LH Colt restoration

[john.nash]

John - that's a good idea and I'd be happy to do it. This rebuild will take the best part of three years so a workshop manual won't be much quicker!

Drop me an email if you're serious
The club is looking to organise these .. we'll get an advert into cheval shortly ...

And by the way, this thread is awesome.

[Paul_Linden]

Over the xmas break I got some "quality time' in the shed with the bike. First up was the primary drive cover, filled primed and painted. The new fibre washers seem unusually large. Not perfect, but I'm happy.

Then next up was the wiring loom, which starts with the master switch in the headlamp. The inside of the headlamp shell was left unpainted, as the light grey makes it easier to see the wire colours - especially at night by the side of the road which is when lighting problems occur!

There are lots of small chips in the paint - it comes from dry fitting the parts before assembling.

[Paul_Linden]

Main switch went in all right without any 'issues'. You can see the Wipac sticker on the NOS wiring loom. The loom is cloth covered - which approximately dates it to before the 1960s.

Moving on to other parts of the electrics, the old coil was completely shot, so this Lucas replacement went in. I had to make the bracket for it, a simple thing, but which seemed to take up too much time. For now I'm keeping the electrics at 6v and with points. I will see what it runs like before thinking about upgrading to 12v and electronic ignition.

The original selenium rectifier was binned and a modern replacement sourced. Very straight forward to wire up. (The camera flash seems to have washed out the colour from some of the wires but they are clockwise from brown: brown, white, blue, green.) I'm not adverse to using modern cable ties and shrink wrap to cover the wires.

[Paul_Linden]

Amal 375 Monobloc in pieces. This was the first stage clean, where all the visible grunge has been cleaned off, and it was followed by a second more thorough clean. Carb condition is worn, but serviceable, however I'd like to see how well it works with the bike running.

Found a genuine Amal service spanner at the bottom of my toolbox. It's perfect for those hard to reach parts. Notice how those curved ends avoid scratching the casing like a ring or regular open ended spanner would.

So here's the current state - wired up and ready to start

[Paul_Linden]

Would you like to see it running? What, really?! Oh, all right then, here you are....
Tickover is a bit quick, but at least there's no oil leaks or bl;owing gaskets.

[simon.holyfield]

Well if my Four sounds as good as that when I'm done, I'll be a happy man!

[Paul_Linden]

Nearly there - lots of odds and ends needed doing to get this far, leaky fuel taps, loose wires, oil leaks, clutch adjustment, the list went on.
However, today was the day that I fired her up (haven't given her a name yet) and rode up and down the garden path. At least first and second gear work all right, but still lots of fettling to do and the front fender still needs to be painted. Roll on spring!

[john.nash]

However, today was the day that I fired her up (haven't given her a name yet) and rode up and down the garden path...

159.jpg

AND?
After following your build for months .... you surely can't get away with just two short lines ?

Easy to start ? Oil returning ? How did it feel ? etc etc etc

[Paul_Linden]

Well alrighty! I admit it was pretty damn fine to be breezing along in second gear, enjoying the first fruits of two and a half years toil. I couldn't stop grinning for an hour!

I had already tested the engine, so knew that it was all OK, with a good return flow to the oil tank.
There were no oil leaks on the static test, but after the run this weekend I found the rocker cover gasket leaks. The securing bolt, which is also takes the oil feed to the head is too long to clamp the head tight down. The oil actually leaks through the gasket, after a five minute run I could see it seeping out through the gasket like it was coming out of a sponge!
The gearbox was a little clunky for the first few changes, but has now settled down, although 3rd and 4th are untested.
The heatproof paint on the barrel isn't. It's peeling off already!
The kickstart rubs against the exhaust, so some fettling is needed there.
I've already developed a knack for starting it - after tickling the carb the throttle needs to be opened a little. It usually starts first kick now.

I hope that by the time I've sorted these things and put the front mudguard, mirror, and tax disc holder on, then the registration will be done, spring will be in the air and I can take her out for a spin on public roads. I'm sure I'll still be grinning then.

[admin]

There were no oil leaks on the static test, but after the run this weekend I found the rocker cover gasket leaks. The securing bolt, which is also takes the oil feed to the head is too long to clamp the head tight down. The oil actually leaks through the gasket, after a five minute run I could see it seeping out through the gasket like it was coming out of a sponge!
The gearbox was a little clunky for the first few changes, but has now settled down, although 3rd and 4th are untested.
The heatproof paint on the barrel isn't. It's peeling off already!
The kickstart rubs against the exhaust, so some fettling is needed there.

That's all normal !!
We going to see it in person ?