Ron

Yep my engineer has winced at that instruction. But would do you do? Follow the book or make a calculated guess?? The 3HW OHV spec is as as you would expect... 4-4.5 thou. Ron

Yes the machinist will always work from the piston being used! 

Strangely the Triumph SV data quotes 7-8 thou piston skirt clearance which by the standards of all the other makes I've dealt with....Is worn out!!??  Maybe Triumph pistons were designed or prone to expand more than others when hot?

Ron  

Steve the difference between the standard  bore and piston skirt is 4 - 4.5 thou.  Ron 

Cheers Steve. You asked in a previous post about "top speed" The truth is, I don't know and not brave enough to find out. I once gave it a burn on a quiet dual carriageway in it's 600cc state and got quite easily up to 60mph ......But chickened out at that. These long stroke SV's are more about slogging power than speed. A modern Chinese 125 would probably pee all over me?  Ron

PS. Here is the pad I made using the canvas from an old back pack and some period looking sisal string. Ron

Hi Kevin. Unfortunately It's nearly always impossible to know the actual working  history of our bikes.

Yours is the 2337th bike from 4000 under contract C5354 in 1944, with tank census number C5569254. (Same contract as mine) By then the steering damper and knee grips were deleted. A lot of these seemed to have ended up in India. Lucky for you it still has its factory fitted engine (matching number +10,000)

Regards Ron

PS. Since the first picture, I've changed the canvas saddles and dull chrome push rod tubes.

No Graham, everything is just the same. I run my Talflow and Vokes with reduced filtration felt. 🙂Ron

Be interesting to see what you do Steve.

I've completed the correction swap of my battery trays and while I was at it, I made a new pivot pin for the stupid side stand on my G3L as the original was badly worn which made the stand even more stupid😝

The battery tray trunnions on my G3L are bronze after market or home made and were 2" long with  flat ends. The drawing shows them at 1 7/16" so I sawed at least 1/4" off all ends and rounded them off. I also took the opportunity while the trays were on the bench, to glue the rear trunnions in their channels with clear silicon.......Another silly idea by Matchless🥴 Ron 

Thanks Lex. I think I found that video.  Ron

My engine really clattered at the top end!   When I stripped it for a rebuild, I found that one of the rocker shafts had too much sideways movement. There was no up and down movement in the bushes that I could feel, so I just added a thrust washer to the offending shaft to the end that still aligned it up over the valve.

All some years ago so a bit vague now. I'm trying to think though, surely you wouldn't have to rely on the ends of the bushes to reduce end float?   

Steve can you add pictures of your progress please.  Ron  

1 hour ago, flyingfleasteve said:

Different in height to Ron? 
I assume they accepted the same battery?

I never noticed any difference in height on the bikes. They both take the same standard Lucas WD battery and the mountings are the same. It's probably just a slight variation to the top bend.  Ron 

Well it only took me 1/2 hour to gather tools, move the bikes and remove the battery trays.  

The difference can easily be seen at the tops. The G3L is reduced in width. Both will now have to be re-painted in their respective colours. 

Matchless didn't bother to change the part number for the modification?  Ron 

I will have to refresh my memory about the battery carriers and fixings, as we learnt last year that there are differences between the G3 and G3L and I think I might need to swap mine as I think both mine arrived to me with each others carrier. ........ Purely by coincidence as the bikes came from totally different sources.   Ron 

Well done Steve. A bit more practice and we'll all have someone to send our broken barrels to😏 Is the metal ring inside the exhaust port a permanent fixture now?  Ron 

I recently acquired an original Dunlop saddle frame and repro Rubber saddle for my 1939 KC10. However the frame was for a larger saddle so I had to cut/shut and modify it to fit. The saddle on these KC10's sits quite low with it's nose tucked into the recess at the back of the tank. The saddle was raised on the following model WC10. In fact since owning both models, I've compiled a very long list of the differences between the two models......Not least are the completely different forks.

I'm now looking for one of the 530 C11's that were supplied to India😆😆 and one of the 35 Royal Navy C12's... to complete the set😆😆😆

Ron

On Jan's compiled list of 21 Triumph (Coventry) stampings, all but one of the 3S and 5S engines, the inspector was number 68. Ron

Remembering what was written by O&M:- the 5S was introduced by Triumph to it's model range before the war, but was not initially ordered by the WO as there were sufficient of the more robust 500 SV's by BSA and Norton. However there was a need to hurriedly re-equip after the losses at Dunkirk. Obviously Triumph had a stock pile of pre war civvy 5S engines which were designed to fit into the lightweight frame, so the orders were placed. Hence probably why the 5S engines weren't stamped with a W.

The engine crankcase-barrel-head are all physically bigger than the 3SW, although of course the mountings remain the same. 

I can confirm that they are a very lively bike, due in no small way to the fact that they weigh over 1/2 cwt lighter than the other 500 SV's.  Ron

Here is Robert's engine number Jenk. No contract number, just the acceptance stamp. Second picture is my engine. Same again, just the acceptance stamp.  Ron

It's on the WD Triumph register Jenk  under 5S/5SW frame numbers. I think there are just 9 confirmed 'W's' up to now.   https://wdtriumph.com/

Ron

Yes Geoff has records from 1949 I believe. He found an RAF Royal Enfield WD/CO which was still in service at that time with a frame number, one away from mine. With that RAF serial number and the logic that they were numbered in sequence??? I was able to mark mine. .....It all depends on your vehicle still being in service post war.  Ron

I don't know what pictures Robert has, and I don't think he'll mind me posting this. I've been assisting the current owner where I can. This is the bike before restoration started. One of the biggest problems was/is the wrong forks and front wheel. I did locate fork blade and wheel in Greece, but still more parts to locate.  Ron

That does not look like a workshop job! It looks like it's been scratched with a sharp nail. Is there by any chance a number on the rear frame?  Just beyond where it joins the front frame.  Ron

Similarly, when I stripped my RE WD/L which had been hand painted black. Inside all the covers (primary, brakes, headlamp etc)  was the original Khaki Green. I surprised myself how well I managed to match it, but with no written recipe to follow in the future, as it was done by adding this, that and the other. 

On the other hand, much the same as today, the paint must have come from different suppliers with differences in the shades.......At one point when trying to match the paint on one of my bikes, I had five tins of Olive Drab from different suppliers and not two of them were the same and none matched the bike.......You even have to buy your B&Q bathroom paint on the same day to be sure of a match. 🥴Ron 

No doubt "Warpaint" sell Service Brown. But it's a standard off the shelve colour BS 499 along with Dark Cammo Brown BS 436.

 https://www.http://pub37.bravenet.com/forum/static/show.php?usernum=3155626639&frmid=16&msgid=1443496&cmd=showe-paint.co.uk/BS381-colour-chart.asp

Robert. Richard might be the guy to talk to regarding your REME interest.

Ron

Unfortunately there is no BS or RAL number for KG3. I mix my own by sight. But someone came up with this chart for mixing British colours from RAL numbers. I've never tried any of them myself though. Ron