Ron

Jan I've got some of that cold gun blue which will probably do nicely for the frame studs as they're already fairly black anyway. The fork spindle ends I will oil black myself and the head bolts and gearbox fixings I'll take to my platers for electro blacking. Today I've fitted the steering stem with new balls and also spent a goodly amount of time trying the de-grease the gearbox case which seems like it's been tarmacked and baked Ron

I'd agree with that. Also present is an airborne Jeep and 10cwt airborne trailer.. I reckon the other bike is a Matchless G3L. Ron

The forks are definitely Royal Enfield but as yet I can't identify them. Lots of pre war Enfield's had a right hand brake drum as did the WD models L,G and D, you also have the speedo bracket lug near the top. But the mudguard support strap looks C/CO. Most of the others had a mudguard support lug on the front fork tube only. I don't recognise the 'flat' brake plate and cable anchor bar either. Your front mudguard stay lugs appear to have been sawn off. I can't quite see you spring properly but it looks like C/CO type and not the G/L type (which can be re-located through 180 degrees for sidecar use). The speedo lug indicates that they came originally from a model with a right side brake drum and the rest could be just modifications for trials use? Ron

Try this. The centre stand swivels on bushes inside its swivel eyes. The left side bush is combined with a 1" spacer against the frame, there is also a tube spacer between these bushes. Getting the long stud to pass through the stand, engine plates,bushes and spacers is a bit of a fiddle but far worse things happen at sea! Then there is a series of 1" spacers between the right side engine plate and the engine, gearbox and frame. It's important to fit the lower gearbox stud with it's spacer before the engine plates are connected to the engine as you can't get it in after. Best to leave everything loose until it's all back in place (I can't tighten anything till the nuts come back from the platers).... I'm very pleased that I took a series of disassembly pictures to remind me how it all went back together. Ron PS I have a spare (tall) centre stand for sale PM me if anyone needs it.

The new small end bush has been reamed to size and the new piston fitted. Fortunately I managed to find a home for every one of the spacers. Ron

Andy. It was all done with my angle grinder with a rope wire wheel and elbow grease………And you do know I have to have a big tub of that. Ron

Interesting Chris. I think yours is from the same contract as mine C8136 but mine has a higher frame number 15297. I just checked and mine has the solid webb at the head stock. It has the shorter stand but of course it might have been replaced? Ron

OK Jan. Lick your pencil and add this detail to your report Ron

Jan it figures that your bike might also have a taller stand? Out of interest if you measure from the pivot centre to the ground by the stand foot on the primary side....Do you get 7 1/2"-7 3/4"? Ron

Chris is right. I just checked mine and it's the same 7" but Ben's is taller.by about 3/4". It must be a leftover from the pre-war bikes and then they decided to alter it for the WD bikes. I was busy today with the KG3 on all the frame and fork parts. Ron

Well I wouldn't have guessed that Chris! Was it simply to lift the wheels higher? I'll be comparing the stand on my later 'C' with Ben's in the near future now and I've got another WD/C centre stand on its way to me. Come to think of it, my previous 'C' from well over 20 years ago was always a sod to hike up on its stand. It was missing its stand when I acquired it and I'd found one in a motorcycle breakers shed. My current bike is a lot easier. I've mildly wondered why? Maybe that's it! Ron

I hope it helps some! Some more parts de-greased stripped and primed here in 'Spacer City' Just hope I can remember where they all belong Ron

Handy if you need a rear wheel as I believe that apart from the sprocket it's about the same as a war time wheel. (35T for a WD Flea and 34T for post war civilian) The 300x19 tyre however is too big for a WD Flea which should have 275x19. Ron

Today I've stripped the main frame and primed it, then assembled it with the studs and nuts which must be painted and given the whole thing another coat of primer. The rest of the studs should be black parkeriszed with dull plated nuts. Ron

Yes Steve I'm missing a WD/J and KX (Fat chance on either!!) It is odd that despite all the various WD models RE produced (far more than most) that they never really took on the role as a front line machine. As you say they made continual improvements and upgrades. They also don't seem as desirable with modern day DR's as the other makes, and I've even heard comments about the engine with combined oil tank being ugly. Obviously I do like them and especially my WD/G which although has basically the same engine as a CO with a beefed up crank, It just feels so much more comfortable......Probably all the rubber parts ironing out the vibrations and the big front brake helps. Apart from obvious differences, it shares its parts list with the WD/L. One thing I think I'm right in saying, RE were the only wartime manufacturer who adopted the more sensible slack wire ignition advance. Ron

Some more parts arrived from Hitchcock's today. I'm happy to report that the piston is genuine Hepolite. Ron

Yes I agree Rik. When I got the bore measured and honed, my engineer commented about what a heavy old slug the piston is.....He thought possibly from a stationary engine? Thanks for the kind words Steve, and I own one of those WD/L's. From contract C8620 and supplied to Hilsea Barracks in 1942. Ron

Tha barrel, head, and tappet cover have been blasted and I've painted them with VHT and baked them for an hour. I've also lapped the valves in. The new piston rings arrived but no way will they fit this 'Gamma' piston, so coupled with the wear to the gudgeon pin, and the fact that the Japanese piston might upset the spirits in the museum, I made an executive decision and ordered a new RE piston (minus rings). I've also pressed a new small end bush into the con-rod which now needs reaming to size when the new piston arrives. Ron

It's this stuff Andy https://marinestore.co.uk/Bonda_Rust_Primer__25_Zinc_250ml.html I've used it for many years and with heavy coats it also makes a good high build primer. But I also use 2 PK high build primer on pitted tin parts. Ron

And now with red oxide primer. Ron

Stripped all the fork parts back to bare metal today. The black paint would easily pickle up if soaked in thinners for a few minutes, but the KG3 paint underneath didn't seem effected . From what I can make out, there is no primer/undercoat at all. Just a single coat of KG3 .......Must have been some good quality lead or enamel paint. Ron

Thanks for that Jan. Well Hitchcock's didn't let me down but Royal Mail certainly did! No post whatsoever yesterday, despite receiving an email and text from them to say they will be delivering another tracked parcel to me.......So that's that till Tuesday now. Ron

Yes Andy that picture is some of the very first WD/C's produced and had the same fieldstand foot as the Norton 16H. But I guess unlike Norton they soon realised how unsafe they are and liable to slide and reverted to the pig sticker type. No doubt Jan will know exactly when they changed. When panniers were fitted the pig sticker stand was moved from the vertical to horizontal. Ron

Chaps I've just miked up the gudgeon pin and it's definitely 3/4" and is 1/2 thou undersize in the wear area. I'll see if the new rings are correct when they arrive (later today knowing Hitchcock's) . Then I'll decide if the new small end bush can be reamed tight to allow for the 1/2 thou wear or I can buy a new gudgeon pin or even go for complete new piston (about 65 quid with post and VAT). Yesterday after removing the valves and preparing the barrel/head ready for blasting, I took the fork blades apart and de-greased them. For those who haven't seen them, these early RE forks come apart (unlike most which are brazed together) Which does make stripping the old paint easier. Ron

My engineer measured the cylinder bore yesterday to reveal that it's on plus 20 with minimal wear. He gave it a light hone to bust the glaze and I've ordered some new rings along with small end bush and other parts from Hitchcock's. However the piston is 'Gamma' and stamped 70.5 which is something I'm not familiar with so I'm hoping the standard RE rings will be the right size. I'll pull the valves out soon and get the head and barrel ready for grit blasting by Steve at Phoenix as I don't have the compressor power for such blasting in my own cabinet. Ron