Huntmaster FH / BSA A10 Barrel

[Glyn.Ford]

Hi all

From reading round the forum, I understand that a Barrel from a BSA A10 can be used on my Ariel 650cc Huntmaster FH, 1957.

From searching on eBay, I have not seen any Huntmaster Barrels, but A10 barrels seem to pop up often. Please can someone advise if It is possable to use BSA Barrels, and what engineering / conversion is needed?

Many thanks.

Glyn Ford.

[brenton.roy]

Hi Glyn, bolts straight on, looks different.
You might be able to match the finning up a bit and take some of the BSA square out, but I'm not sure it would look right.
Some just use the whole top end. You have head choices. http://www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-moto ... /107306495
Of course, then you have an A10, not a Huntmaster!
I'm assuming you are in the UK.
I'd sleeve the ones you have.
Brenton

[Glyn.Ford]

Thanks for the detail Brenton. I've seen the Gumtree Ad. I don't really fancy mixing up the engine to the point that I have a BSA and Ariel engine parts mix up. I would feel more comfortable if I could find another Ariel barrel, or repair / reline the ones i have. Hence your offer to re-sleeve is the most comfortable. Here are 3pictures of the damage :

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o49/ ... 7f87d7.jpg

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o49/ ... cc27b5.jpg

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o49/ ... f08c12.jpg

Any further advice appreciated. Thank you.

Glyn.

[brenton.roy]

Hi Glyn,
Ouch! They really throw them don't they..
You had better wait for Nev or one one of the more experienced engineering people to reply. I'm not sure if you can fix that or not.
Otherwise, the A10 stuff would at least get you on the road.
I do have a spare Huntmaster top end (head, barrels), which I would swap for an iron 500 equivalent, but I'm in Australia - and postage would be a lot.
regards, Brenton

[nevhunter]

Machine a piece of cast iron to a cylindrical size and match the damage edges. Vee the gaps to the outside and I would use nickel bronze to braze the pieces in. File the outside to shape and form the cutouts. The top fin can be made to shape, supported, vee'd and brazed similarly but I would preheat the area a fair bit as there is thicker metal there. Cool out slowly by covering with insulation bats or chuck in a tin of slaked lime. The closer your barrells are to standard makes them more worth using. Nev

[Glyn.Ford]

Thanks Nev, Brenton. Wish I was in Auz! Happy memories of vacation many years ago. Agree with comment about closer to original, the better. Is it possable to use an A10 Barrel with my current Ariel head? Theres a barrel on eBay for £150, but already at +40, as mine already are? Or does the A10 Barrel need to have A10 head?

Sorry, I am a "nuts and bolts" engineer on first project. So casting and machining as Nev describes is a shop job for me. However knowing that something can be done is a great comfort. I guess Huntmaster 650cc barrels are very rare?

[brenton.roy]

Hi Glyn,
that I don't know for sure, but I expect the mix would be fine. It would be a pretty obvious mismatch though. Square peg under a round hole?
The repairs Nev mentions aren't as hard as they sound. I was more concerned that the barrel repair would be structurally sound, but Nev knows this stuff.
One easy way to go would be to look for a donor barrel at your local wrecker (breaker?) - for a piece of cast barrel of the right diameter - and some fin bits. Look for the crappiest, cheapest one. A reader of this thread may have an old 70mm ID barrel. Angle grinder and imagination!
Getting a re sleeve done is a shop job for all of us mortals. The bronze welds Nev mentions are easy if you have pieces cut to shape. The re sleever will have the equipment on hand to clean up the barrel - as they may have to machine the bore to exactly standard anyway, and most of these guys have oxy acetylene and could do the fins.
The advantage of this is that you are starting with a new, original bore. At 40 thou over, you otherwise have nowhere to go. Sleeves are not overly expensive http://www.draganfly.co.uk/shop/pd17428 ... goryId=146
Unless you have a low mileage bike, you are going to have to resleeve. I doubt there are too many low mileage Huntmasters about to be sent to the wreckers?
You aren't talking a huge (japanese style) mileage before the bore is worn out. Particularly so if you don't have good filters.
I haven't seen a lot of later Ariels in my part of Aus., certainly not much after 55 or so. You seem to have much more later stuff. Nev and David are over 1000km away from me, so who knows what happened over there!
re rare, apparently so?
regards, Brenton

[ariel.andersen]

Hi Glyn.
I have a FH barrel for sale if you still are lokking for one.
Can mail you photos of it.
Bedst Regads
Jorgen

[Glyn.Ford]

Hi Jorgen. Yes please, tell me more! I will PM you now.... Thanks

[nevhunter]

Sometimes sleeving twin barrels , you have a problem with the thickness of the spigots.( The ones that are damaged in this case). Triumphs end up at a tapered off edge that has little support and bits fall off. The 650 Ariel twins were all iron headed machines. Wouldn't it be a reasonable fix to fit the entire top from a BSA road rocket? ( unless you are wanting absolute authenticity). The alloy head enables more performance at a lighter weight. Nev