restoration 1940 re wdc

[rampant rivet]

I know I said that after the Bedford MW resto that would be the last one, but you never should say never ! Had a call about some " old army bikes in a shed" so here we go again :nut:

 

 

First most complete one is a 1940 RE WDC

 

Second incomplete one is approx 1944 'RE WDCO

 

And the third is a civilian 1936 B2 350 OHV

 

 

 

 

Poor things look rough after residing in a shed for 40/50 years but rust is only surface , honest 😁according to Ron both Re's were rebuilt by RE in 45/46 and sold off to the civi market possibly.

[jean baptiste]

Very nice you are lucky i love this moto good luck for restauration.

[john1950]

They will go well with the Bedford. You know you cannot resist a good restoration. It is what you do. I would love to hear the excuse to keep your other half on side.

[fesm_ndt]

Very Nice.....

 

I wanted to buy an old BSA when I was in Malaysia but it was heavily molested

[andy1960]

Hi Jez...some people have all the luck !!!....bit of WD 40 and fresh petrol and they will be good un's......:cool2:

 

Knowing that you will have paid a "fair price";)......sell one to pay for the other two!

Looking forward to the restoration blog !

Edited August 21, 2017 by andy1960

[andy1960]

They will go well with the Bedford. You know you cannot resist a good restoration. It is what you do. I would love to hear the excuse to keep your other half on side.

 

 

One for you ....and one for her ? works for me with Maz.... Gurlz on bikes...it's the way to go! :-D

[rampant rivet]

Yes quick oily rag, maybe some new tyres and away to go the BSA will be a project for my father if not then it will be sold on though I quite like it, the 44 Enfield likewise as I've been told that a spare engine, fuel tank and rear mudgaurd has been found lurking in the dark reccesses which will make it more complete.

As for luck it was more a of a test of patience having been told of their existence several years ago I only got to meet the elderly owner on Sat, am looking forward to working on the Enfield as a long term project as there is still some small jobs to complete on the MW.

 

 

[fesm_ndt]

am looking forward to working on the Enfield as a long term project as there is still some small jobs to complete on the MW.

 

 

 

"long term project", this will be something novel as your restorations are super fast..........yes I am jealous :-D

[rampant rivet]

Super fast restoration ? It will have taken the best part of 5 years before the MW is really up together :cool2: , anyway am rescuing the bikes on Saturday, the first time they have seen daylight in years looking forward to really being able to see what I'll be up against :wow:

[rampant rivet]

Well its been a busy day, bikes have seen daylight for the first time in 50 odd years

 

 

Not sure that they will survive the experience :wow:

 

 

One sad 1946 WDC Fitted with a WDC 350 cc side valve.

 

Sidecar frame built by Swallow

 

 

 

1940 WDC Needing a bit of tlc :cool2:

 

 

Bit of Wd40 does wonders ! What have I done !!

Edited September 15, 2017 by rampant rivet

[jim fl4]

Absolutely great finds. Where are you going to begin??

[rampant rivet]

Absolutely great finds. Where are you going to begin??

 

By lying down in a darkened room for a while :cool2: then probably the WDC then possibly the WDCO if I decide to keep it, have given the little BSA to my father as a project so may be involved in that too. One possibility is to restore them at the same time so if I'm stuck on one bike I could carry on with the other.

[andy1960]

Hi Jez...thanks for the update ...nice to see them out in the real world again.Knowing your enthusiasm I am sure they have landed in the right hands.Just a thought though..before finally deciding which one to keep might we worth getting a ride on a restored one of each ...you might find yourself underwhelmed by the WD C performance :yawn: against the CO. :-D

[rampant rivet]

Yes I know the WDC is a bit flat but it's early which is nice, whereas the WDCO is 1944 both frames are fitted with WDC engines which means the WDCO Will need a major restoration as so much is missing, though I do have the correct tank and front wheel.

[rampant rivet]

Had a good look at the 1940 WDC this evening and found the original engine number and WD markings stamped just below the mag/dyno

 

 

Managed to turn the engine over and the gearbox selects ! Just !

[Chris Hall]

Your 44 WDCO is in fact a WD/C or if your going off the frame number (And it's not in the recognised WD/C range) then it could be a post war model C built on WD spare parts.

 

also just noticed the bikes sat on a Bren Gun mag box, if it's not your then grab it with the bikes. That's £20 or more on eBay.

Edited August 30, 2017 by Chris Hall

[rampant rivet]

Yes my mistake l meant WDC it's frame number is 128xx, the bren box contains my spanners just used it to hold the bike up, did the WDC have a centre stand and WDCO a rear stand ? also is the rear carrier late for a WDC ?

The other frame I have is stamped 212xx could that be a WDCO ?

[Chris Hall]

The 12xxx serial is a WD/C and the more complete bike is I think a post war model C built on left over WD spares. There is a contract number finely pantographed on the left crank case of Enfield WD/C and COs. Contact Jan (REWDCO) as he is the author of an excellent article on the RE WD bikes.

 

The WD/C had a centre stand and the CO a rear stand. The Panier frames were retro fitted to some earlier bikes and fitted at factory from a certain contract. Again Jan has the answers.

Edited August 30, 2017 by Chris Hall

[andy1960]

Hi Jez ...good larf at Netley today !:laugh::laugh::laugh:

[Ron]

Me too! Got home today (Sat) 6.30 am. before the Bournemouth air show traffic was out. Ron

[rampant rivet]

Great to meet New friend's and old on Friday, just got home after a great road trip taking in a couple of days at the Beaulieu autojumble Portsmouth and Bovington tank museum thanks for your help and advice Ron looking forward to restoring the WDC.

[rampant rivet]

Ok thanks to information supplied by Jan we know know that the inconplete bike is a post war WDC though it has a WDCO front wheel and tank.

The more complete machine was delivered to the war office 25/06/41 it has gained WDCO front forks and later carrier it is also fitted with a later spare engine.

Many thanks to Jan for suppliying comprehensive info on Enfield wartime production

 

RR.

[rampant rivet]

Had a quick look at the Enfield this afternoon after working on the MW and after taking the tank off and head managed to free up a stuck valve and it turns over really nicely, luckily the piston had been left at tdc so the barrel suffered no damage from rust, can still make out the Enfield name and +40 stamped in the top of the piston good as new.

Will probably restore this machine to its original spec when it left the factory on 25/06/41

 

[rampant rivet]

Thought I'd better start tinkering with bike again.

 

Missing the spring clip and not sure how it fits on the frame.

[rampant rivet]

May have got carried away, WDC frame and forks is at the blasters so have collected all the other bits and pieces to see what can be used or not !

 

Will probably let the WDCO forks go to help fund missing parts.

 

Edited August 18, 2018 by rampant rivet