First Engine for my Nephews. Lister D, full restoration.

I suppose I should start soaking it in GT85.
I'm looking forward to this restoration. I don't mind trying to lift heavy things (carefully, always keep my back straight etc) but I know when I'm beat .

Ianhw77k wrote:I suppose I should start soaking it in GT85.
I'm looking forward to this restoration. I don't mind trying to lift heavy things (carefully, always keep my back straight etc) but I know when I'm beat .

I thought you would've already had the GT85 out! Don't be shy with it, plenty round the carb, governor linkages & magneto. Also some other nuts, bolts & studs, but mainly carb & governor for now.

nutgone wrote:

Ianhw77k wrote:I suppose I should start soaking it in GT85.
I'm looking forward to this restoration. I don't mind trying to lift heavy things (carefully, always keep my back straight etc) but I know when I'm beat .

I thought you would've already had the GT85 out! Don't be shy with it, plenty round the carb, governor linkages & magneto. Also some other nuts, bolts & studs, but mainly carb & governor for now.

i may have a stud for the hopper kicking around in the draws in the shed .... have a few other d spares as well .

matt

ya me to...mind you ive done them when they've been like that...
its all part of the challenge to get them sorted.....
make sure you fill the boar up with red diesel (heating oil)..that will help to unseize it (if it is seized)
good luck with it....

mike...

mike d wrote:ya me to...mind you ive done them when they've been like that...
its all part of the challenge to get them sorted.....
make sure you fill the boar up with red diesel (heating oil)..that will help to unseize it (if it is seized)
good luck with it....

mike...

Cheers guys, I've got a feeling this forum will be the place for this restoration.

Thankfully this one isn't seized, it does turn but is a bit tight & doesn't seem to have much in the way of compression. It's a shame it's round Ian's place, I can't afford to be running out there every day, so will have to pick my times carefully when I do go over there, as I need to make the most of each visit (30 mile round trip is best part of a tenner in my car). Might see if I can get over there this weekend, I need the kids out of the way though, as I would like to keep the surprise until christmas (which still seems a long way off). Also I don't want to do too much on it, as it's their project, but it would be nice to get it started at least, if at all possible.

Foden wrote:When I took my first D type to a rally in 1995 it was only on a couple of wooden skids so a mate gave me a hand to load it on my trailer. I arrived at the rally and asked the Steward if he could give me a hand out with it, he did no more than lean over the trailer and lift it over the side on his own, didn't even bother dropping the tailgate! Nowadays he is on two sticks and a mobility scooter because of a back injury, not due to THAT event I hasten to add! Wheel's are the way to go.

Pete.

Pete I think we all did the same, more so in our game working on trucks, when I think back now at all the things I lifted and never thought about it, now I'm having all the back problems through being stupid when I was younger.

I know you've only got a Lister D but they are a heavy lump and you need wheels on it but maybe worth putting it on some skids for now so the boys can't pull it over onto themselves.

Stu.

It's still on its metal skids Stu so they'll do for now. I'll be having a word with a carpenter mate of mine soon, hopefully he will be able to get me some nice pieces of wood for this and the Briggs, I'm thinking Ash will be the best bet. Hickory would be nice but I'm betting a lot more expensive. I know Ash is strong and fairly light. I'm sure he'll be able to steer me in the right direction, I've seen his work and he is very gifted, I'll offer him a few favours like sorting his garden out or something like that, maybe even get Nutgone to look at his electrics. We like the barter system out here in the country

Look what I found....



I forgot I even had these, they are traditional water slide transfers, most of them are for bigger engines, but the smaller ones should make the boys happy & give them something to aim for.

I was given them from my magneto freind, the deaf guy who lives round the corner. My mum met him first & told him I was into stationary engines, that night he came round to introduce himself & bought these round as a little "Hello" gift.

The arrows will be wrong

Oh bugger it!

Anyone want some Lister transfers???

nutgone wrote:Oh bugger it!

Anyone want some Lister transfers???

If i had a lister i was painting i would lol

you can get the transfers from the inside of the front cover of the stationary engine mag .

matt

I bet a reverse rotation arrow is double the price of a normal one!

nutgone wrote:I bet a reverse rotation arrow is double the price of a normal one!

2 ticks and il have a look ...

lister arrows reverse rotation £2.50 a pair

and lister D set with the lister sign and R.A Lister with water level is £5

matt

I buy them off you as I've one or 2 D's to sort out and they'll come in handy.

Stu.

I think I will have to sort through those transfers & get a proper list together. Will give you a shout when I know what I've got Stu.

Anyway, yesterday, after I'd finished struggling with the Tarpen, I decided to take a few bits off the Lister & see what's what. I found out why it was so stiff to turn over, it's because the magneto is seized solid & the chain is also very rusty, the sprocket was just slipping on the shaft. After I eventually got the mag & chain off it was spinning a bit more freely. Still no compression though.

I also took the carb off. The governor linkage is moving fine (dunno about the actual governor), it's the throttle butterfly/spindle that's seized, as was the choke plunger thing.

Anyway, I got the bits home & made a start, beginning with the carb. I managed to get most of it apart, & put all the small bits in a couple of jam jars filled with the usual fluids (this weeks mix is petrol, 2 stroke oil & diesel. I think there's also some white spirit in there, not sure) they're all still soaking. here's the bits I couldn't get in the jars....



Tonight I had another go at it & managed to free off the plunger thingy & the throttle spindle, so that's all moving again.

Then I set to the magneto. It's in a pretty shocking state inside. I managed to get the coil off (just!) & so far I'm getting some strange readings, I think it might be knackered, but we'll see.

I managed to get the points cover off (eventually!) & took all the small parts apart & put them in a pot (haven't soaked them in anything yet, didn't want to mix them up with the carb bits). This should all be salvageable.

The bit I'm concerned about is the main magneto body & rotor, it's very badly corroded, inside & out....







As you can see the rotor is completely seized solid, I can't shift it. & from what I can see the only way to get it out is to remove these three screws & remove the front plate....



But despite re-slotting the screw heads & soaking them in GT85 I can't shift them, so I guess they'll have to be drilled out???

The magnets feel quite strong, & if the coil does turn out to be OK then all I need to do is get it all moving & clean it all up. Anyone got any special tricks for Lister D mags.

As the mag is ali and the srews are steel, remove anything that doesn't like heat, blowlamp the casing where the screws are one at a time, preferably directly on the casting where the studs are housed (Carefull not to directly heat the screw). Once it is hot, use WD40 at first on the screw in question, (YES I do mean WD40 not GT85 as its thinner and very good for this use). Take a good fitting screw driver at this point that will take a smack, give the screw driver 2-3 good clouts with a small to medium bammer, then try carefully to turn the screw, if no joy repeat the process.

Mike D has a few mags and one is a reverse rotation .... worth contacting him ....?

matt

Maybe I should bring the impact driver over. We'll have to be careful with it though.
Wait until I get there, I don't want you breaking anything

I want to be a bit careful with hammers near this thing (& BTW Ian brakes much more stuff than me. All I broke was a very brittle fanbelt pulley on my other Tarpen back in the summer, & it needed to come off anyway).

Hammers & magnets don't go too well together, as shock tends to demagnetise the magnets (over time), also I'm guessing that cast aluminium mag body is very brittle as well. But it's absolutely no good to me unless it's apart, so if it breaks in the process I haven't lost anything. But we should be able to get it apart without breaking or demagnetizing anything.

Thanks for the tips & suggestions lads. I'll crack on with it after I've done the Tarpen.

I understand what your saying about demagnetise the magnets as in the same sence you can magnetise things by hitting them at a certain angle, old skool physics coming back here. As for using an impact driver I've done more damage using one of them then not using it It's the old patients thing that comes back every time soaking, tapping etc try a small chisel or center pop on the edge of the screw heads see if you can shock them that way.

Stu.

re magnets, they can be re polarised, but the chances of demag in this stuation is slim.
as for cracking the ali, keep the casting on a secure sound surface, you want the shock to go into the screw not the housing. You will only damage the ali if it already has a fracture/weakness. As a marine engineer solving problems like this were a day to day occurance

Well, it's generally only coming off the shelf & onto the bench when I run out of other things to do, so meanwhile I'll keep spraying it & see if I can make an effort to get them undone properly, as Blackvanman suggests, otherwise I suppose I'll have to go on the hunt for another mag.

Don't suppose anyone has any other ideas about maybe getting the rotor moving without removing the screws/front plate??? I can't see it happening, but could be worth a shot?

nutgone wrote:(& BTW Ian brakes much more stuff than me. All I broke was a very brittle fanbelt pulley on my other Tarpen back in the summer, & it needed to come off anyway).

What a load of rubbish! You broke the starter dog AND fan belt pulley on that Tarpen, then the carb on the Briggs and Stratton and plenty more things. Just because they've been mended doesn't mean you didn't break them first

Ianhw77k wrote:

nutgone wrote:(& BTW Ian brakes much more stuff than me. All I broke was a very brittle fanbelt pulley on my other Tarpen back in the summer, & it needed to come off anyway).

What a load of rubbish! You broke the starter dog AND fan belt pulley on that Tarpen, then the carb on the Briggs and Stratton and plenty more things. Just because they've been mended doesn't mean you didn't break them first

can't you just feel the brotherly love.

Stu.