Engine query

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RTichard Woolnough
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Engine query

Post by RTichard Woolnough »

have had little to do with the W/ng for a while now, lockdown, other avenues to take my time but, lockdown, wife's medical procedure looming, self isolation and now, bloody snow about 6 inches deep! so been having a browse through the history I obtained for the old gal before the nonsense of DPA when such was available.
I have found the registration at one time to be LEN 675 a 1960 Bury issue, this has of course been sold on, there is a wealth of involved, difficult to decipher at the moment, paperwork but nothing to indicate the original number when the bike was demobbed,
My question however is to do with an engine change, originally the engine no was, it appears -
BK 897 on some of the papers actually BK 497
The engine now fitted is
BH 31379 the change taking place around May 2010 recorded 13 May 2010 Edinburgh [date stamp]
I believe that BH 31379 is somewhat later to 1942 the frame date but still a wartime number, what is the BK engine and what date would 897 give it please.
thanks and kind regards
Stay safe
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alan.moore
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Re: Engine query

Post by alan.moore »

RTichard Woolnough wrote: My question however is to do with an engine change, originally the engine no was, it appears - BK 897 on some of the papers actually BK 497

The engine now fitted is BH 31379 the change taking place around May 2010 recorded 13 May 2010 Edinburgh [date stamp] I believe that BH 31379 is somewhat later to 1942 the frame date but still a wartime number, what is the BK engine and what date would 897 give it please.
Richard
The following may or may not be of use to you. The only way to get a definite answer to is contact the club archivist who can check the factory records

BK was used for civilian NH/NG 1946 & 1947

According to the WNG contract info on Drags website ( https://draganfly.co.uk/wp-content/uplo ... el_vin.pdf ) BH31379 was in a group of engine numbers (BH30756-BH32000) that were not issued during the wartime contracts (see details at end of info on Drags). Those numbers would have related to early 1944 had they been used.

Cheers
Aan
1939 VH Redhunter;1942 RN WNG;1951 Triumph 6T Thunderbird;1970 BSA B175 Bantam;1986 Yamaha SRX600 single;1952 VHA engined project
http://cloggymoore.wix.com/triumph-pre-unit-6t
RTichard Woolnough
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Re: Engine query

Post by RTichard Woolnough »

Thank you very much for this Alan, most interesting, the engine appears to have been fitted in 2010 the change notified and recorded at Edinburgh, the registered keeper at the time was a chap Malcolm Lemmon, residing in this area, intriguing that a correct engine was sourced so late in the day, was this chap a member of the Ariel fraternity I wonder?

kind regards
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Pete.Silson
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Re: Engine query

Post by Pete.Silson »

Richard
...intriguing that a correct engine was sourced so late in the day...
BK crankcases seem to come up on Ebay quite regularly - I think there were quite a few of them made.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/264885164794

Pete
RTichard Woolnough
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Re: Engine query

Post by RTichard Woolnough »

thank you Pete,
I think the bike was demobbed in 1946, v5c states first registered this date, the BK engine, I think was probably about this date also, and appears in the frame, maybe there was no engine in it when sold off and someone put a new engine in it, who knows at present?,
What puzzles me is the fact the correct BH engine appears to have replaced the incorrect one but in 2010, just a bit bemusing some 64 yrs [that right?] later a correctly numbered engine, albeit not an issued one, is sourced and used, I accept after the war there was lots of WD 'stuff' moved on but where had this engine been for this number of years?
Just a tad intriguing , well to me.
kind regards
nevhunter
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Re: Engine query

Post by nevhunter »

During war, engines would have been swapped ad hoc when rebuilt or serviced. WD Matchless engines sometimes have extra numbers added when serviced. I can understand a desire to have a BH number in it as it's less controversial. I had an un numbered new crankcase and presume that Ariel supplied them that way. W/NG's are relatively rare in Australia but were officially used here by the Navy I think. They disposed of some of them by dumping them overboard when they got little interest from the trade I understand.. I've had mine continually in service since 1997 and well used all the time and involved in resurrecting 2 others well on the way. They are a genuine high ground clearance bike (for better or worse) being essentially the 1938 ISDT bike with only the "field stand " added. They originally have the wide ratio trials with a 123.. jump to top gearbox ratios and unpolished gearbox and primary drive covers (as cast) finish.. The original spare parts info is invaluable for sorting out differences through the years. Nev
RTichard Woolnough
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Re: Engine query

Post by RTichard Woolnough »

Thanks Nev,
I have contacted the secretary of the VMCC in the area in which the chap lived when the engine was swapped, I am just wondering if he was known by any member around then or even if he was a VMCC member, have to wait and see what transpires.
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admin
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Re: Engine query

Post by admin »

Without the factory record, then you can predict from the contract numbers what the engine number might have been based on the position of the frame number in the sequence.
As Nev says, engines were swapped in use during the war and those records are long gone (although occasionally they do pop up). Post war, there would have been engine swaps too.

To me, it sounds like the previous owner ( in 2010) either swapped in a different engine or cases to get a wartime engine number.

I wish you luck in finding the right engine cases for your bike - they are about although yours could be in another bike or lost over the last 75 years. None of my three WNG's have the original engine, as it left the factory, but are all ww2 prefix which is good enough for me.
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alan.moore
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Re: Engine query

Post by alan.moore »

Richard
Have a look at this post:
http://forum.arielownersmcc.com/viewtopic.php?t=2383

it was posted by a Malcom Lemmon in 2013.

Looks like he's not been on the forum since then but it might be worth trying to PM him via the forum...you never know he may have set his profile to receive email notifications

Cheers
Alan
1939 VH Redhunter;1942 RN WNG;1951 Triumph 6T Thunderbird;1970 BSA B175 Bantam;1986 Yamaha SRX600 single;1952 VHA engined project
http://cloggymoore.wix.com/triumph-pre-unit-6t
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Re: Engine query

Post by Vincent.vanGinneke »

Here is something that might interest you.
I 'borrowed' this from The WD Motorcycle forum.
rich1.jpg
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