My little JAP

And here's the crankcase after I threw a bit of gloss black enamel at it:






Now I don't know what you lot think, but I actually like that finish. That's one thin coat.

nutgone wrote:Character or Shine? Character or shine?

I think I've got both there. The roughness is apparent but not overstated.

Paul

Now THAT I like!

Lovely finish. I have to admit, I wasn't sure about black, but I reckon that looks great.

I don't know if it came across or not, but I honestly wasn't sure about the black either - it was only after I'd cleaned it up, when I saw how it looked shiny, that I really thought it might turn out alright. It's a bit odd now to think I originally just wanted it a bit cleaner than it was and running!

I've got some idea now about how it'll be when it comes together - I'm looking forward to seeing it and whether I can actually do the things I'm thinking of...

Got quite a bit left to do though, hopefully it won't take too long - it's getting to the stage where I really need some dry weather as I have things I can only do outside.

To be continued....

pauldg wrote:...........It's a bit odd now to think I originally just wanted it a bit cleaner than it was and running!..........

Tell me about it! I wasn't even going to clean the Tarpen, just get it running & show it in "As Found" condition!

Before you know it these things are back to bare metal & you're cleaning up individual nuts & bolts! & it's like a bug.

Can't wait to see what happens to your Petter Gen. Set.

Looks cracking in that colour. You could always pick out the letters in red or gold, maybe even yellow.
Good job so far

I was going to do the lettering in gold (well, gold-ish) to match the brass. Got some more black to put on it first though. Then I have to find some gold paint...

My decision on the colour scheme is black, gold and silver (polished alloys). I think it should look alright.

Paul

The little tins of enamel for Airfix models are good for picking out lettering. Many years ago I used their gold one on my Tarpen, & I will be using their orange or red one on it soon.

I need to go looking for those tiny little brushes as well now.

It looks good in black but can I ask you a question, did you undercoat/prime the block before you put the top coat on? Or are your just checking to see what it looks like before doing it, I use red oxide as a primer as it helps stop the rust coming through.

Stu.

It's a self priming high temperature engine specific enamel - says in the directions not to use any other primer. The paint can take 600c, I'm not sure most primers would go that high. Not that it'll be tested by this engine...

I'll get some more done when I'm allowed to get the spanners out again!

Paul

Not much progress today - had to go and get some tyres on my mum's car... Just how it took over 3 hours to get 2 tyres I'll never know, I could've done it quicker with two spoons and a bike pump - Oh well, next time I'll just buy them and fit them myself. Like I did last time.

Anyway, I did manage to get the alternator out of the shed.

This is what the JAP is going to be driving. The label said it was for a volvo and it may be a little large (I
think it's 100amp) but that's not too important and it's the only one I have that doesn't have a plastic cover on.




Don't it look lovely like?

Seems ok electrically, won't know for sure until I test it under load. Bearings are smooth and it turns freely. Looks like I have a mini-project ahead getting this ready. Not that I'm a glutton for punishment or anything.

I'm off to stroke my oil filler cap some more

Paul

Looks very similar to the one on my old Beemer (1984 BMW 525e), & I've got another one in the garage which looks very similar (but won't fit my car, so is surplus to requirements), although that doesn't have a regulator on it, but they're all of about £15 anyway, so I think I'll hang onto it for the time being.....
you never know, I might just find a little-medium-sized JAP to run it one day

Also, I've got an old power steering pump. Is there any way these could be converted into an exhibit of some kind???

I know they usually pump PSF (or in this case ATF) but it is still a pump. Has anyone ever used one??? (or have I just been drinking too much at my mum's birthday party? ).

Re: your PAS pump. Well, yes it'll pump 'stuff'... not sure about putting something like water through it though. (As an aside, I've been looking for a PAS pump for a future project!)

You could always make something with hydraulic rams etc. as a display. Not sure how the insurance would view fluid under hundreds of psi...

pauldg wrote:Re: your PAS pump. Well, yes it'll pump 'stuff'... not sure about putting something like water through it though. (As an aside, I've been looking for a PAS pump for a future project!)

You could always make something with hydraulic rams etc. as a display. Not sure how the insurance would view fluid under hundreds of psi...

Hmm, might be worth more as a PAS pump then, especially as it's undoubtedly off an earlier car than mine.

The BMW boys would probably lynch me if I turned it into an exhibit

I was given it & the alternator when I bought my tow bar. The guy said "These might fit your car" & he didn't want them, so I naturally said yes.

Might do something with the alternator then, I've got the ideal engine in mind, it's probably the next one to be pulled out from under the tarp in my sister's garden.
Keep your eyes open for another thread in the coming weeks........

Paul I know you have the alternator but you can pick up cheap dynamo's and reg boxes on fleabay if you want it to look older and more to the period of the engine. I have a few old alternators and a dynamo but there all 24v that cam of the buses I used to have, the problem with 24v is having to take 2 12v batteries along as well.

Stu.

I got distracted a bit today at Durrington...

See other thread for details.

This one seems to have have stalled a little over the last couple of days - other stuff took priority, or so I was told...

Anyway, making a bit of space this evening and will be back on it shortly

To be continued..... again......

Well, oil filler cap is just about done...




The bit between the thread and the brass top is probably going to be black, but apart from that it just needs polish now.

Removing the top thread, shaping the angled part and removing the lumps that were there was all done with a file and sandpaper... I think it was worth it - I do wish I had a lathe though.

One more little step closer.

Paul

Good job done Paul, sometimes you need to take a little break to recharge the batteries and clear your head so we can let you have a day or 2 off

Stu.

I've made another decision... I'm getting good at these

I had a go at cleaning up the fins on the cylinder and I'm not going to be happy with it. Not until I can blast it anyway. I haven't even looked at the top of the head - well, I looked at it and there's even more crooks and nannies than on the cylinder.

I got the crankcase plenty clean enough to paint and I'm really pleased with how it turned out now I've finished it.

So now I'm going to do the other little bits (fix the governor, finish off the carb etc.) then get it put together as it is - after all I've never seen it run! Then I'll take it apart again when I get the shed sorted and finish it off properly.

I'll update as I do the bits, and I'll do a video when I try to start it, but it's not going to be 'completed' for a while yet.

At least it means I can get the cowl sorted!

I think it's a good idea to have it running before you paint then you can find out any problems that have to be fixed once you strip it for painting. You could find that it's in a poor condition and is going to cost a lot of money to repair then it's worth so it might not be worth carrying on and painting.

Stu.

stationary stu wrote:I think it's a good idea to have it running before you paint then you can find out any problems that have to be fixed once you strip it for painting. You could find that it's in a poor condition and is going to cost a lot of money to repair then it's worth so it might not be worth carrying on and painting.

Stu.

Good point, I was lucky with the Tarpen, but it could've quite easily needed a new mag coil or something, which would've priced me out for a while. I took a bit of a chance with it.

I'm not at all concerned about getting it going - the piston and rings seal fine, the valves now seat properly, there is no discernible play in any of the bearings, I had a spark out of it before I even got it fully in the garden the day I picked it up and the coil still checks out electrically...

That's 2 out of 3 things an engine needs to run - a squeeze, something to burn and something to set it alight - everything else is just trimmings

If that carb ends up not working (pretty sure it will now one way or another) then I'll just get a different one out of the shed and use that instead. That makes all 3 things.

I've never been very good at admitting something won't work

The main thing is I want it in one bit so I can get the boxes of parts out of the kitchen, but I don't want to waste paint etc. when I know it's inevitable I'll be doing it again...

Paul

Sounds like it will be a runner Paul, most carbs need a strip and clean after they have stood a few years. You could still have electrical problems coil breaking down but you'll not find that out till it's run for a few hours, so basically it's good to go with the paint.

Stu.

Sometimes I wish there were more hours in the day - or at least more that I'm allowed to do stuff in...

Done a little more work on the governor, I'm not 100% sure about fitting it yet though. Where the carb and manifold are not original, I'm going to have to do a bit of thinking to get a working linkage. Still, it's quite easy to get it in and out by just removing the sump plate, so I can play with that any time.

I'll get some more photos when there is something interesting to see!

Paul

pauldg wrote:Sometimes I wish there were more hours in the day - or at least more that I'm allowed to do stuff in...

Tell me about it! I haven't been able to get on with my project at all since I started it on Monday. There's always something else that 'needs' doing