secondshooter

Hi Ron , thanks for the reply , if it was a WW2 bike I would have considered buying it but due to its incomplete and poor condition I will give it a miss. cheers Tim

Hi Folks , this bike has come up on a local auction site for $600 nz it has a very brief description , basically says WW2 Army bike (or what is left of it) can anybody identify it , looks like a James lightweight but im no expert just had a quick look on google. it says it has a villers engine.

I use auto filler ,don't know what its called in the UK but its what panel beaters use for repairs on cars , just a tin of goo and a tube of hardener , mix spread wait to dry and sand . using the lead system is pretty much the gold standard but as stated if you don't have the kit of skill it is troublesome . also it introduces heat and very corrosive flux that can cause extra dramas. go with auto filler !

Sorry cant help with location . interesting that some buildings appear to be stripped or gutted ?

Good stuff gents !I look forward to seeing things progress . its a big job but you guys seem to be getting stuck in!

Looks like a fun project , the sand blaster looks a little small or is that one for doing the delicate parts ? I take my parts to a guy who does sandblasting commercially , the compressor is a similar size to the engine that came out of your tank. have you rung around all the Army stores to see if any spare parts are sitting on the shelves in warehouses? and is that a purpose built engine stand ? finding things like that make life a lot easier !

one picture showed a lot of water tanks mixed in with the real tanks , I wonder if some one was being a bit creative , a tank is a tank after all (and a dam good swop for a real tank!)

Lots of things are tucked away in military stores, 20 years ago I was fitting new in the wrapper WW2 dated solenoids to browning .50s mounted in our M113 APCs , the story we got told they were used on sunderland flying boats and they had plenty . our TF gunners still had WW2 M101A1 105mm s the gun docs on a few had their first entries done in Guadalcanal .

1915 Vickers 4 inch deck gun , is owned by the local Sea Cadet unit , its looking a bit sad as I has been in storage for a few years (after a fire destroyed part of their building) the guy in charge is keen to get it back into shape , will be having a play with it to see if I can get the breach operational so the cadets can do some gun drills.

Anson Bomber , it lives at my local airport (Nelson NZ ) nice to see the old girl flying about.

Try Ebay for repro sten pouches bandoleers and carry bags , I got a sten carry bag (about 40 USD ) they are made in India and the quality is quite acceptable , the purchase price included free DHL shipping from India to NZ , took about 2 weeks.

Well New Zealander Soldiers have a long history of looting anything that was not bolted down of too heavy to carry so I wont discount any theory? although I would have thought things of monetary value would be higher on the list (or at least things that could be readily exchanged for cash) back in 1945 an old cylinder head would have been a slow moving item compared to art , booze or jewellery. if only small numbers were made it may be a little easier to track its origins ? I better start doing some more scouring on the internet. I think its time to move the door bell inside and keep it safe.

Geepig you have hit the nail on the head ! I was convinced it was an Allied engine but the links you provided even show that odd little insert between the fins (still don't know what its for ?) thanks so much for all your efforts , out of interest how long did you spend trawling through old aircraft engine photos?

Seems very odd but you have to go back about 5 pages to see a soldier carrying any kind of firearm? I may have missed some though , did the Germans have a no weapons policy behind the front lines?

Sad to see the old girl rotting away ! the twin bofors could be rescued tho...

someone bothering to bring it air freight from the middle east must have had a good reason to do so? maybe its worth some big dosh ?

is there any clues on the paper tag that is attached?

You are right Trevor , it looks as if the valve seat plug can screw out , I was wondering if the little plug thing was for a temp probe attachment? although the mechanics of connecting it back to a gauge would be a nightmare so not really practical. is it possible we are barking up the wrong tree and it not off a radial? a fixed inline engine could have been built with a valve in the piston and still have just one exhaust valve perhaps ????

There is more of the bell story , it was the bell at the RNZEME 164 club at Trentham camp in the 1960s (164 is the number on the tag that goes on anything needing base overhaul ) the bell was stolen by an ordinance store man who later had a marriage break , his disgruntled wife bought the bell to my mate who was the PWF at the time and told him her husband had stolen it. by then a new bell had been sourced and nobody wanted the rusty old one so my mate took it home , years later he gave it to me as I have a collection of rusty old stuff. and here we are now. Im ex RNZEME , (the corps has since been disbanded and tradesmen are now part of a wider service corps) and am more of a custodian than an owner , will hand it on to some one else from RNZEME when the time is right.

any ideas what the little insert is between the fins?

Some more dimensions Fins at widest point 175mm Wall thickness 50mm up from base 1.95mm (paint and rust included) Valve stem hole 12.29mm Valve opening 59mm Plug hole diameter 16.25mm

more pictures