Hymn to the 1928 Model C

[Vincent.vanGinneke]

Part 3

Headlamp brackets.

Made a tracing from these brackets on Rein's original Model B and duplicated them.

a few 'works' drawings

[tony.barnett]

Excellent stuff. I'm looking forward to the `Exhaust Pipe Bending' episode.

[Karol Burger]

you took away a piece of good robot again. it's great to see that there are still people who want to do it the original, even though it's a lot of work.We also once produced a small series of footrests for the 1927-28 model. At the moment, however, they are sold out and we are trying to cast new pieces.

[Vincent.vanGinneke]

Yes I have seen the ones you make on your 'Inzercia' page.
Very reasonable priced and hard to resist not to buy from you!
But there was just enough left on my footrests that made me decide to repair them.
And I like working with my lathe, Thanks.

[Vincent.vanGinneke]

Part 4.

Rear hub sprocket .

Sprocket change.
1928 and a bit later the rear hubs have a sprocket that is one part with the hub.
What was the designer thinking!
Buy a new Ariel when your chain is gone, surely
Alternatively, once worn you could -funds permitting- buy a new hub or complete rear wheel !
Over 90 years later the change of finding a hub with fresh teeth is pretty slim, actually zero.
Again Karol has come up with a solution; rear sprockets with a 'step' in the rim where it sits on the brakedrum.
A simple matter of grinding off the old worn teeth and turn the remaining rim down to the desired size.

Something like this :

Ofcourse you take off the teeth like this and NOT on your lathe, imagine what the lathe bearings will tell you (cant find a icon for middlefinger )

Karol's product :

After grinding off the old teeth the rear hub only just fitted on my Weiler lathe.
The ringing it made could be heard at the end of my street..
You see that the opposite spoke flange is not on the assembly.
On these hubs the spoke flange on the non brake side is a loose fitting.
That is because you cannot get the spokes laced if the flange was fixed.
Upon lacing you have to put the spokes in the small flange and then place it on the assembly.

It only just fitted....

This drawing should show you the desired measurements it needs to have

Done that.

Eagle eyed observers will have noticed that the hub does not have these 3 small holes in the side where the so called 'Spoke Head Cover Ring' should be.
I once had one of these sheet metal rings so I knew it should be there.
it's rather handy to have this cover in place to prevent a broken spoke head to enter the brake works.
But making such a ring from memory is not a good idea.
Roger Gwynn is also our custodian of all things factory drawings and he came to the rescue by sending me this copy of a factory drawing.

I added millimeters in red.
Date on the drawing is the 16th of May 1928.
I think that this means that all rear hubs before that date don't have this cover ring.
Presumably the factory went through a period of advanced insight .....
but did not yet design a hub with a outside spoke rim but instead came up with this idea.
Possibly because they had huge stacks of these hubs lying around.
My brake drum is missing these 3 small drillings.

Took out the jigsaw and copyd it.

Added the 'sculpted' edges and a very genuine looking Spoke Head Cover Ring' was the result.

[Roger Gwynn]

Many of the drawings have a much later date than the introduction of the part. Many are dated from during the war but are much earler parts so these must be new drawings, I cannot believe they would make a part without a drawing, at least not something with some complexity. We do have to be careful though because it is not unusual for the part to be differnt to the drawing, possibly the drawing that has survived is not the latest version but more likly the part was altered because when made to the drawing it was found not to fit or could be made more easily another way. Shop floor people by their nature would forget to tell the drawing office, although some drawings have a note 'altered at request of the works'. Unlike many factories Ariel did not customarily change or introduce a part during the year but they did do it occaisionally. It could be that someone had a problem with a broken spoke fouling thier brake shoes and the factory thought "oh s**t we can't afford to lose customers" and added the protector. I was glad of one when I broke 10 spokes on my 1926 this summer (it has a 1929 rear wheel).

[Karol Burger]

it's great that we have a drawing. I will make several pieces of these covers. Certainly there are many people who miss this part.


great job again, keep going, I'm very happy with you

[Vincent.vanGinneke]

Very good!
Thats one of the things I like about this wonderfull world called Ariel Motorcycles!
Help is only one step away

[SEDoan]

Wonderful work and a great thread - thank you Vincent and all.

[Vincent.vanGinneke]

Part 5

Collecting metal odds & sods can be a life long habit, I suppose it's something genetic.
In my 'assorted stock' I have bits that have been 'with me' longer then I can remember.
Possibly some bits where once saved from whatever scrapyard by my dad, and then they grow on you, possibly..
See -or feast- your eyes on my stock
parts for my Model C are hiding in here.....

I know almost every bit of steel, copper, brass etc. some say I give them names....
I dont just use bits from my stock at random, I have to have a reason to pick a certain bit and use it.
I have only 1 inverted lever, make the other one.

This looks like a decent bit of toolroom steel. Perfect for a inverted lever.

getting there