Ron

Well spotted Jan! Fortunately the hair was on the outside and just wiped away.....Whew!

Nerve wracking so I wanted to get it over with. I removed the rim and cleaned the black goo seal off, gave it a light blast and installed the dome glass with the new rubber seal that Roy provided. Ron.

Thanks Steve. The dome glass from NL arrived today. I have taken these ammeters apart before (with trepidation!) and have lightly bead blasted the rims for a more dull finish. I've done the same to bright chrome speedo bezels. For that reason, if I get a speedo overhauled by David Woods, to which he can only supply bright chrome (or brass). He will leave the bezel loose for me. However I will look into the bright chrome ammeter thing.......Although the thought is starting to make me itch Regards Ron

More parts painted. Just the petrol tank and a few odds and ends to strip and paint now. Ron

With diminishing back pain (fingers crossed) and a mild, dry, sunny day today, I finished stripping more parts and got them all primered. The Amal carb parts arrived from Hitchcock's as expected, so I also finished putting the carb back together. The tyres were fitted yesterday. Ron

The headlamp still has it's original 'pre war' type reflector with the illumination slot for the ammeter. The original ammeter is long gone and Ben has provided a slightly later one. which of course has the wrong (flat) glass and bright chrome bezel. Roy from the Netherlands is going to send me the correct dome glass. Hopefully I can remove the bezel without any damage to change the glass and do something about the chrome. Ron

Today I stripped and cleaned the carb, rather than get involved in anything that might tweak my back again. The complete choke slide mechanism is missing so I've ordered new parts and some other carb parts and washers from Hitchcock's. Ron

Exactly so Dave! It seems that Nitromors has to be safe for a toddler to drink these days and I don't know how they've got the nerve to sell it as 'paint stripper'... I buy mine in 5lt bottles from the professional auto body paint shop where I get most of my paint products. This stuff stings if you get it on your skin. Ron

I managed a couple more hours of fairly gentle work today in the form of paint stripping some more parts, welding a couple of holes in the lid of the triangle box and knocking dents out of the headlamp rim. Ron

Well I've been semi bed ridden with this buggered back problem for getting on for two weeks now but a 1 1/2 hour session with Pippa the Physio and extra strong pain killers from the Doc has got me feeling a lot better at the mo! So a gentle hour the other day fitting the electro black fixings and another gentle hour today, wiring in the MCR1 regulator. I've got more heavy stripping of parts to contend with when I can and tyres to fit, which I'll entrust to my local friendly tyre firm as I just can't face tyre levers yet Ron

Yes my sentiments entirely. A mixture of parts which is what might have happened in the field or REME workshops. It even looks like a nice early 8" Deluxe headlamp. Ron

I can't recall ever seeing a 'Balloon' tank with a Vokes cut off corner? And a car radiator hose is a cheap copp out. Ron

Aalbert it might well be from 1942 although it appears to have any early 39-40 deluxe petrol tank (with the wrong BSA transfers fitted) It also looks like the earlier forks that were changed to 1/2" longer by late 1940. Post war dynamo and regulator and Matchless type battery carrier. All the M20-M21's from 1940-45 had their frame numbers prefixed WM20. Personally I'd want to see clear pictures of both frame and engine numbers before I made the purchase. I'm not trying to piss on anyone's firework, just pointing out stuff as I see it in case you're not aware yourself. The bike could still be a good buy if the price is right and the numbers stack up. Ron

Aalbert The frame number should have a prefix from the factory ie K,W,X,Y for the year and there is no such thing as an M21 frame number. They are all M20 numbers ie a 1939 M21 would have a frame number KM20 12345 a 1946 M21 would be XM20 12345. The engine however would be stamped ?M21 12345. Some pictures of those number would be best to identify the bike. Too many have fictitious stamping. Ron

The link. Ron https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C959823

My activities this week have been curtailed by pulling a muscle/joint in my lower back on Sunday. Gay Wayne the Chiropractic has wrestled me on his gurney and once I get over the experience I hope to return to normal service in the very near future. However I did collect the electroplated black items today, so at least the gearbox and cylinder head can be buttoned up. Ron

That will be TEC 244 (Triumph Engineering Company February 1944. Ron

You may have noticed a slightly leaning lamp post in my back garden Pete. Tony tells me the lamp post is straight, apparently it's the house that's leaning Ron

My neighbour and fellow biker Tony was in my workshop yesterday and his carpenters eye spotted that the right side fork leg looked bent out to the right. On inspection it was about 3/4" out of line and the left hand leg was about 1/4" out of line.So I guess a previous owner must have been in some sort of accident at some time. I must admit, I hadn't noticed this and it would have been a simple process to straighten them before I'd painted and assembled the forks. But with a bit of thought and some dexterous use of some 10mm studding against the workshop wall, and some trial and error adjustments by over springing the legs, I was able to get both legs straight without damaging the paint. Look at my contrivance to adjust the left hand leg. Heath Robinson would have be proud Ron

The weather today here was dry, sunny and mild, so a good opportunity to get some more top coat done. Ron

I commissioned a small batch of the unique Royal Enfield front number plate mountings to be made by my local engineer. Copied from an original. (3 per bike). They cost £75 per set, even so, he didn't charge me anything like the correct hourly rate. Correct raised countersunk screws are on order. I have one spare set if anyone wants them. Ron

The bike certainly looks like a 3HW (correct engine and forks) But the frame number makes no sense to me. The number should be prefixed TL. and there should be a date stamp on the top of the saddle tube (under saddle) Ron

Yes I took out the middle bar of the carrier front. It wasn't needed on this bike. Ron

I simply mig welded the brackets Andy. The torch was for heating and bending the top of the battery carrier into shape, before I shortened it. Ron

Ian, dull chrome/nickel has always been a problem as most firms can't or won't be bothered with it. I'm not fully conversant with the process but it mostly seems to have fallen out of fashion and taken place by 'satin chrome' (too shiny). I do have a local firm who have done some superb work for me, but even so there has been mixed results. I'm a long time customer and they have been very patient with returned items, and I don't think they are looking for anymore work in this respect. Likewise the same thing applies with the firm I use for Cad plate. Ben has his own plating firm (thank goodness) and I think he's in a same situation. Ron