Villiers Mk25 project.

(reposted as I think it may have been in the wrong section.....)

Hi there. Just a quick intro and a few questions regarding my Villiers. I've had it for a week now and have stripped it down as it was in a terrible state. I know it's a common engine and not that interesting but I want to do a good job of it. It looks like it has been used as a plough or anchor in the past! It really is that dirty. I've been cleaning and checking it over. I only paid a tenner for it so didn't expect much......

Good points.....
It looks in good condition inside. No scoring or damage to piston or cylinder.
The 6:1 gearbox is mint.
It's complete except for the guard for the fan.
The oil that came it of the sump/box looked OK.

Bad bits.....
It's so dirty!
The tinware is battered.
The fuel tank is full of rust.
There was about two tablespoons of coke in the cylinder.
The exhaust manifold bolts won't budge.
About 100 spiders are now homeless.
I'm down £10.

I hope it will be a runner soon. Can't see any problems yet.
Should I stick to sae30 oil in sump and gearbox?
Do I fill the gearbox to the lower plug? Doesn't seem much oil?
Does colour matter? Not a fan of shiny green modern paint.
Should the block be bare metal? Can't see any signs that it's been painted.
Why the gearbox? What might it have been used for?

Kindest regards,
Steve.

Hi Steve,

Welcome to the forum. You can find a lot of information here.
I have recently downloaded a users manual of the gearbox.
Please send me your E-mail adress by PM I will forward the document to you.
I have a Mk15 engine myself. I painted it green (RAL6001) which comes close to the remainings I've found on the tank and cowl.
For the tank you can try to fill it with fine gravel and a degreaser and shake it for a while.

I've bought some parts frome Villiersparts in UK
http://www.villiersparts.co.uk/
George is very helpfull and responded quickly on my requests.
Another option is L&S Engineers. They have often vintage parts for Villiers
http://www.lsengineers.co.uk/

Even if you think it's a common engine; do not let it stop you from posting pictures
There are a lot of experienced people on the forum who can help if you are running into issues.

Best regards,

Steef Pronk

Thanks very much for your kind reply.

I will pm you my email address and post some pics, as soon as I figure out how!

Steve.

welcome and villiers mk25s are 34 yrs to 70yrs old as a guide, so work away and enjoy them i do
and i prefere my pre war villiers anyday to my opencranks, and get your pics posted as we like to see what your talking about
ive done from mk 7 10 12 15 20 25 e30 all the sloper and light wieghts from 3/4hp to 7 and 9bhp villiers d370 d415 dieselsand back to there first ever stationary engine range the wx11 lz from 1927
so post and get stuck in and dirty ,the fun starts with the scrap and continues with the ready to run
thanks kev

First attempt at posting a pic.......

As I found it........

Not too bad.

Once the gearbox was removed.

Inside the gearbox. Nice to see a Hoffmann bearing!

Why the engine was thought to be seized. Luckily the dent fell between two fins of the fan.

So how old is it?........

Hi Steve,

Seems to be a good project for the coming winter
On the flywheel there should be a code which stated the year.
Keep up the good work
Send you a PM with my E-mailadres for the manual.

Best regards,

Steef

Cheers. It won't get done this year now as I'll be away.

Hi Steve,

Have done a few Villiers since my son and I started this mad hobby.
You seem to have most bits there. Have you got a spark? Replacing the coil isn't cheap, but see Nutgone's posts for alternatives if you are happy to enjoy the rebuilding rather than getting a pukka showpiece.
See our posts for some hints and tips on cleaning up.
We have three Villiers on the go at the moment, though one may turn out to be a 'donor', each with differing paint jobs. Some only seem to have had the tinwork painted whilst others were painted top to bottom. Your choice in the end.
Good luck and keep us posted with progress.

Thinking I may have found a use for the Villiers. I scavenge all my own logs.......

Dead right Steve. I just thinking just the same for our Petter A1 but sadly we don't have welding gear or skills to make the frame

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nKE2z6QSYs