that someone who needs them can have them. Just seems a shame that they are lying there.

I'll probably be taking the Bedford along. As PMw says it is not a big show at all, going from previous years' turnout. More of just an informal, or maybe formal, get together. If you have not seen the air museum then it is a worth a look, but it is nothing like the scale of Elvington. The event name probably pretty much sums up the scenario. For me it is important to support local events, however small, as great oaks etc..

Maybe a bit more support for the Wings and Wheels at Elvington might allow the organisers enough budget to go outside the museum land and onto the airfield? It is a show that seems to be getting bigger every year. I know the airfield is a separate concern and there would be issues there but who knows? If Elvington airfield is big enough to accomodate Jeremy Clarksons ego I'm sure there is enough space for a few hundred vehicles

Is there something going off in Beltring then?

I'm assuming you've tried the usual bits of large section angle iron and wooden wedges in association with the application of force to help persuade the beads of the rim, but mention them only because you dont. If you can borrow one, or know of a tyre company which has one, of the (dont know the right name) 'hammer levers' they work well. (Assuming you are built like a powerlifter). I'm not, so I felt lucky that I found a tyre company that was willing to have a go. They did one but the guy knackered himself so deferred on the others. They did suggest the aforesaid wedges etc and plenty of lubricant on the beads overnight. This did work for me, doing it when I felt like it, i.e. when I'd got my breath back . Goes without saying that once you've got them off to give the rims a bloody good clean up so that it is a lot easier next time. If one side is particularly stubborn then take the other off, give it a good clean so it will come off easily next time and then, sounds silly, but put it back on again. Turn it over and use the wedges etc on the stubborn side using the first rim to help support it. I've always found it is always easier to get one side off if the other is in due to cutting down the movement etc. Once you have a bit of movement on the bead it makes all the difference. I also made myself up some 4 foot long tyre levers from some suitable rectangle section bar, welded a stiffening piece in the middle away from the business end to cut down on flexing. These have proved very helpful too.

Spotted this old Bedford WL commercial vehicle at a local rally last weekend. Interesting chat with the driver and an interesting 'proposition' on the info sheet that it probably is the oldest vehicle still earning its living in Britain. Anyone know any other oldies that are still used on a regular weekly basis by companies?

I've never done a dynamo strip/rebuild before, it looks pretty straightforward from the manual but are there any particular issues/pitfalls for the unwary? The charging seems to fine, but I need to fit new bearings. Thanks.

Copyright issues I reckon

That will be the 100 ton gun at Rinella. Also worth seeing are the Lascaris War Rooms in Valetta, still looking remarkably as they did in the film 'the Malta Story', also worth taking a trip around are the Forts of St Angelo and St Elmo. In fairness better seen with the benefit of having read up on before or with a guidebook. Some very good details if he is prepared to spend the time. Tell him to go to Sliema and get a boat trip around the fortifications. It is worth hunting out the smaller boat which is operated from there that boasts a longer cruise and sees more. I can vouch that it is a better trip as it goes up more of the smaller creeks around the harbour. Tell him to keep an eye out for the (full size?) U boat film prop. Quite worth seeing, if only for taking in the enormity of the task, is the largest manual cut ditch/moat in the world. Cut through solid rock by Moslem/Turkish slaves after losing the Great Siege to the Knights of St John. Kept the b******s out of mischief for quite a while.:-D I think a few more need digging. In fairness the island is full of military architecture etc. The Air Museum is pretty good if he likes the stuff that flies.

Well done that man!

Thanks!

A gas rattle is one of the few bits of stuff I've got in the back of the truck. At a recent show an older chap, who I presumed had done service at some time, said he also knew them as 'machine gun rattles'. I didn't get chance to ask him to expand on this before he disappeared off in to the crowd. Does anyone know if this was ever an official title/use for these things (i.e. in training to simulate the noise) or is it some misname that has become attached to them over the years? Or is it just one old guys fancy?

Yes, 4pm was one of the the posted times we had, 3 was the other we'd seen. We turned up at 4(ish). Seem to recall just some period civvy cars lined up on the street and a few MVs in the 'arena' in front of the museum. From what I remember I think it set off a bit late - French wasn't it! and I think we had decided we'd missed it when suddenly things started happening. The bulk of the vehicles were lurking out of sight on the beach. You didnt miss much, just loads of jeeps and dodges, my mate reckons the best bit in the parade were the snare drummers in the band :-D

Thanks for the input fellas, definitely different to mine, which ends somewhere in front of the rear axle and sort of exits down/sideways. Surprisingly it doesnt fill the back with fumes. I will take your pics along to the company I'm going to have a word with regarding making one.

Gents, your opinions please on the subject you mention of exhausts. Would it be absolute sacrilege to get a stainless one made and fit it? Following on from that, none of my handbooks etc have a picture of an original exhaust and I'm pretty sure that the one on mine isnt quite as it should be. Can either of you send me a pic of your system so that I can cross check it against mine? Cheers Duncan